Immutability (theology) facts for kids
The Unchangeability of God (also called Immutability) means that God always stays the same. His character, His plans, and His promises never change.
The Westminster Shorter Cateism, a famous Christian teaching guide, says that God is a spirit whose being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth are "infinite, eternal, and unchangeable." This means these parts of God's nature do not change. Many parts of the Bible also talk about this idea, like in Malachi 3:6, which says, "I, the Lord, do not change."
God's unchangeability helps us understand all His other qualities. For example, God is always wise, always merciful, always good, and always kind. He is also omnipotent (all-powerful), omnipresent (everywhere at once), and omniscient (knows everything). These amazing qualities are also unchanging. Because God is infinite (without limits) and unchanging, it means He cannot change. If an infinite God could change, it would be a contradiction.
God Never Changes
The Old Testament, a part of the Bible, has many verses that show God does not change. For example, Malachi 3:6 says, "I, the Lord, do not change." Another verse, 1 Samuel 15:29, says, "He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind." This means God is not like humans who often change their minds.
Many ancient Greek thinkers also believed that God does not change.
- The philosopher Plato thought that God is perfect. If God is already perfect, He cannot get better or worse. So, God cannot change at all.
- Another philosopher, Aristotle, also believed God was perfect and unchanging. His ideas were very important for thinkers and religious leaders for many centuries.
Later, a thinker named Philo combined Greek ideas with Bible teachings. He wrote that God is perfect and exists beyond all space and time. Because of this, God is not affected by human feelings or changes. When the Bible seems to say that God has human emotions or changes His mind, these are called anthropopathisms. This means describing God with human feelings to help us understand His infinite character better. God doesn't actually have human feelings like sadness or anger in the same way we do.
Does God Change His Mind?
While most Christians believe that God's main qualities never change, some people wonder if God changes His mind. They point to times in the Bible when God seems to change His plans, often to show mercy.
For example, in the Bible, when Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, the people thought he was gone too long. They asked Aaron, Moses's brother, to build them a Golden Calf to worship. God became very angry and threatened to destroy the people. But Moses reminded God of His promises to Abraham and Noah to make Israel a great nation and not to destroy all humans again. Because of Moses's prayer, God "relented" (Exodus 32:14). This means God decided not to carry out the punishment He had threatened.
Some people might see this as God changing His mind. However, others believe that God already knows what will happen. He knows what choices people will make and how He will respond. When God says He will do something severe and then does something less severe, it shows His mercy and forgiveness. It doesn't mean His core character or promises have changed. Instead, it shows His amazing ability to be both just and merciful.
See also
In Spanish: Inmutabilidad para niños
