Have you ever heard the phrase, “The only guaranteed thing in life is change”? The Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote a very similar saying around 2,500 years ago.[1] This profound insight proves to be true even to this day! How we look changes. How we talk changes. How we think changes. How we make decisions changes. Our styles change. Our preferences change. Our relationships change. Where we live changes. Where we work changes. What we do for fun changes. Seasons change. Our situations change. The economy changes. Seemingly everything in our lives changes!
But, there actually is something in our life that NEVER changes. Or, rather, Someone-
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8, ESV
Our God NEVER changes! The God who created the world is the same exact God who works in our lives today. The fancy, theological term for this attribute is immutability. Our God is immutable, which means He cannot and does not change (Malachi 3:6). He has no variations (James 1:17). God is not a God of righteousness and justice at one time and a God of love and mercy at another time. He has always been a God of righteousness, mercy, justice, and love, and that will never change! An afflicted Psalmist writes;
“Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but You are the same, and Your years have no end.” Psalm 102:25-27
This Psalmist is writing the same basic truth that Heraclitus wrote. The things of this earth change. They wear out and pass away. But the Psalmist holds a hope that the Greek philosopher doesn’t seem to have. We have a God that is immutable! Even when everything around us in changing, He does not! For all eternity, He is the same, and His character is the same. Because God never changes, we can also trust that His Word and promises will not change either. Nothing in Scripture can ever become irrelevant or outdated. The Bible will always be the important source of Truth for God’s people. And we never have to worry about one of God’s promises expiring! When God promises something, its conditions never change. Jen Wilkin comments on God’s immutability-
“In an ever-changing world, he is the unchanging reference point upon which the inner eye fixes to determine the direction that leads us home.”[2]
Our world changes. God doesn’t. So, we can always rely on Him no matter the circumstance we find ourselves in.
Sometimes it feels like we can’t change. All humans are born with a sinful nature and a tendency to make sinful choices. When we are saved, we are freed from the bondage of sin (John 8:31-36, Romans 6:6-7), yet we can still find ourselves being tempted and lured towards sin. Though this is frustrating, it is completely normal, and the Apostle Paul talks at length about this (Romans 7:13-20). But, because we are free, we also have hope!
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
We can change! We are free from the chains and shackles of sin. We do not have to conform to the world. Christ died on the cross for us so that our lives can be transformed and so we can live in a way that’s good and acceptable to God. If you find yourself struggling with a negative or sinful habit, don’t get discouraged! Our unchanging God is able to change you and transform you and help you overcome that habit. Pray today as King David prayed-
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
[1] “Who Said ‘the Only Thing Constant is Change’?,” Reference.com, accessed August 5, 2020. https://www.reference.com/world-view/said-only-thing-constant-change-d50c0532e714e12b.
[2] Jen Wilkin, None Like Him: 10 Ways God is Different From Us (and why that’s a good thing) (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016), 84.
