Finding Unshakable Hope in the God Who Never Changes

Futility. That is what every attempt at rebellion against God entails. Every railing of sin, every shaking of the fist in His face, results in the same thing: nothing. We serve an unchanging God, and nothing can diminish His perfections.

For I, the LORD, do not change. – Malachi 3:6

Thomas Brooks once said, “If it could be carried by votes, God would be voted out of the world; for the language of the carnal heart is, “Leave us alone! We have no desire to know Your ways!” (Job 21:14).”

We live in a society that attempts to determine its own truth and morality. Our culture votes in and enacts many laws that call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Yet, truth and righteousness will never be established by popular vote—all of the world’s statutes that celebrate sin and punish good will never alter the word of God.

The counsel of the LORD stands forever. – Psalm 33:11

The doctrine of God’s immutability should do two things for the believer. First, it should leave us in awestruck wonder since it is so far beyond our complete comprehension. The second thing it should do is comfort us. Just as no sin can diminish His perfections, neither can our excellencies increase them.

Even when the political winds shift in favor of righteousness, we should rejoice, but it does not add to the excellencies of God. He is the standard bearer, and his perfections are not dependent upon whether we acknowledge them. With this knowledge, all believers can release a massive sigh of relief. We sometimes act as if God needs our defense, as if His glory hinges on our efforts. We sometimes feel like we must be His protector. We are not God, and living like He depends on us is exhausting. He has called us to find our rest in Him, not the other way around.

The best thing we can do is point people to the place where his excellencies are most clearly on display: the word of God. We often feel that we must be creative and develop something new and exciting for the Lord to be known, some new movement that gets the world excited. Our attempts to manufacture excitement for God will always fade, but His Word endures forever. His revelation is not in need of our embellishment—it is already perfect.

If you are in Christ Jesus, your salvation is as unshakable as his nature. Just as his perfections can never be diminished, neither can his grip on those he has redeemed. He alone is the rock of our salvation that will never be moved (Psalm 62:6). May we point others to Him through His word with a confidence that is not derived from our abilities but from His immutable splendor.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. – Hebrews 13:8

-D. Eaton