I recently had a conversation with a friend about what it
means that God “never changes.” He was raised in the church, but never
really talked through these issues. He knew that God is all-knowing
(omniscient), all-powerful (omnipotent), and never-changing (immutable); but
really, what does that mean? For him, and you, here is a very quick primer on three
ways Christians have answered that question.
These are broad overviews of four ways of thinking. They are
generalizations, each of which represents a dozen related viewpoints with their
own nuances and variations. Before someone jumps in with a “well, actually. . .”
If you have that level of study, this piece of writing isn’t for you.
Also, there are many more answers to this question than the three
I present here, but I believe these three answers fall well within traditional
Christian orthodoxy. There are folks within each view who think all the others
are going to Hell, but I let my umbrella provide a little more dry ground than
that. And, yes, each view has a dozen or more Bible verses to support it. These
are all “biblical.”
Calvinism
Regarding omniscience, Calvinism argues that God knows
everything, because he determined everything that would happen in advance.
Every moment of every day, every decision, has been decided ahead of time. God
knew what you would have for breakfast today before you were born. God knows
everything because he has planned everything to work together toward his end
goal.
How does this impact omnipotence (all-powerfulness)? God
possess all power, he created, directs, and controls everything. He has all
power.
How does this impact immutability (unchanging)? God never
changes in any way. His character remains the same, always. God never questions
himself, never changes his plans, never changes his mind.
How does this impact human free will? Calvinism asserts that
humans have free will to make their own decisions, but – I’ll be honest – I’ve
never heard a really compelling explanation of how.
Arminianism
This view also affirms that God is all-knowing, but rather
than dictating every moment and every decision, God’s knowledge extends to
every possible outcome of any decision. While he may not know what we will do,
he knows what will happen regardless of what we do. Also, while we have the
freedom to choose any path, God’s encompassing knowledge often allows him to
predict our actions, while still allowing us the freedom to choose. For example, I know that my son will never ask
for pancakes for breakfast, because he hates pancakes; yet, he has the freedom
to request pancakes whenever he wants.
To summarize: God’s knowledge extends to every possible
outcome of every possible decision, spanning all of time. His power allows him
to work with our freedom to direct history towards his final, decided outcome.
All paths eventually lead to him, so we are free to take any path we want. God’s
character does not change, nor do his plans. He does demonstrate some
flexibility in the way his plans are achieved.
Open Theism
Open theism also affirms that God is all-knowing,
all-powerful, and unchanging. God possesses knowledge of all that exists and
has ever existed. However, the future has not happened yet. It doesn’t exist.
It is impossible to know what doesn’t exist. Therefore, at any moment in time,
any decision a human faces, there is the possibility that God will be
surprised. As in the Arminian view, God knows everything about us. He is often
able to predict what we will do in a given moment, but we still have the
freedom to choose. More than that, he doesn’t know where this decision will
lead us.
Being all-powerful, God is able to respond to our decisions
on the fly. He can adjust and adapt his plans to work towards his goals; but we
have the power to resist and frustrate those goals. God doesn’t get what he
wants all the time. While I don’t fall into the open theist camp, I think this
is a compelling answer to the problem of evil and pain. God has a plan for
where he wants the world to go, but gives us the freedom to make our own plans.
We are invited to work with God to make this world a better place; but allowed
to be selfish jerks, and he works with that as well.
This is a dynamic view of God, his character never changes,
but his plans are constantly changing. This is a God who has the knowledge and
power to adapt to the situation.
Throwing Down My Marker
Because some folks in the world can’t read an author without
knowing where they stand, I’m in the Arminian camp, with some sympathy for Open
Theism. However, I don’t believe this is a salvation critical issue. While I
might have strong disagreements with those in other camps, or even within my
own camp, these are all members of God’s family.
Conclusion
The picture attached to this post is AI generated. It's a picture of the sun setting over Bryce Canyon. Bryce Canyon faces east. It's impossible. That's what this post is, a discussion of impossibility. It is fun, maybe even important, to discuss the attributes of God, but in doing so we need to remember we are discussing things we can't understand. A seasoning of grace is vital.
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