“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed”. (Malachi 3:6).
Today we shall have a look at the essence of God which clearly differentiates him from men and how it should impact our relationship with Him.
What is this attribute one may ask? It is that God is immutable, meaning he hasn’t lost any of his character or capacity because of new insights he has gained about men nor has He gained new understanding because of man’s mutability.
This is why one name that best describes his essence is the “Ancient of Days”. A changing God will be up against human surprises on a daily basis and would therefore be a God that is incapable of grasping the full nature of men and may therefore be given to constant pettiness, vengeance, and mischief against his creatures.
However, man’s growth in righteousness or unrighteousness does not impact God to the point of changing his faithfulness or shifting the goalpost in malice, or setting traps. On the contrary, the consistent attribute of God over the ages and across all generations is His faithfulness and immutability in love and justice.
It’s men who get drawn away from God by their temptations and not God pulling away from men because of tiredness and mischief- He is ever faithful, waiting on the disobedient in love and faithful to the obedient in love. He is the same God who will never fail to judge sin.
In Hebrew 4:13 we read that: “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do”.
To wayward Israel, he said: “All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” (Romans 10:11).
In the same vein, to the same Israel God was above pettiness and full of grace though he judged Israel for their sins in the wilderness, Joshua confirmed God’s unchanging attribute saying, “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.(Joshua 21:45).
If God had been petty and had dealt with Israel in full recompense for their sins they would have all been consumed in the wilderness. However, God’s immutable character of grace enabled him to keep His promise to the children of Israel, to bring them into the land he had promised their fathers.
God is immutable, He is able to keep promises across generations in-spite of men’s changing and disobedient nature. He is unchanging in his character, will, and covenant promises.
To this extent we read that: “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”. (Numbers 23:19).
How then should God’s immutability help us in our relationship with Him? We shall see this from the following submissions:
1)God’s immutable love for the sinner is inexhaustible.
God is ever willing to forgive and embrace the disobedient if he will confess and renounce his sins. We have heard often said that God loves the sinner but hates his sins, yes, but that love is extended on the condition that he forsakes his sins. God says:’Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?”
2)The Danger of Backsliding
God’s unchanging character should put the fear of God in the backsliding Christian. How? A man cannot say that he was committed to God all his years but had to backslide to keep up with the world in a moment of deliberate disobedience and hoping that his past commitment would assuage God. No, God cannot be deceived and whatever a man sows he will reap. God will always judge the sinner.
God wants us to be ever fresh in our relationship with him on a daily basis. Here lies the danger of backsliding- “ For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them”. (2 Peter 2:21).
3)God’s immutability should spur our Prayers
With an understanding of God’s immutability and faithfulness, what should a man do but hold on to God in prayer to remind Him of His pending promises?
After all, “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.” (1 Samuel 15:29), implying that God’s promises to His children abide and changes not and we have the glorious platform of prayer to remind God of His promises.
God loves to communicate with His children and encourages us to bring our arguments to him in prayer. God says, “Remind me. Let’s argue the case together. Recount the facts, so that you may be vindicated”. (Isaiah 43:26).
And to the sinner and the backslider God equally urges: “ Come now and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool”. (Isaiah 1:18).
Reading
Luke 15:11–32.
@Aspire ministries.
