Dakota Community Church
August 14, 2011
Immutability
Jeremiah 9:23-24
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.
This morning we begin a new series: “The Incommunicable Attributes of God”.
The scriptures make it pretty clear that God is not open to being addressed in ways that He has not revealed as acceptable.
Leviticus 10:1-2
Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.
We need more than a theoretical knowledge of God.
We want more than mere knowledge about God – our desire is to know Him; however in order to know Him we must gain knowledge about Him as with any relationship.
In the early stages of romantic relationships we want gain knowledge about the person as a central part of coming to know them.
“Tell me about your parents.” “Where did you grow up?” “Was your home urban or rural?” “Do you prefer country or rock?” “On the political front are you conservative or Liberal?”
We are not free to ascribe to God human characteristics or qualities as we see fit;
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics (or characteristics assumed to belong only to humans) to non-human animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts – we cannot do this with God thereby creating a God in our image rather than the other way around.
God wants to be known by us AS HE IS!
To ensure that we may know Him as He is, He has revealed Himself to us in the Holy Scriptures and He has come to live amoung us – to redeem us – in the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus.
An unknowable God cannot be trusted. (What will He do and what is He capable of?)
An unknowable God cannot be served. (Will this sacrifice appease or enrage Him?)
An unknowable God cannot be worshipped. (Should I run to Him with open arms or hide away?)
A God of our own making is one who changes and adapts with cultural nuances.
A revealed God requires submission of us; when we encounter something about Him that we do not like – we must change our likes.
In this way HE is God – not us.
There are of course some “Communicable” attributes: those qualities that we share by virtue of having been made in God’s image.
Some of these include; spirituality, knowledge, wisdom, love, mercy, freedom, and beauty.
The separation between Gods incommunicable and communicable attributes is not razor-sharp or absolute there are often traces or shadows, fingerprints if you will of our former pre-fall state.
The “Incommunicable” attributes of God are those characteristics that He has revealed about Himself which we do not share.
IMMUTABILITY:
Unchangeableness; the quality that renders change or alteration impossible; invariableness. Immutability is an attribute of God.
Hebrews 6:13-20
When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.
James 1:16-17
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Deuteronomy 32:3-4
I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
1. Immutable essence
God is unchanging in His very being, His nature, who He is does not ever change.
He is infinite and so is not subject to mutations.
As He is now He has forever been and will forever continue to be. Perfect.
There was never a time when He did not exist; He will never cease to be.
He is not evolving, and has never evolved, He does not grow, He cannot diminish, he is eternal, holy, pure, untainted, and perfect in every way and cannot be anything else.
He is not like us in this.
He is not experiencing cellular degradation and trips around the sun.
Exodus 3:14-15
Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
God, unlike every created thing, is independent and unfailingly consistent.
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should repent (Num. 23:19)
I the Lord do not change (Mal. 3:6)
With God there is no variation of shadow due to change (James 1:17)
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8)
God cannot deny himself (2 Tim. 2:13)
God is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything (Acts 17:25)
Our God does not change, and he does not need or lack anything.
His power never diminishes; His glory does not fade!
None of these things can be said of us.
2. Immutable attributes
God is unchanging in His perfections; the essential qualities of His being do not change.
Whatever the attributes of God were before the universe was called into existence, they are precisely the same now, and will remain so forever.
God is all powerful His power is unabated.
He is all knowing and His wisdom remains undiminished.
Our God is HOLY and His holiness is unsullied.
The attributes of God can no more change than Deity can cease to be.
His veracity, His continual truthfulness is established in heaven – He cannot be unfaithful
Psalm 119:89-90
Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.
His love is eternal
Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
Psalm 100:5
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
From The Westminster Confession of Faith:
There is but one only, living, and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions; immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him; and withal, most just, and terrible in His judgments, hating all sin, and who will be by no means clear the guilty.
This is a God who tells us who He is and what He is like.
He decides how we approach Him.
You may prefer burning incense, cutting yourself, chanting, or meditating your way into the throne room but He has decided that no comes to Him except through Christ.
You may love to sing “Brown Eyed Girl” to your wife but if she is a blue eyed blonde it isn’t going to go well!
Why on earth would we think we can decide what God is like or how He deals with sin?
3. Immutable counsel
The purposes and promises of God do not change.
Romans 11:34-36
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
For Him, through Him, and to Him are all things!
1 Peter 5:5
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
In your pride, God opposed you but when you humbled yourself and submitted to Him He became gracious toward you. He did not change though to you it seems so.
Eternally, right this moment and forever – God is opposing the proud.
Eternally, right this moment and forever – God is giving grace to the humble.
1 Samuel 15:10-11
Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.”
1 Samuel 15:29
He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind
1 Samuel 15:35
Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the LORD was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.
Here we have in the same chapter evidence that God does and doesn‘t change his mind.
To make sense of this understand that on one level God can regret and on another level it is impossible for him to have regret.
God is sorry because Saul has changed, but this does not mean God has changed.
The change in God is a response to a change in someone else. In fact, God‘s change is a manifestation of his unchanging character.
God‘s passion for the glory of his name, his passion for righteousness and justice never change. But when the external world changes God‘s relationship to that world also changes.
When Saul‘s behavior changed, God, immutable in nature and purpose, chose to respond to Saul in a different way in order to be true to himself.
God changed his mind in order to not change his mind.
Conclusion:
The only God we really want is the One who has revealed Himself, the one true God, the redeemer of every man!
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
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