Notes of Faith September 23, 2026
Unchanging!
Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. Jonah 3:10
Does God change His mind? Some passages of the Bible studied alone and out of context could lead to that conclusion. But Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind” (NIV). God always knows what He is going to do, His logic is consistent, and His character is unchanging. Malachi 3:6 says, “I the Lord do not change” (NIV). And James 1:17 says that with God there is “no variation or shadow of turning.”
The Bible, however, sometimes speaks of God in human terms, using phrases we can understand. For example, Jonah 3:10 says that God “relented.” God accommodates Himself to us. He helps us understand how His fixed character relates to our fluid human situations.
Studying the nature and the ways of God strengthens us. We can never fully understand Him, for His infinite nature boggles our minds. But the more we get to know Him, the better we can worship Him.
A true fear of God is a beautiful thing, for it is worship, it is love, it is veneration. A. W. Tozer
The character and nature of God does not change. And because God knows the end from the beginning, He “technically” does not change His mind. But for our understanding, in the feebleness of the human mind, it appears that God does change His mind. Regardless, the perfect plan of God for mankind is being worked out. When things seem difficult, remember that this world is not your home… God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him might not perish, but have eternal life. Sin causes death. Jesus offers eternal life and salvation to those who believe in Him. Come to Jesus! Follow and worship Jesus! Believe and receive His free gift of life eternal!
Pastor Dale