Knowing God Study - Lesson 9 Ý
Copyright 2004-5 by William Meisheid

Chapter 7: God Unchanging

Today’s theme:  God, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, forever immutable.

Scriptural background: Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?"

Psalm 33:11"The counsel of the Lord stands for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations."

Quotes for the week

"As my high school teacher, Miss Julia Coleman, used to say: "We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles." Jimmy Carter. Inaugural address. Thursday, January 20, 1977. 

"We need to learn to set our course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship." Omar Nelson Bradley. U.S. general, 1893-1981.

"I have my faults, but changing my tune is not one of them." Samuel Beckett. The Unnamable. Paris: Les Editions de Minuit, 1953. English: New York, Grove Press, 1958.

Concern: Will we fail to comprehend that unlike us God is dependable and unchanging?

The world of the scriptures is so different from our world, sometimes we find it hard to recognize the God that is revealed in the pages of the Old Testament. Because of this we have to be careful not to see two different Gods and drive a wedge between the God of Moses and Israel and the God and Father of Jesus Christ.

1   What problem (think about the surrounding culture) do we encounter when trying to hold fast to unchanging principals in the world today?

2   What do you (personally) set your course by? Why?

Interacting with the text

Goal: To learn about the unchanging nature of God. To grasp His immutability (not being subject or susceptible to change) and its ramifications for us as Christians, especially as it relates to the trustworthiness and dependability of our God.

1   How is God's immutability directly related to the validity and trustworthiness of His Word, the Scriptures, that define who we are and what we believe as Christians today?

2   Packer says that there are six aspects of God that do not change. What are they?

3   Relate each one of these six aspects of God  to yourself and show how they demonstrate how you are different from God. (Aspect - God - me)

4   What is another word that explains that God's life is unchanging, immutable? Explain its meaning in your own words.

5   How is God's character related to His immutability? Why is this aspect of His character important to Christians?

6   What does it mean that God knows his own mind? What characteristic expresses this fact? What does this characteristic of God teach you about yourself?

7   Why is God's unchanging purpose important to living the Christian life? What does it mean to you personally (e.g. see Phil 1:6)?

8   Food for thought: How does this unchanging nature of God relate to our understanding of the Trinity and how we view each person of the Godhead, especially God’s son, Jesus Christ?

What To Do Next

Read Chapter Eight: The Majesty of God. Consider how Biblical figures responded to the majesty of God and then interacting with their example decide what your response should be.

Goal: To ground ourselves in the utter reliability of God.

Armed with the truth that God does not change his mind we can stand on His promises while taking confidence in his trustworthiness. With that in mind and remembering that we were created in His image, think about what responsibility that lays at our feet.