What? God Changed?

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”– Hebrews 13:8

The Consistent God Growing up in Church, I noticed that this verse was used to explain that Jesus is still performing the miracles just like He did while He was here on earth, because He has not changed. This is so very true, praise God. However, this unchangeableness of Christ has existed way before Jesus took on human form and came to the earth. Therefore, this verse is also an encapsulation of the fact that the God who existed before the foundation of the universe was laid, is still the same. God has not changed.

Let’s think about that a little bit. It means that way before God ever said: “Let there be light”, in Genesis 1, God has had the character and characteristics that have remained the same up until today. God’s plans and purposes that He had in His heart for creation and for all Humanity have also remained the same. All the things that God planned to do way before creation is what He has done, what He is doing, is what He will continue to do, to infinity. Therefore, Jesus Christ, being God, has therefore remained the same from eternity past, to the present, and to eternity future.

This is true. But for me this verse has also come to mean hat the promises He made to Adam, Abraham, and David concerning humanity, (you and I) are still valid! Is that cool or what? His existence and His consistency is like an unbreakable ring – it is eternal. This is the “eternality of God”

When God has seemed to change.
One of my friends had commented that though the Bible says God is the same, He seems to change sometimes. E.g. God had said that He would punish King Ahab’s and his lineage. But then Ahab went into mourning, fasting, and dressed in sackcloth. God took pity on Ahab and modified his sentence (1 Kings 21:17-29). How about King Manasseh and all the atrocities he committed against God? (2 Kings 21:13). Yet God forgave Him later. These all make it seem like God has not been keeping His word. But He has.

God was acting in line with His person, His character, and His heart towards humanity. These show that it is not really a pleasure for God to punish mankind. They show that God is love, He is gracious, merciful, longsuffering and compassionate. That He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 86:5; Psalm 86:15; Jonah 4:2). God is not willing that anyone should perish. Whenever God seems to change, it is so that His preferred mode of interacting with humanity (love, mercy and grace) will become what He expresses (2 Peter 3:9). God prefers to gracious towards us rather than disappointed, angry or punitive.

Malachi 3:6
“For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob”

Sometimes, we may have unstable, dysfunctional family situations. There may even be uncertainties in the
behavior or character of key persons in our lives. But I love the fact that God does not change and He is so predictable. No matter what someone’s life or home situation may be, we can take peace in God’s stability, promises, power, and love for us. No matter what our day may have looked like, no matter what catastrophe the enemy may be working around the world, one thing is always certain – God remains who He has always been. His abilities are the same. His judgment is same. His follow-through remains precise.

God is love (1 John 4:8). He is still loving, gracious, and forgiving towards you and towards me! This is comforting and calms our fears and anxiety. Knowing that the person whose opinion you value the most, whose opinion will end up being the most important for every one of us, never changes, we can be sure that we will never be left high and dry. God ‘s love is stable and predictable.

We can know that God always loves us, that God’s blessings are still available to anyone who would receive them, and that God’s promises to those who accept to be “in Christ Jesus” are valid and always in operation. In fact, God even continues to keep His end of the bargain even when we have strayed from God (2 Timothy 2:13).
My brothers and sisters, please remember that God always sticks to His end of the bargain, waiting for us to find our way home back to Him. God has not changed. His position and affection concerning us remains the same. Truly, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Updated April 16, 2025
Growing in your Christian faith. Knowing God. God is love. God’s love is stable. God is predictably good.