God is Immutable
HE NEVER CHANGES
“Malachi 3:6” “Romans 8:35-39”
WHAT ARE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
DEFINITION OF GOD’S ATTRIBUTES: Specific characteristics of God that are ‘unique’ to God. AN EXPLANATION OF ‘IMMUTABLE’ FROM “BIBLE STUDY TOOLS (BST) and CROSSWALK STAFF”. “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” (Malachi 3:6) “God does not change. Who He is never changes. His attributes are the same from before the beginning of time into eternity. His character never changes – He never gets “better” or “worse.” His plans do not change. His promises do not change.
This ought to be a source of incredible joy for believers. Sam Storms writes this about the good news of God’s unchanging nature: “What all this means, very simply, is that God is dependable! Our trust in Him is therefore a confident trust, for we know that He will not, indeed cannot, change. His purposes are unfailing, His promises unassailable. It is because the God who promised us eternal life is immutable that we may rest assured that nothing, not trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword shall separate us from the love of Christ. It is because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever that neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not even powers, height, depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39)!”
WHAT IS GOD’S PLAN?
When God created the world, He created 2 types of beings – angel beings and human beings. Lucifer, the head of the angel beings decided to rebel against God. God demoted Lucifer from his position of authority in heaven and cast him to the earth to roam the earth. Lucifer still has access to heaven for reporting to God his activities, but his domain is no longer in heaven. Passages of scripture about Lucifer and his fall can be found in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. Lucifer’s current access in heaven activities can be found in Job 1, Job 2, Zechariah 3.
The 2nd group of beings that God created are “human beings”. He created Adam & Eve in His own image (a formal, visible, and understandable representation of who God is and what He’s really like). Because of Lucifer’s jealousy of God’s relationship with human beings, he decided to create a trap plan for Adam and Eve to fall into and rebel against God also. Lucifer’s plan worked, thus the story of fall of human beings in their fellowship relationship with God because of their decision with the fruit of the tree in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3).
With both of God’s beings rebelling against God and losing their fellowship relationship with Him, God’s eternal plan included a provision of redemption for the human beings but NOT for the angel beings. God the Father sacrificed His Son to pay the payment for the sin of the human beings on the cross. Then He rose Him from the dead to bring victory over death. God’s plan includes an eternal home of blessing and judgement for human beings and eternal judgement for Lucifer and his fallen angels. This plan has caused Lucifer’s jealousy toward human beings to hit a new level. Lucifer is on an all out plan to destroy God’s plan with human beings because he knows his ultimate fate for eternity.
WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW THIS?
Because God is IMMUTABLE, His plan for angel beings and human beings CAN NOT CHANGE. We can have complete security is his WORD (the Bible) and His eternal plan for human beings (mankind). David understood this and stated in Psalm 62:1-2 “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (NIV). David understood that a believer was saved by God’s grace and power. That he can never relapse into the former unbeliever state of being lost. Thus, the child of God is spiritually secure from the time of his salvation to the time of his glorification.
APPLICATION
God has His plan for us documented in His WORD (the Bible). It is rock solid and unchanging because God is IMMUTABLE. Everything that happens in our lives is allowed by God to happen so that His plan can be fulfilled through us for eternity purposes. Yes, the blessings and junk that comes into our lives is permitted by Him for His glorification. Yes, God allows junk to happen in our lives. We don’t always know why things happen in our lives BUT we can know that God permitted it to happen in our lives.
PERSONAL INSIGHT & REFLECTIONS
I have read recently that God has over 7,000 promises in the bible. Here are 11 that I am uplifted by everyday.
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- God loves you unconditionally.
- You are never alone.
- You are redeemed and have an eternal home in heaven.
- God formed you with intention and knows you intimately.
- You are who the Bible says you are.
- God’s plan for your life is to prosper you, not to harm you.
- The risk that God is calling you to take is worth it.
- You have special strength available to you through faith: the Power of Christ.
- God hears your prayers and can move you through them.
- Hope is always alive in your life through faith.
- God can reveal Himself to you and others through community.
Why are these so important for you and I to understand and absorb? God is IMMUTABLE. He and His promises CAN NOT be changed. Talk about security in God and His Word. Sleep well tonight everyone. When you wake up tomorrow, the same eternal promises will still be there and intact.
Thanks for reading. Blessings from Carlton Ringer
