The Incommunicable Attributes of God: Unchangeableness

Definition of God's Unchangeableness: "God is unchanging in his being, perfections, purposes, and promises, yet God does act and feel emotions, and he acts and feels differently in response to different situations."

God's unchangeableness is also known as his immutability.

• Verses that Affirm Unchangeableness in God's Being & Perfections: Psalms 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17

• Verses that Affirm Unchangeableness in God's Purposes: Psalms 33:11; Matthew 13:35; Matthew 25:34; Ephesians 1:4, 11; Ephesians 3:9, 11; 2 Timothy 2:19; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8; Isaiah 46:9-11

• Verses that Affirm Unchangeableness in God's Promises: Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29

Does God sometimes change His mind?

• Though the answer to this question requires much explanation, it can be summed up in the following sentence: The instances in Scripture that talk about God "repenting" or "changing his mind" must be understood as true expressions of God's present attitude or intention with respect to the situation as it exists at that moment.

Is God impassible (without passions or emotions)?

• No. It is clearly against the testimony of Scripture to say that God does not have emotions. God rejoices (Isaiah 62:5), God is grieved (Psalm 78:40), and God has wrath & pity & love.

What about Process Theology (or Open Theism)?

• Process Theology says that process and change are essential aspects of genuine existence, and that therefore God must be changing over time also, just like everything that exists.
• However, Scripture states that God is infinite (God is not subject to any of the limitations of humanity or creation) and personal (God interacts with us as a person, and we can relate to him as persons including praying to him, worshipping him, obeying him, and loving him).

Why is God's unchangeableness important?

• This is my favorite section of the chapter and worth restating below.

"If God could change, then any change would be either for the better or for the worse. But if God changed for the better, then he was not the best possible being when we first trusted him. And how could we be sure that he is the best possible now? But if God could change for the worse (in his very being), then what kind of God might he become? Might he become, for instance, a little bit evil rather than wholly good? And if he could become a little bit evil, then how do we know he could not change to become largely evil - or wholly evil? And there would be not one thing we could do about it, for he is so much more powerful than we are. Thus, the idea that God could change leads to the horrible possibility that thousands of years from now, we might come to live forever in a universe dominated by a wholly evil, omnipotent God. It is hard to imagine any thought more terrifying. How could we ever trust such a God who could change? How could we ever commit our lives to him?

Moreover, if God could change with regard to his purposes, than even though when the Bible was written he promised that Jesus would come back to rule over a new heaven and a new earth, he has perhaps abandoned that plan now, and thus our hope in Jesus' return is in vain. Or, if God could change in regard to his promises, then how could we trust him completely for eternal life? Or anything else the bible says?"

Other posts in this series:

• The Incommunicable Attributes of God: Independence