God is Immutable
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever” (Is, 40:8). The Word and character of God never changes. That stands in stark contrast to that of humanity, which is in a constant state of flux. The changeless nature of God is what makes Him the ultimate object for our faith. The writer of Hebrews says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (13:7,8).
The writer doesn’t say that we should imitate the good behavior of those who lead us. Our faith is not based on humanity no matter how well they behave. We should consider first the outcome of the lives of teachers who profess to know God and live by faith, then imitate what they believe if their lives are bearing the fruit of righteousness. In which case, the object of their faith is God and His word, which never changes.
Fallen humanity has “worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25). Trusting only in ourselves or others has led many astray, because there are no perfect people. We have not been able to solve our own problems much less save ourselves. Humanity has found some stability by trusting in the fixed order of the universe, especially the solar system. We set our watches by it and plan our calendars. Suppose the sun rose two hours late tomorrow. The whole world would be thrown into chaos and everyone would be extremely anxious about the next day. It takes months or years to establish faith in someone or something. One act of unfaithfulness or inconsistency can destroy trust. It may take months or years of consistent and faithful behavior in order to rebuild trust. In fact you would be foolish to put your trust in someone or something which is unfaithful or unreliable. That is one reason why human relationships are so fragile.
That is not the case concerning our relationship with God. Knowing that God is faithful and never changes is what gives us stability in our lives. If we have faith in the creation, how much faith should we have in the Creator who sustains the fixed order of the universe? “What if some choose not to believe in God? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Rom. 3:3,4). God’s word is true whether we believe it or not and He will never change to accommodate us, because God is under no obligation to humanity. When God keeps His word and His covenant He is being faithful to Himself. He is the rock of our salvation who changes not. God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill (Numbers 23:19)?
Dr. Neil
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