Word of Encouragement (4/11/2020)

Pastor James
April 11, 2020

This morning, let’s praise God for His immutability/unchangeability.

The doctrine of God’s immutability flows from the perfection of His being. He who is perfect cannot change in any way. If He were to change for the better, He was not perfect. If He were to change for the worse, He is no longer perfect. If He were to become different in any way, He would not be perfect any more. God is immutable 1) in His being; 2) in His perfections; 3) and in His purposes and promises. Herman Bavinck says,

“…the doctrine of God’s immutability is of the highest significance for religion. The contrast between being and becoming marks the difference between the Creator and the creature. Every creature is continually becoming. It is changeable, constantly striving, seeks rest and satisfaction, and finds this rest in God, in him alone, for only he is pure being and no becoming…. On him man can firmly rely; he does not change with respect to his being, nor with respect to his knowing or willing; he ever remains himself. Every change is foreign to God. He transcends every change in time, for he is eternal; in space, for he is omnipresent; in essence, for he is pure being…” (Our Reasonable Faith, p. 149).

How precious is this doctrine as we live in this world of change and decay!

Some may ask, “What’s wrong with change? Change is good.” It’s not just those who are steeped in the evolutionary worldview that think this way—that we are constantly evolving into something better. Even as Christians, we pray and long for change in our lives. But if change is good, it is only because we are not perfect, because we have so much room for improvement. Not only that, because we are finite beings, our change will eventually and inevitably lead to decay. For a truly perfect Being, change is not only unnecessary and undesirable but also detrimental.

It would certainly be detrimental for creatures to have an ever-changing God. Can you imagine what it would be like if He were to constantly change His mind about His plans and promises for us? Having gone through the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, I know how unsettling it is to have a shifting ground under you—not just for the first 20 long seconds but also during the aftershocks that followed. If God, who is the ground of all reality, should shift and change, where can we go for security?

How wonderful it is to know that God is immutable, especially in His love for us in Jesus Christ! If His love were dependent on us, who constantly change, His love would constantly change, too--quite possibly into hatred. But--praise God!--His love is dependent on His immutable being and His (mysterious) will to love us. That is why we are secure in His love and our security is eternal and unshakable. And that immutable love of God is now tied to the irrevocable historical event of Jesus’ death and resurrection for our redemption. That is why we can sing, “More happy, but not more secure, / The glorified spirits in heav’n” (Augustus M. Toplady, “A Debtor to Mercy Alone”).

May the Lord embrace you with His immutable love! Have a blessed day!