GOD IS IMMUTABLE-UNCHANGEABLE
We live in an ever-changing world. Yards, streets, businesses, and states change. If you have lived in Dover for over 20 years, you can see what change looks like. Take a walk in the Dover Mall, or better yet, visit the Blue Hen Corporate Center, which used to be the Blue Hen Mall. Consider the Air Force Base; a lot has changed. I grew up with both, and I have seen how much they have changed. Some things change for the better, some for the worse. We’ve seen changes because markets, culture, and ultimately humans change. But one thing we can rely on and one thing we may even take for granted is that God never changes.
Immutability means God is unchanging in every way. This includes God’s nature, character, purposes, and promises.
God’s nature does not change
God’s attributes and the quality of His attributes are established so they will not change. But nature changes in different ways and facets, such as volcanoes that change entire landscapes and habitats.
Psalm 102:25-28: Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. 26 They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment and discard them. 27 But you are always the same; you will live forever. 28 The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.”
This is creation’s impermanence, but God’s perfection and eternity. God cannot improve, and he cannot diminish in any facet of His nature. God is perfect, so he cannot change for the better or for the worse.
This constancy extends to Jesus Christ, who “is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
God’s character does not change
Scripture presents God’s unchanging nature as foundational to His character and trustworthiness.
2 Timothy 2:13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.
Psalm 119:90 Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created.
God will not fail in His love, His truth, and His grace because His essence is unchanging…Although humans are inconsistent and disobedient in their relationship with God, this does not compromise the faithfulness of God. -Duffield & Cleave, FOUNDATIONS OF PENTECOSTAL THEOLOGY, p 103.
God’s purposes and promises do not change
God’s immutability encompasses His decrees and commitments. When God has decreed a purpose to happen or has made a promise or covenant, it will happen. God does not change His mind on His plan and promises.
Malachi 3:1-7
It is God’s promise to the patriarchs that is in view, his promise to create a people for himself from the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. His commitment to his people does not change (cf. Rom 11:1–6, 11–12, 25–29). God’s faithfulness to his covenant with Israel is similarly taught in Hos 11:9: “I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath.” And Neh 9:31 declares, “But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.” Taylor, R. A., & Clendenen, E. R. (2004). Haggai, Malachi (Vol. 21A, p. 402). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
It is God’s immutability and faithfulness to His Word that ultimately preserves the nation from destruction. God keeps his promises to the patriarchs. He knows this evil generation will pass and that a God-fearing one will yet come to inherit the promises. Alden, R. L. (1986). Malachi. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, p. 720). Zondervan Publishing House.
Psalm 89:34 No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said.
Hebrews 6:13-18 NLT For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying: 14 “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.” 15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised. 16 Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. 17 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. 18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.
What about when God relents in the Bible? Is that God changing His mind?
For example, in Exodus 32:9-14, when the Israelites make a golden calf, and God is ready to wipe them out, He relents or holds back after Moses intercedes and appeals for mercy. This was not a decree of purpose or promise but a response in that present moment to sin.
Conditional Circumstances Versus Unconditional Decrees
Jeremiah 18:7-11NLT
The book of Jonah is a great example of conditional circumstances. God was giving Ninevah a chance to repent by sending a warning. We see they repented, and God relented or held back his wrath by being merciful.
Malachi 3 or the promise to David is a great example of an unconditional decree. “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16) is an example of unconditional purpose and promise. There is no qualification expressed or implied in this declaration. No matter what David did or did not do, the word of the Lord would come to pass. This began with Abraham, then passed down to Isaac, and then passed down to Jacob. God is a promise and covenant keeper, and that’s what he did. Jesus’ lineage was full of imperfect people, and people you would not expect to bring forth the Kingdom that is established forever, but God does not change. God still called for repentance in Malachi for their own present peace and restoration, but if they didn't, the promise would be fulfilled through the next generation.
Where God is said to “change his mind,” or to move from one emotional state to another, we understand that he is revealing his unchanging character in judgment at one time and in grace at another. When we see a different side of God’s face, it is not because he has changed, but because we have changed in relation to him. At the same time, God shows his immutability in remaining perfectly faithful to his promises. What God wills, he will do, and what he begins, he will complete. God’s immutability is not an obstacle to human relationship to God but is the foundation for trust in him. Carini, J. B. (2018). God’s Immutability. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press
Passages that seem to speak of God “changing his mind” must be understood in the context of such verses as Ps 33:10–11: “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations” (see also Isa 14:24; 46:9–10). Taylor, R. A., & Clendenen, E. R. (2004). Haggai, Malachi (Vol. 21A, p. 405). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
The bottom line is that God remains consistent and unchanging in His nature, character, purposes, and promises while circumstances are ever-changing with us in real time.
Application
We can trust God to be faithful and true to His character and word.
With a little reflection, you can quickly realize how much we rely on and find comfort in our unchanging God. People change, sometimes for the better or for the worse, but God remains the same good and faithful God. Our unchanging God is more trustworthy than one who shifts or changes with every new feeling or season.
James 1:17 NIV “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James finds assurance in God because He does not change over time. Shadows shift, move, and are fleeting, but God’s nature and promises do not.
We can be resilient and at peace mentally and emotionally in situations that arise or in the unsettling situations that arise, knowing that our God remains the same and is not shaken, so neither do we need to be.
God’s immutability is a great source of comfort to the believer. Whereas God is constant in His wrath against sin, He is equally constant in His forgiveness in response to faith and repentance. God’s immutability grants the assurance that “He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Phil. 1:6 HCSB). In a world that is in constant change, the believer finds peace in a God who does not change, knowing that truth and values are grounded in the nature and character of an unchanging God. Walter Johnson Johnson, W. (2003). Immutability of God. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (pp. 810–811). Holman Bible Publishers.
If you want God to change His Word or ways, then it is you who needs to change.
Our secular, ungodly, and unguided society has no anchor in God’s truth and morals. As society changes, we shouldn’t allow those changes to change our view of God or the Bible. God will never change his position on sin and righteousness or what is right and wrong morally from the Old to the New Testament.
Being influenced more by Greek philosophy than by the Bible, some classical theologians have understood God’s immutability to mean that God is unable to act and that He is uncaring and unresponsive to the created order. Overreaction to this error of viewing God as static results in an equally distorted view of God. (Additionally) Some recent thinkers have rejected the biblical teaching concerning God’s immutability altogether. Being influenced more by process or existential thought, they understand God to be like the created order—experiencing change, maturing in knowledge and personal development, and having no certain knowledge of the future. Neither a static view of God nor a God in constant flux captures the biblical picture of God. Biblical theology portrays God as immutable, yet as acting, feeling emotions, and responding differently to various situations. In all such actions, feelings, and responses, God is constant and consistent. Walter Johnson Johnson, W. (2003). Immutability of God. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (pp. 810–811). Holman Bible Publishers.
1 Peter 1:24-25 As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. 25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
God's Word is a sure foundation we can cement our hope and trust in. God’s Word is His permanent standard and commitment to us.
There is a time for us to change, especially when it is God changing us for our good and His glory. When we come to God and ask Him to save and grow us, His Spirit washes us from the inside out at salvation and sanctifies, makes us holy, and develops us to become more like Christ.
Let us give our best to reflect the unchanging character and word of God in our world.
We should try our best to be faithful to God, following His Word, and becoming more like Christ.
We should try our best to be faithful and true to our word and commitments to one another.
We should try our best to help our world be changed by God.
“The church changes the world not by making converts but by making disciples.” -John Wesley
Be a follower of Christ who helps others follow Christ.
Discussion
What does it mean to say that God is immutable?
Why do you think God limits what He reveals about Himself?
How does God’s unchanging nature shape our understanding of His faithfulness?
Why would a changing God actually be less trustworthy than an unchanging one?
What is the difference between conditional circumstances and unconditional decrees in Scripture?
What dangers arise when people want God to change instead of allowing God to change them?
What additional notes did you make during the sermon?
How can we pray together for you today?
The most important decision you will ever make!
If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life, we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and, when you’re ready, say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways, and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!
We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!
