God Is Immutable
There’s nothing quite as important as knowing God. He created the world. He brought us into existence. He provided for the forgiveness of our sins. And we will spend eternity with Him.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me…” (Jeremiah 9:24). The apostle Paul said that he counted “all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ…” (Philippians 3:8). There’s no pursuit more important than seeking to know God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
This week’s featured attribute is God’s immutability. “Immutable” isn’t a word that we use much in our day-to-day conversations. It simply means that God is unchangeable, and thus, unchanging.
In Malachi 3:6 God said, “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” In Malachi’s day, the Israelites were in a state of disobedience. It was only because of His promises to Abraham that God didn’t annihilate them. God had promised to give Abraham many descendants and a land in which they would live forever (Genesis 13:14f). If God were to annihilate the Jews for disobedience, He would be unable to keep those promises. But God does not change, so He could not nullify the promises.
The fact that God is immutable means that His other attributes are unchanging. They are neither declining nor increasing in quality. For example, God is perfectly holy. There’s no room for improvement. Neither is His holiness able to decline or degenerate. He will always be holy. No sin will ever be found in Him.
Being immutable means God will always be sovereign over His creation. Nothing will ever take place in our universe that is outside of His control. In Genesis 8:22 God says, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” We can rest assured that God will fulfill this promise. When we hear of concerns about global warming or fears that an asteroid might strike the earth, we can take comfort in knowing that God has these things under control. The seasons for planting and harvesting will continue until God destroys the earth altogether.
Hebrews 13:8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” God is immutable – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three members of the Godhead are unchanging. Therefore, Jesus will never stop serving as our advocate in heaven (1 John 2:1). Jesus will remain faithful to us, even if we are faithless, for He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). He will never desert us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). And the Holy Spirit will keep us secure in our salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14).
God’s attribute of immutability is important to us. The hope of our salvation is sure. We have peace knowing that all things are under God’s sovereign control. And we have joy because we know what the future holds for us. God will not change.