THE
ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
Lesson #2
The
Immutability of God Malachi 3:6
The
Apostle James describes our God as “The
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James
1:17). God himself declares, “I am the
LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
How great that God must be who is
unchanging and unchangeable! Nothing reaches God. Nothing touches God. Nothing
affects God. Nothing moves God. Nothing changes God. God reaches all things;
but nothing reaches him. God touches all things; but nothing touches him. God
affects all things; but nothing affects him. God moves all things; but nothing
moves him. God changes all things; but nothing changes him. God is immutable.
Sitting upon his high and glorious throne, with the ease and serenity of total
and absolute sovereignty, God looks down upon the heavens, down upon the
angels, down upon the earth, down upon men, the worms of the earth, down upon
hell, the fallen angels, and satan himself, and declares, “I am the LORD, I change not!”
Satan led a revolt against his
throne; but God changes not. Sin entered into the world; but God changes not.
Nations rise and nations fall; but God changes not. The heavens and the earth
shall vanish away; but God changes not. A new heaven and a new earth shall be
made; but God changes not. God’s elect shall enter into the bliss of eternal
glory, and the damned shall be cast into hell forever; but God changes not. God
alone is unaffected. God alone is immutable. God alone never changes.
Swift to its
close ebbs out life’s little day, Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and
decay all around me I see - O thou who changest not, abide with me.
Immutability belongs to God alone. This
world is not immutable. You and I are not immutable. “Man, at his best estate, is altogether vanity.” “God alone is, in
and of himself, immutable” (John Gill).
GOD IS IMMUTABLE IN THE ESSENCE OF
HIS BEING. God
is the eternal, infinite Spirit. He cannot change or be changed by anything. He
who says, “I AM THAT I AM” (Ex.
3:15), can never experience change. He is immutable. I realize that it is far
easier for a man to say what God is not than it is for him to say what God is.
But, of this you may be certain, whatever God is in the essence of his Being,
he cannot change (Psa. 102:25-27). He is the same yesterday, and today, and
forever.
Eternality will not
permit change. That which is eternal must of necessity be. And that which
necessarily exists from eternity can never be changed. God is eternal. He is
the only Being who is without cause. He is, because he is. Therefore, he cannot
change or be changed. Perfection will
not permit change. Perfection cannot be increased or diminished. God who is
perfect cannot change for the better, because he is perfect already. He cannot
change for the worse, for that would make him imperfect. Though God created the world, he never changed. It was his will to
create from eternity. Creative power was in him from eternity. And the creation
of the world has had no effect upon him. When the deed was done, God remained
the same. God underwent no change even when the Godhead was united to manhood
in the incarnation of Christ (Isa. 9:6). When the Son of God assumed our nature
God did not become a man and man did not become God. Godhead and manhood were
united in one glorious Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, for the salvation of
God’s elect. Be sure you understand this. Our faith is in, and we who believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ have committed our souls to, the holy Lord God who is
perpetually the same. He is immutable in the essence of his Being.
GOD IS IMMUTABLE IN THE PERFECTIONS
OF HIS NATURE. We are studying the attributes of God, those perfections of
the Divine character which are essential to his Being as God. In all the
attributes of his nature God is immutable. The power of God is immutable. It is never exhausted, or even slightly
diminished. The knowledge of God is
immutable. God has never learned anything. And he has never forgotten anything.
We rejoice to hear him say, “Their sins
and iniquities will I remember no more.” But that is a revelation of his
grace, not a description of his omniscience. And that non-remembrance of his
people’s sins was an act of eternal grace. The goodness of God is immutable. God’s goodness extends to all his
creatures. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. But God’s goodness is
never in short supply. It is immutably abundant. The faithfulness of God is immutable. His faithfulness never fails!
Though we believe not, “He abideth
faithful.” God is ever faithful in all things to his people, to his
purposes, to his promises, to himself, and to his Son. The glorious holiness of God is immutable. God’s
holiness is never tarnished. He is the immutably just and righteous one. His
holiness is always illustriously the same. Satan has not tarnished it. Man has
not tarnished it. Grace has not tarnished it. In the forgiveness of sin God
remains perfectly just and holy. Through the sacrifice of Christ he is able to
be both just and the Justifier of all who believe the gospel (Rom. 3:24-26).
His holiness is not tarnished in the forgiveness of sins because his justice
has been satisfied by the blood of his own dear Son.
GOD IS IMMUTABLE IN HIS PURPOSES AND
DECREES. “There
is a purpose for everything, and a time for that purpose. God has determined
all that ever was, is, or shall be” (John Gill). All that comes to pass comes
to pass according to the counsel and decree of God. And his counsel, his
purpose, his decree is immutable (Heb. 6:17; Eph. 1:11; Rom. 11:36; Prov.
16:4). The purposes of God are always executed. They are never frustrated. It
does not lie within the realm of created power to frustrate the purpose of the
Creator. “The counsel of the Lord stands
forever” (Psa. 33:11; Prov. 19:21; Isa. 14:24, 27; 46:10). God’s purposes are in himself (Eph.
1:9). That which God has purposed in himself cannot change until he changes.
And he cannot change until he ceases to be God. And that cannot be. God’s purposes and decrees are eternal ((Eph.
3:11; Rom. 8:28-30). No new thoughts arise in his mind. No new resolutions are
formed in his heart. No new decrees come forth from his lips. His counsels are
of old, from everlasting.[1]
Foolish men imagine that because God
appears in their eyes to change that he actually has changed. A moment’s
thought should prevent anyone from such a low view of the Almighty. Nothing
unforeseen can ever arise to make him change his mind. He is able to perform
what he has purposed. Changes in providence do not imply any change in God (Job
23:10-14). God’s immutability is not inconsistent with the prayers of his
people. When he answers prayer in such a way that a change in his purpose
appears to have occurred (As in the case of Hezekiah), knowing that prayer will
never change God’s purpose (Jer. 15:1), we realize that our prayers also were
ordained of him for the accomplishment of his purpose. Prayer is one instrument
by which God accomplishes his purpose (Ezek. 36:36-37; II Sam. 7:25-27).
GOD IS
IMMUTABLE IN HIS LOVE TOWARD HIS ELECT (Jer. 31:3; John 13:1). God’s
love is like himself. It is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. “God is love.” And God’s love for his
elect is without beginning, without cause, without limitation, without change,
and without end. Though God’s elect fell in Adam, his love never changed.
Though we lived long in sin, God’s love never changed (Ezek. 16:6-8; Eph. 2:4-5;
Tit. 3:3-5). Though we often sin against him, God’s love never changes. He
hides his face from us; but he does not cease to love us (Isa. 54:7-10). He
afflicts us; but he does not cease to love us (Heb. 12:6-11).
GOD IS
IMMUTABLE IN THE PROMISES OF HIS COVENANT (II Cor. 1:20). The everlasting
covenant of grace was made with Christ before the world began. And it stands
fast with him. All the blessings of the covenant are called “sure mercies.” They flow to us from the
free and sovereign grace of God through Christ. And they cannot be reversed
(Rom. 11:29). The Lord God has promised his elect all the blessings of grace
and glory in that covenant ordered in all things and sure (Eph. 1:3-14). And
all those blessings, in all their total fullness shall be given to and
possessed by every chosen sinner. We are assured of this by many things; but
none inspire more confidence than the fact that our God is immutable. He will
never take away his gifts of grace. He will never charge his own elect with
sin. He will never cease his own to cherish! Here is solid comfort for our
souls (Isa. 54:10). Our God does not change and cannot be changed. Here is the
foundation for faith (Mic. 7:18-20 - “He
delighteth in mercy!”). Our God does not change and cannot be changed. Here
is a great encouragement for prayer (I John 5:14). Our God does not change and
cannot be changed. Here is terror for you who will not seek God’s mercy. God
says, “I will deal in fury: mine eye
shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears
with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them” (Ezek. 8:18). He does not
change. Here is assurance and security for every believer. Our God does not
change and cannot be changed. He declares, “I
am the LORD, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
[1] Note: God’s purposes and decrees are called his counsel because they are wisely and deliberately formed. Yet. We must never imagine that his counsels are like the counsels of men. God sees and knows all things at once. He declares the end from the beginning.