Faith in the God Who Changes Not

March 20, 2025 by M. Stephanie Zeller

“For I the Lord do not change;” (Malachi 3:6a ESV)

Of God’s many attributes revealed to us through scripture, His unchanging nature (His immutability) is one that provides immeasurable comfort. This attribute of God means that God is constant in His nature, His character, His purposes, and His promises. We can rely on God to keep His word for His words are creative. When God speaks a word, the matter is done. This, after all, is how God created the universe and all that is within it. This wonderful aspect of God means:

Every word God speaks, we can count on. “God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19, ESV)
Every decree God makes, He will not revoke. “For 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 not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose’,” (Isaiah 46:9-10, ESV)

Every object of God’s love, He will always love. “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, ESV)

It is in this context of God’s constancy, that each of us should search the scriptures and meditate upon the many promises that God has made to the people of God, first to the Jewish people and then to those who are born again in the spirit. These promises still apply today “for all the promises of God find their Yes in Him [Jesus]. That is why it is through Him [Jesus] that we utter our Amen to God for His glory.” (1 Corinthians 1:20, ESV)

God’s desire to bless mankind is clear in scripture. “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground’.” (Genesis 1:27-28, NIV)

It is, of course, true that under the Old Covenant many of God’s promises were conditional. Access to His promises might require one’s humility, or prayer or turning from sin. “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV) The blessings outlined in the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy were available to the Jewish nation if they would faithfully obey the voice of the Lord their God, being careful to do all His commandments.

There were also unconditional promises in the Old Covenant. Most importantly, God promised that He would give us a new heart and put a new spirit within us that would cause us to walk in His statutes and obey His rules. (Ezekiel 36:26-27, ESV) In other words, God would do what was necessary in us, so that we might fulfill the conditions attached to His promises. He wanted to bless us with these promises and knew we needed help to meet the standard that was set.

We shall be ever thankful that God has already provided all the help we will ever need to meet His standard:

God touched life into Mary’s womb, life that would become Jesus – fully God and fully man (Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38),
Jesus died on the cross in payment for all our sins (past, present and future), so that His righteousness could be credited to everyone’s account ( 2 Corinthians 5:21),
Jesus rose from the dead conquering death, so that we too might pass from death to life — the realm of God’s love (1 John 3:14),
God gave us faith so that we might be saved by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), and
God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within our spirit (John 16:13, Romans 8:11), to all those who are born again (John 3:3-8).

Even though we are a work in progress as we learn to yield to the voice of the Holy Spirit within us, God deems that work complete. He sees us now as already fulfilling the conditions of His promises. Because we are deemed righteous, God is free to bless us and this gives Him great pleasure, indeed! “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10, NKJV)

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Where scripture translations neglect to capitalize pronoun references to God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit, we have taken the liberty to do so.