Pr Joshua Yong

Malachi 3:6 – “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

An attribute that is closely related to the eternality of God is the immutability of God. It is difficult for us as sinful and puny man to grasp the truth of the immutability of God simply because we are always changing. We change and grow with age; we change day by day. There are things which were once enjoyed that we no longer enjoy. There are things which we did not have a preference for at one point in life, but which we later take a liking to. And because we are not omniscient, we often have to change our plans. We have to adapt, adjust and react to new information. We are also often swayed by our emotions and we often change our minds and our will. Have we not experienced how man can often change with regard to their opinions, ideas and thoughts? But this is not so with God because God is unchangeable.

1) The Meaning of the Immutability of God

In Malachi 3:6, God declares, “I am the LORD, I change not…” The immutability of God refers to God as the unchangeable God. To be unchangeable means that God is always the same. It describes how God is unchangeable in His being, His essence and His attributes. God can neither gain nor lose power or might; He can never increase or decrease in knowledge or wisdom. God is unchangeable with regard to His holiness and justice, and righteousness. God is perfectly holy, just and righteous and there will neither be an increasing or diminishing of any of His divine attributes.

We must not confuse immutability with immobility. That God changes not does not mean that God cannot act or work His will according to His own way and time. Francis Turretin explains this well: “It is one thing to change the will; another to will the change of anything. God can will the change of various things (as the institution and abrogation of the Levitical worship) without prejudice to the immutability of his will because even from eternity he had decreed such a change.” In other words, the immutability of God does not contradict the liberty of God to act and unfold His will according to His decrees.  

For God to be unchanging means that God has always been who He is, and He will ever be who He has been.

2) The Truth of the Immutability of God

In Malachi chapter 3, the Lord declared that He would bring His judgment upon the children of Judah because they had committed gross sins against the Lord. In view of the judgment which was about to come upon Judah, God then declared, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Because God’s standard of holiness does not change, when Judah offended God and broke God’s commandments, God judged Judah according to His own Holiness. Yet at the same time, God is also faithful and merciful and because He would keep His covenant promises to His own people, His judgment upon Judah was such that they would not be completely annihilated. The Lord addressed the children of Judah as the sons of Jacob.

By referring to Judah as Jacob, God was reminding them of the covenant which He had established with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In Genesis 32:27-28 when God established His covenant with Jacob and when He changed the name of Jacob to Israel, Jacob was not yet a nation, and they had not even possessed the Promised Land. Yet, God had been faithful to Jacob according to the covenant promises He established. The children of Judah needed to remember that the God who established His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has not changed. The covenant which was established with their fathers more than 1500 years ago stood true even in the days of Malachi because God is unchanging. Therefore, because of God’s covenant faithfulness and promises, though the children Judah would have to experience God’s judgment, they as a nation and people would not be totally destroyed and wiped out.

Because God is unchanging, He is ever faithful and true. If God is not immutable, then how will we know who God is? If God is not immutable, then we will not know if God is still true to His Word and His promises; we will not know if we can trust Him; we will not know if His grace still stands ever sufficient. But praise be to God, for our God changes not, and because He is unchanging, we know we can place our trust in Him; we know He is ever the same.

3) The Application of the Immutability of God

We live in an ever-changing world, where the only constant is change. It is easy to feel overwhelmed with everything that keeps changing around us. During this pandemic, we have been experiencing plans and protocols that are always changing. There is a disturbing sense of uncertainty, of not knowing what to expect. Will there be another circuit breaker? Will there be further restrictions? Will we still be able to hold our Church Family Worship? Many may have made business plans, only to be stopped in their tracks. Many things are still up in the air, and things can change so suddenly.

In the midst of such uncertainty, how assuring it is to know that our anchor and our standing rest upon God who remains ever the same. God stands ever faithful and He is ever true. His care and love for His children has not diminished; His grace and mercies are ever sufficient; His purposes, according to His promises, will work together for good. We may not know what to expect tomorrow, but we know who holds tomorrow and we know who we can depend upon. Because God is unchanging, we can ever rest upon His promises of His care and His comfort for us. 

The truth of the immutability of God is especially assuring for those of us who believe in the perfect preservation of the Word of God. God has promised to preserve His Word forever. Because God is unchanging, we know that His promises cannot fail. How can our unchanging God allow His Holy Word to be changed and corrupted? That can never be so. God is ever faithful and true to His Word.

Because God is unchanging, we know our salvation is secure in Him. We can trust our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ when He promised us that no one will be able to pluck us out of His hands and out of God the Father’s hands.

How this truth of the immutability of God brings peace to our hearts. “All may change but Jesus never [changes] – glory to His name.”