Immutability
Psalm 102; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17
How do you feel about change? Not pocket change – like dimes, nickels, and pennies – but I mean change as in “becoming different or modified.” Even then, not all change is created equal. After all, some change is good, and some change is bad.
Good change comes in the form of growth, improvement, innovation, and advancement. Bad change comes in the form of destruction, deterioration, damage, and loss.
And change can happen in many ways. Change happens through personal inner choices, through things that happen to us from outside, and through the natural process of time.
Whatever the case, whatever the reason, and whatever kind of change it may be, change happens to all of us and all around us all the time. Even you are different than you were a week ago, and hopefully in a good way. In what ways have you changed and why?
In a world filled and existence filled with change, our hearts yearn for stability, constancy, for circumstances, situations, and people who do not change. We call such people and things “reliable,” and they provide us with comfort, confidence, and hope. But even these things change.
The house neighborhood and home you grew up in as a child deteriorates. The customs and traditions you enjoyed in past years are replaced by new things over time. And the most reliable people you have ever known eventually grow old and die.
In response to this universal experience of change, an ancient Greek philosopher named Heraclitus famously said, “There is nothing permanent except change.” He also observed, “You can never step into the same river twice.” Why? Because the next time you step into the same river, it will have changed; even the water itself will be different.
God cannot change.
While Heraclitus is correct that we are surrounded by a steady, unstoppable stream of change, he is incorrect to say that change is the greatest, highest, most reliable thing. There is one reality more constant and reliable than change – and that is God, the incomparable, perfect, and eternal God. And this God who inhabits eternity and who possess all good qualities perfectly and completely all at once, this God does not change.
What do we mean when we say that God does not change? Well, we mean that God is never different one moment to the next, one year to the next, and so on. We also mean that unlike people, he never gets better or worse. And while getting better is normally a good kind of change, even that kind of change is impossible for God to experience because it is impossible for God to improve since he is already perfect in every way.
When we say that God does not change, we can be more specific to point out at least three ways that he is constant and unchangeable.
His nature does not change.
When we refer to the unchangeableness of God, we also use the word “immutability.” While this may sound like a strange and hard-to-understand word, it’s actually not that way. The first part of the word “im” means “not” or “opposite” and the main part of the word, “mut-,” is often used today to describe things that change, or rather, that “mutate.”
When we talk about God’s immutability, by nature, we are referring to who God is, the kind of being and person that he is. People change, for better or for worse, but God, he never changes. He is exactly the same as he was at the beginning of the world. He has not changed throughout history. He was not somehow different in the OT than in the NT, as some people wrongfully claim.
Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and Your years will have no end. (Psa 102:25-27)
In this psalm, the writer compares the ancient foundations of Earth – i.e., its mysterious inner layers and sprawling outer layer (Earth’s crust), the great mountains, etc. – and the mind-blowing solar system of the heavens to changing dirty, worn-out clothing.
From a human standpoint, things like mountains and planets are constant and unchanging. They remain the same throughout a human lifespan. But from God’s timeless perspective, even these great, constant things are like a change of clothes to him.
Like your clothes which get dirty, wear out, and eventually get thrown away, the greatest constants of our world and universe are themselves in a process of decay. In scientific terms, we call this entropy or the second law of thermodynamics. We observe this through erosion, natural disasters, and more.
But God is not this way. The psalmist says about God, “You are the same, and your years will have no end” (v. 27). Not only does God not change, but it will always be that way.
It is significant to know that the NT quotes this statement about God and connects it directly to Christ (Heb 1:11-12). This is just one evidence from Scripture that Jesus Christ is, in fact, God, then later in the same book, it says directly that Jesus never changes.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb 13:8)
In another place, we are told this about God’s unchanging nature:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (Jam 1:17)
Here, God is described as having “no variation” or “shadow of turning.” Both descriptions are astronomical, meaning they refer to things that happen in the solar system.
The first, “no variation,” refers to the constant changes that happen in the solar system. Planets spin, constellations move, and the moon changes appearance. Sometimes, in the case of a solar eclipse, the moon blocks the sun from our view, while other times, in the case of a lunar eclipse, the moon goes dark when it moves into Earth’s shadow.
The second, “no shadow of turning,” refers to similar things, especially shifting shadows and cycles of light and darkness. We have day and night cycles because of this, as we lose sunlight for half a day. When we wake up in the morning, the rising sun casts shadows on our yard, house, and windows in one direction, then these shadows largely disappear at noon, then they shift to another direction as the sun sets in the evening. In fact, sundials are designed to tell time because of these shifting shadows.
But unlike the changing solar cycles and shifting shadows of our universe, God is always constant, always the same. His goodness, his nature – who and how he is – never changes. He is always, completely, and only good, for instance.
God is not good sometimes and not others, or more good one day, less good another day, etc. He is always, only, and completely good. He never changes, even in the slightest degree or smallest of ways. This is why God says this about himself: “I the Lord do not change” (Mal 3:6).
His purposes do not change.
Not only does God himself never change, but his purposes never change, either. Whenever a pastor, teacher, theologian, or author speaks of God’s “purposes,” they are referring to a combination of two things – they are referring both to God’s plans and his reasons for those plans. So, God never changes his plans or his motives behind his plans. He always does what he intends to do and what he wants to do never changes.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.” (Psa 33:11)
“Counsel,” here, refers to God’s plans and decisions, and “plans,” here, refers to his thoughts, intentions, and projects, as it were. So, his plans and decisions stand the test of time and his intentions and projects extend to all generations.
As U.S. citizens, we debate and perhaps worry whether programs like Social Security will be there when we retire. And we know that the bills, policies, and projects that government officials and politicians enact are subject to change and even expiration, cancellation, or reversal. But God’s plans are not this way. They are permanent and never change.
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure” … indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it. (Isa 46:9-11)
According to God’s own testimony about himself, whatever plans he forms, he finishes. There is nothing that he intends to do or says he will do that he will not do. Whatever he starts, he finishes. Whatever he begins, he ends. Whatever he sets out to do, he accomplished. Whatever he plans, he fulfills completely.
And as Isaiah says in v. 9, there is no other being like God in this way. No other person, a so-called god or otherwise, makes perfect plans that never fail, and which always come to pass. And God is unchanging in a third way, too.
His promises do not change.
Some people are highly unreliable. They say one thing and do another. They are quick to make promises but hardly ever do what they promised. But as frustrating as people like this may be, it is equally – if not more – frustrating when you yourself make a promise, with every intention to do what you said, but you fail to follow through, instead.
It’s frustrating and discouraging to let people down. But such is the nature of being human. This happens to the best of people, but not to God.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num 23:19)
Here, a prophet explains how God is different from us. Unlike us, he never says something that is not true, and he never makes a promise then changes his mind. Whatever he says, he will do, and whatever he speaks about, he will follow through on it. He does not need to sign a contract, be reminded, or held accountable. He will do what he said he will do.
We can rely upon God and his Word completely.
In a world where people let us down, God remains constant. In a world where – let’s be honest – we even let our own selves down; God remains the same. In a world where change, uncertainty, and chaos seem the most certain thing there is, God’s nature, plans, and promises are more certain than change.
And the same is true of Scripture – God’s written Word. What God says about gender, morality, and sexuality never changes. What God says about ethics and justice never changes. What God says about life and eternity never changes. What God says about salvation and faith never changes. What God says about the future never changes, either. And most important, what he says about himself never changes, either.
Sometimes, it may feel or seem like God is not faithful to his promises, or that he may have changed his mind or his plans. He promised to rid the world of sin, judge all wickedness, and bring an everlasting kingdom of justice and goodness for all who believe on him – so why do his people suffer and the world continue to change for the worse?
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)
According to Peter, the reason for these things is not because God has changed or has changed his mind about his plans and promises, but because is being consistent to his unchanging nature of longsuffering, mercy, patience, and love.
A key part of his purpose and plan is to bring many people from darkness to light, sin to salvation, death to eternal life. So, by delaying the fulfillment of his promises about future things, he is actually being constant, consistent, and unchanging in his nature.
This past week, I went for a walk after supper with my two youngest boys, Timothy (6) and Noah (9). Together, we enjoyed a small car show, got free books from the mobile library bus, snacked on some candy, and conversed with people at the car show. I also did a lot of listening to the boys talk about random things on their mind.
As we neared home, Noah (9) shared the following profound thoughts:
“Dad, it’s so comforting to know that when we die – I mean, the people in our family, because we believe on Christ – we know where we’re going to go. We know we’re going to go to heaven to be with Jesus and will be with him forever in the New World he is going to make and stuff. I mean, we know we’re going to see each other there forever and be with each other there forever. So, that means we don’t have to worry about things in this life. He can just work hard, enjoy the things God has given us, and focus most of all on helping other people learn about Jesus and know how they can believe on him and spend eternity in heaven, too. That’s just so comforting, right, Dad?”
Friends, do you have the same comfort and confidence that my son Noah has? As his father, I have heard his profession of faith in Christ and seen his baptism. Pastor Will baptized him right here at Brookdale as he shared his faith in Christ with this church.
And friends, we can only have this assurance, this comfort, this confidence, and this peace because we know and believe in the one and only unchanging God.
Thomas Chisholm was an energetic, ambitious young man from Kentucky in the mid/late 1800s. At age 27, he heard the gospel and believed on Christ. He went on to become a pastor and at 37 yrs. old, he married his sweetheart, and they had two daughters.
It seemed as if his course was set and he would serve God as a pastor for many years to come. But only 6 yrs. later, in 1909, he experienced serious heart issues that brought on many hospital bills and some serious financial challenges. So, due to health setbacks and financial burdens, he had to withdraw from pastoral work and dial back his personal ambitions. Yet, through these struggles, he refused to doubt God.
No matter how much he struggled and how much his life changed around him, he refused to question God. And at age 56, he wrote the well-known song, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” which begins with this verse, followed by the well-loved chorus:
Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with thee.
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.
Great is thy faithfulness,
Great is thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hast provided;
Great is thy faithfulness,
Lord unto me.
No matter what changes are affecting you today, whether they are the result of your choices, the people and circumstances around you, or the natural progression of time, may you find comfort, confidence, hope, and peace in the immutability of God who never changes.
How do you feel about change? Not pocket change – like dimes, nickels, and pennies – but I mean change as in “becoming different or modified.” Even then, not all change is created equal. After all, some change is good, and some change is bad.
Good change comes in the form of growth, improvement, innovation, and advancement. Bad change comes in the form of destruction, deterioration, damage, and loss.
And change can happen in many ways. Change happens through personal inner choices, through things that happen to us from outside, and through the natural process of time.
Whatever the case, whatever the reason, and whatever kind of change it may be, change happens to all of us and all around us all the time. Even you are different than you were a week ago, and hopefully in a good way. In what ways have you changed and why?
In a world filled and existence filled with change, our hearts yearn for stability, constancy, for circumstances, situations, and people who do not change. We call such people and things “reliable,” and they provide us with comfort, confidence, and hope. But even these things change.
The house neighborhood and home you grew up in as a child deteriorates. The customs and traditions you enjoyed in past years are replaced by new things over time. And the most reliable people you have ever known eventually grow old and die.
In response to this universal experience of change, an ancient Greek philosopher named Heraclitus famously said, “There is nothing permanent except change.” He also observed, “You can never step into the same river twice.” Why? Because the next time you step into the same river, it will have changed; even the water itself will be different.
God cannot change.
While Heraclitus is correct that we are surrounded by a steady, unstoppable stream of change, he is incorrect to say that change is the greatest, highest, most reliable thing. There is one reality more constant and reliable than change – and that is God, the incomparable, perfect, and eternal God. And this God who inhabits eternity and who possess all good qualities perfectly and completely all at once, this God does not change.
What do we mean when we say that God does not change? Well, we mean that God is never different one moment to the next, one year to the next, and so on. We also mean that unlike people, he never gets better or worse. And while getting better is normally a good kind of change, even that kind of change is impossible for God to experience because it is impossible for God to improve since he is already perfect in every way.
When we say that God does not change, we can be more specific to point out at least three ways that he is constant and unchangeable.
His nature does not change.
When we refer to the unchangeableness of God, we also use the word “immutability.” While this may sound like a strange and hard-to-understand word, it’s actually not that way. The first part of the word “im” means “not” or “opposite” and the main part of the word, “mut-,” is often used today to describe things that change, or rather, that “mutate.”
- In fiction and entertainment, we are familiar with creatures that “mutate” or change for one reason or another, such as the famous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which according to their backstory, were originally just ordinary baby turtles at a pet store, but when a boy was carrying them home from the store, he dropped them into the sewer, where they came into contact with a radioactive chemical that caused them to mutate (or change) into human-sized, human-like turtles, instead.
- In the wonderful world of science, we talk about mutations. We usually speak about this with reference to genetic mutations, in which changes occur to something’s DNA, which then causes larger, more observable changes to that thing in reality. Some mutations are beneficial and cause good changes, while other mutations are harmful and cause bad changes, such as disease.
- And in our ever day routines, we often “commute,” which is word that means to “go” or “come” (“com”) and “to change” (“mute”). In other words, whenever we travel between home and school or home and work, etc., we are going to different locations. We are literally “changing locations.” Even our transportation is a form of change.
When we talk about God’s immutability, by nature, we are referring to who God is, the kind of being and person that he is. People change, for better or for worse, but God, he never changes. He is exactly the same as he was at the beginning of the world. He has not changed throughout history. He was not somehow different in the OT than in the NT, as some people wrongfully claim.
Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and Your years will have no end. (Psa 102:25-27)
In this psalm, the writer compares the ancient foundations of Earth – i.e., its mysterious inner layers and sprawling outer layer (Earth’s crust), the great mountains, etc. – and the mind-blowing solar system of the heavens to changing dirty, worn-out clothing.
From a human standpoint, things like mountains and planets are constant and unchanging. They remain the same throughout a human lifespan. But from God’s timeless perspective, even these great, constant things are like a change of clothes to him.
Like your clothes which get dirty, wear out, and eventually get thrown away, the greatest constants of our world and universe are themselves in a process of decay. In scientific terms, we call this entropy or the second law of thermodynamics. We observe this through erosion, natural disasters, and more.
But God is not this way. The psalmist says about God, “You are the same, and your years will have no end” (v. 27). Not only does God not change, but it will always be that way.
It is significant to know that the NT quotes this statement about God and connects it directly to Christ (Heb 1:11-12). This is just one evidence from Scripture that Jesus Christ is, in fact, God, then later in the same book, it says directly that Jesus never changes.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb 13:8)
In another place, we are told this about God’s unchanging nature:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (Jam 1:17)
Here, God is described as having “no variation” or “shadow of turning.” Both descriptions are astronomical, meaning they refer to things that happen in the solar system.
The first, “no variation,” refers to the constant changes that happen in the solar system. Planets spin, constellations move, and the moon changes appearance. Sometimes, in the case of a solar eclipse, the moon blocks the sun from our view, while other times, in the case of a lunar eclipse, the moon goes dark when it moves into Earth’s shadow.
The second, “no shadow of turning,” refers to similar things, especially shifting shadows and cycles of light and darkness. We have day and night cycles because of this, as we lose sunlight for half a day. When we wake up in the morning, the rising sun casts shadows on our yard, house, and windows in one direction, then these shadows largely disappear at noon, then they shift to another direction as the sun sets in the evening. In fact, sundials are designed to tell time because of these shifting shadows.
But unlike the changing solar cycles and shifting shadows of our universe, God is always constant, always the same. His goodness, his nature – who and how he is – never changes. He is always, completely, and only good, for instance.
God is not good sometimes and not others, or more good one day, less good another day, etc. He is always, only, and completely good. He never changes, even in the slightest degree or smallest of ways. This is why God says this about himself: “I the Lord do not change” (Mal 3:6).
His purposes do not change.
Not only does God himself never change, but his purposes never change, either. Whenever a pastor, teacher, theologian, or author speaks of God’s “purposes,” they are referring to a combination of two things – they are referring both to God’s plans and his reasons for those plans. So, God never changes his plans or his motives behind his plans. He always does what he intends to do and what he wants to do never changes.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.” (Psa 33:11)
“Counsel,” here, refers to God’s plans and decisions, and “plans,” here, refers to his thoughts, intentions, and projects, as it were. So, his plans and decisions stand the test of time and his intentions and projects extend to all generations.
As U.S. citizens, we debate and perhaps worry whether programs like Social Security will be there when we retire. And we know that the bills, policies, and projects that government officials and politicians enact are subject to change and even expiration, cancellation, or reversal. But God’s plans are not this way. They are permanent and never change.
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure” … indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it. (Isa 46:9-11)
According to God’s own testimony about himself, whatever plans he forms, he finishes. There is nothing that he intends to do or says he will do that he will not do. Whatever he starts, he finishes. Whatever he begins, he ends. Whatever he sets out to do, he accomplished. Whatever he plans, he fulfills completely.
And as Isaiah says in v. 9, there is no other being like God in this way. No other person, a so-called god or otherwise, makes perfect plans that never fail, and which always come to pass. And God is unchanging in a third way, too.
His promises do not change.
Some people are highly unreliable. They say one thing and do another. They are quick to make promises but hardly ever do what they promised. But as frustrating as people like this may be, it is equally – if not more – frustrating when you yourself make a promise, with every intention to do what you said, but you fail to follow through, instead.
It’s frustrating and discouraging to let people down. But such is the nature of being human. This happens to the best of people, but not to God.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num 23:19)
Here, a prophet explains how God is different from us. Unlike us, he never says something that is not true, and he never makes a promise then changes his mind. Whatever he says, he will do, and whatever he speaks about, he will follow through on it. He does not need to sign a contract, be reminded, or held accountable. He will do what he said he will do.
We can rely upon God and his Word completely.
In a world where people let us down, God remains constant. In a world where – let’s be honest – we even let our own selves down; God remains the same. In a world where change, uncertainty, and chaos seem the most certain thing there is, God’s nature, plans, and promises are more certain than change.
And the same is true of Scripture – God’s written Word. What God says about gender, morality, and sexuality never changes. What God says about ethics and justice never changes. What God says about life and eternity never changes. What God says about salvation and faith never changes. What God says about the future never changes, either. And most important, what he says about himself never changes, either.
Sometimes, it may feel or seem like God is not faithful to his promises, or that he may have changed his mind or his plans. He promised to rid the world of sin, judge all wickedness, and bring an everlasting kingdom of justice and goodness for all who believe on him – so why do his people suffer and the world continue to change for the worse?
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)
According to Peter, the reason for these things is not because God has changed or has changed his mind about his plans and promises, but because is being consistent to his unchanging nature of longsuffering, mercy, patience, and love.
A key part of his purpose and plan is to bring many people from darkness to light, sin to salvation, death to eternal life. So, by delaying the fulfillment of his promises about future things, he is actually being constant, consistent, and unchanging in his nature.
This past week, I went for a walk after supper with my two youngest boys, Timothy (6) and Noah (9). Together, we enjoyed a small car show, got free books from the mobile library bus, snacked on some candy, and conversed with people at the car show. I also did a lot of listening to the boys talk about random things on their mind.
As we neared home, Noah (9) shared the following profound thoughts:
“Dad, it’s so comforting to know that when we die – I mean, the people in our family, because we believe on Christ – we know where we’re going to go. We know we’re going to go to heaven to be with Jesus and will be with him forever in the New World he is going to make and stuff. I mean, we know we’re going to see each other there forever and be with each other there forever. So, that means we don’t have to worry about things in this life. He can just work hard, enjoy the things God has given us, and focus most of all on helping other people learn about Jesus and know how they can believe on him and spend eternity in heaven, too. That’s just so comforting, right, Dad?”
Friends, do you have the same comfort and confidence that my son Noah has? As his father, I have heard his profession of faith in Christ and seen his baptism. Pastor Will baptized him right here at Brookdale as he shared his faith in Christ with this church.
And friends, we can only have this assurance, this comfort, this confidence, and this peace because we know and believe in the one and only unchanging God.
Thomas Chisholm was an energetic, ambitious young man from Kentucky in the mid/late 1800s. At age 27, he heard the gospel and believed on Christ. He went on to become a pastor and at 37 yrs. old, he married his sweetheart, and they had two daughters.
It seemed as if his course was set and he would serve God as a pastor for many years to come. But only 6 yrs. later, in 1909, he experienced serious heart issues that brought on many hospital bills and some serious financial challenges. So, due to health setbacks and financial burdens, he had to withdraw from pastoral work and dial back his personal ambitions. Yet, through these struggles, he refused to doubt God.
- Though he was no longer a pastor, he now had more time to write hymns.
- Though he had health problems, he also had the support of his loving wife and daughters.
- Though he faced financial difficulties, he found a job selling life insurance, making it possible to pay his bills on time.
No matter how much he struggled and how much his life changed around him, he refused to question God. And at age 56, he wrote the well-known song, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” which begins with this verse, followed by the well-loved chorus:
Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with thee.
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.
Great is thy faithfulness,
Great is thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hast provided;
Great is thy faithfulness,
Lord unto me.
No matter what changes are affecting you today, whether they are the result of your choices, the people and circumstances around you, or the natural progression of time, may you find comfort, confidence, hope, and peace in the immutability of God who never changes.
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