Title: The Unchanging God (Summary)
Contents
James 1:17
2011. 5. 29 (Note)
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who famously said, “All things are constantly changing,” said that no one can enter the same river twice, because there is always new water flowing. There is no permanent substance in nature. Only 流轉 is real. The only thing that doesn't change is the fact that it changes.
Like Heraclitus' correct insight, all things change. But change is proof that it is not perfect. Nothing in our world is constant, which means that everything in the universe is not perfect.
But God does not change. James says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above and from the Father of lights.” He says, “God is unchanging, and there is no rotating shadow,” and ancient astronomers used expressions such as rotating shadows to describe the irregularities of the celestial bodies. James says that temptation is the work of the faithful God.
God is absolutely unchanging in nature and nature. Humans have self-development, but God has no concept of development or evolution. Because you are perfect. Also, although human nature can change depending on the environment, God's disposition does not change. The words of Exodus 34:6, which said to Moses, “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in kindness and truth,” are still the same 3,500 years later. Also, human actions change, but God's actions do not. God's plan before eternity does not change. Since God is not a man, He never changes (1 Samuel 15:29). And he has no regrets (Numbers 23:19). Because God's plan is based on perfect knowledge that affects everything past, present and future, nothing unexpected happens. What God does in time has been planned out of time, from eternity. In other words, what you have planned and decided in eternity is accomplished in time. So, none of the promises of God have been fulfilled.
The verses in the Bible that express that God regrets T (Genesis 6:6-7, 1 Samuel 15:11, 2 Samuel 24:16, Jonah 3:10, Joel 2:13-14) are anthropomorphism expressions should be understood as In none of the cases recorded in this text there is an indication that God would do something that had never been foreseen of man's action or was not in God's eternal plan. What appears to be a change of heart is actually the application of a new stage in God's eternal plan. Jonah 3:10 says that when God saw that the people of Nineveh had turned from their evil ways, He changed His mind and did not bring any calamity. Nineveh shall fall.” was a way to get the people of Nineveh to repent.
It is a great comfort to us that God's character, actions, and plans do not change. We find it difficult to trust people who are volatile, people who constantly change their plans, people who talk and act differently, and people who change their behavior all the time. We think the opposite when we say someone is reliable. Likewise, since God is unchanging, we can trust Him. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, will do what he has promised, and will accomplish what he has entrusted to him.
Because the Lord is immutable, the promise he made to Abraham 4,000 years ago is still valid for us today. God has the same thoughts and plans for us today and will act in the same way he showed us to the characters of the Bible. Therefore, we can go forward trusting in the Lord with the assurance that our God is the same as the God of the Bible.
But as modern Christians today, as James Packer points out, we are content to commune and act with God at a much lower level than those in the Bible. “If the God we believe in is the same as the God of the New Testament, how can we Can you justify your own satisfaction with a condition that is far below them in terms of the experience of communion with God or the level of Christian conduct?”
We can make two important decisions from the fact that God is unchanging. First, our God is the same as the God of the Bible. Therefore, we should try to get to know God better by reading the Bible, think about what He wants us to do today, and try to do what pleases God.
Second, since our heavenly Father is unchanging, we Christians, our children, must also become unchanging people. Be consistent in your words and actions, keep your promises, be not capricious, and be trustworthy. When we show such an image, we will be able to glorify our Heavenly Father as a child of Heavenly Father.