Eternity and immutability of God, from “The Great Doctrines of the Bible” by Evans

Notes: (1) “The Great Doctrines of the Bible” by Rev. William Evans, Ph.D., D.D. is a well-respected reference material for Bible students, pastors, missionaries and laymen. You can read the entire book from Google (click the picture of the book cover), or download the complete zipped e-book. (2) Surf to the index of lessons and online quizzes from Evans. (3) The most important ideas and statements from this part of Evans’ book are listed in the “Basic truths” section below.

The Eternity and Immutability of God.

The word eternal is used in two senses in the Bible: figuratively, as denoting existence which may have a beginning, but will have no end, e. g., angels, the human soul; literally, denoting an existence which has neither beginning nor ending, like that of God. Time has past, present, future; eternity has not. Eternity is infinite duration without any beginning, end, or limit--an ever abiding present. We can conceive of it only as duration indefinitely extended from the present moment in two directions--as to the past and as to the future. “One of the deaf and dumb pupils in the institution of Paris, being desired to express his idea of the eternity of the Deity, replied: ‘It is duration, without beginning or end; existence, without bounds or dimension; present, without past or future. His eternity is youth, without infancy or old age; life, without birth or death; today, without yesterday or tomorrow.’”

By the Immutability of God is meant that God’s nature is absolutely unchangeable. It is not possible that He should possess one attribute at one time that He does not possess at another. Nor can there be any change in the Deity for better or for worse. God remains forever the same. He is without beginning and without end; the self-existent “I am”; He remains forever the same, and unchangeable.

(1) Scriptural statement of the fact: The Eternity of God

Hab. 1:12—“Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One?” Chaldea had threatened to annihilate Israel. The prophet cannot believe it possible, for has not God eternal purposes for Israel? Is He not holy? How, then, can evil triumph? Psa. 90:2—“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Short and transitory is the life of man; with God it is otherwise. The perishable nature of man is here compared with the imperishable nature of God. Psa. 102:24-27—“I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old thou hast laid the foundations of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” With the perishable nature of the whole material creation the psalmist contrasts the imperishable nature of God. Exod. 3:14—“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM.” The past, present and future lies in these words for the name of Jehovah. Rev. 1:8—“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

(2) Scriptural statement of the Immutability of God:

Mal 3:6—“I am the Lord, I change not.” Man’s hope lies in that fact, as the context here shows Man had changed in his life and purpose toward God, and if God, like man, had changed, man would have been destroyed. James 1:17—“The Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” There is no change--in the sense of the degree or intensity of light such as is manifested in the heavenly bodies. Such lights are constantly varying and changing; not so with God. There is no inherent, indwelling, possible change in God. 1 Sam. 15:29.—“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.” From these scriptures we assert that God, in His nature and character, is absolutely without change.

Does God Repent?

What, then, shall we say with regard to such scriptures as Jonah 3:10 and Gen. 6:6—“And God repented of the evil, that he said he would do unto them.” “And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” In reply we may say that God does not change, but threatens that men may change. “The repentant attitude in God does not involve any real change in the character and purposes of God. He ever hates the sin and ever pities and loves the sinner; that is so both before and after the sinner’s repentance. Divine repentance is therefore the same principle acting differently in altered circumstances. If the prospect of punishment answers the same purpose as that intended by the punishment itself, then there is no inconsistency in its remission, for punishment is not an end, it is only a means to goodness, to the reign of the law of righteousness.” When God appears to be displeased with anything, or orders it differently from what we expected, we say, after the manner of men, that He repents. God’s attitude towards the Ninevites had not changed, but they had changed; and because they had changed from sin unto righteousness, God’s attitude towards them and His intended dealings with them as sinners must of necessity change, while, of course, God’s character had in no wise changed with respect to these people, although His dealings with them had. So that we may say that God’s character never changes, but His dealings with men change as they change from ungodliness to godliness and from disobedience unto obedience. “God’s immutability is not that of the stone, that has no internal experience, but rather that of the column of mercury that rises and falls with every change in the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere. When a man bicycling against the wind turns about and goes with the wind instead of going against it, the wind seems to change, although it is blowing just as it was before.” --Strong. (From “The Great Doctrines of the Bible” by Rev. William Evans, Ph.D., D.D.)

Basic truths

[1] “The word eternal is used in two senses in the Bible: figuratively, as denoting existence which may have a beginning, but will have no end, e. g., angels, the human soul; literally, denoting an existence which has neither beginning nor ending, like that of God. Time has past, present, future; eternity has not. Eternity is infinite duration without any beginning, end, or limit--an ever abiding present.”

[2] “By the Immutability of God is meant that God’s nature is absolutely unchangeable. It is not possible that He should possess one attribute at one time that He does not possess at another. Nor can there be any change in the Deity for better or for worse. God remains forever the same. He is without beginning and without end; the self-existent “I am”; He remains forever the same, and unchangeable.”

[3] Scriptural statement of the Eternity of God: Hab. 1:12; Psa. 90:2; Psa. 102:24-27; Exod. 3:14; Rev. 1:8.

[4] Scriptural statement of the Immutability of God: Mal 3:6; James 1:17 1 Sam. 15:29

[5] Does God Repent?

“The repentant attitude in God does not involve any real change in the character and purposes of God. He ever hates the sin and ever pities and loves the sinner; that is so both before and after the sinner’s repentance. Divine repentance is therefore the same principle acting differently in altered circumstances.”

“God’s character never changes, but His dealings with men change as they change from ungodliness to godliness and from disobedience unto obedience.”

Further study (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

[1] Materials by John Piper against open theism

Some Early Baptist Confessions of Faith Explicitly Disowned the “Openness” View

How Open Theism Helps Us Conceal Our Hidden Idolatries

Beyond the Bounds, Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity (you can also read this book online, 3.4MB PDF).

This understanding of God’s foreknowledge has united the church for twenty centuries. But advocates of “open theism” are presenting a different vision of God and a different view of the future.

The rise of open theism within evangelicalism has raised a host of questions. Was classical theism decisively tainted by Greek philosophy? Is open theism a product of process theism? What philosophical presuppositions and cultural conditions are allowing open theism to flourish? How should we understand passages that tell us that God changes his mind or repents or expresses surprise? Are essentials of biblical Christianity—like the inerrancy of Scripture, the trustworthiness of God, and the gospel of Christ—at stake in this debate? Where, when, and why should we draw new boundaries—and is open theism beyond them? Beyond the Bounds brings together a respected team of scholars to examine the latest literature, address these questions, and give guidance to the church in this time of controversy.

[2] An Examination Of Open Theism, by Gregg Cantelmo (Senior pastor, Bridgeway Community Church; teacher in “The Institute,” the educational arm of East Valley Bible Church in Gilbert, and at Southwestern College in Phoenix; pursuing Doctorate of Ministry degree at Phoenix Seminary)

Open theism is concerned with how God experiences the world. It asks and attempts to answer the questions, “What does God know?” and “When does He know it?” The essence of the questions open theists ask are not dealing with how God knows the future, but if he knows it at all. An early proponent of open theism said, “God experienced the events of the world He has created. . .as they happen, rather than all at once in some timeless, eternal perception. This also means that not even God knows the future in all its details.” Open theists maintain that God does not know what a given human being will do until he acts. They refer to such human actions as “possibilities.” Because God remains unaware of human possibilities, the future remains “open” in His mind. This means that rather than God knowing all things, He is in the process of learning new things as they take place. This is a significant redefinition of the classical doctrine of God’s omniscience. The open theist’s view of omniscience is that God has complete knowledge of the past and the present, but not the future. What God does know of the future is in reference to what he knows of “present dispositions, proclivities, inclinations, intentions and probabilities as well as they can be known.”

“Though God’s sovereignty conflicts with our autonomy, it in no way diminishes the value and role of our earthly walk with God. Just as the Scriptures begin with God and His sovereignty and creative authority over creation, so should theology begin with God and His sovereignty and creative authority. Whereas the Scriptures elevate God, open theism elevates man. The many difficulties open theism presents on the theological landscape come not from God’s lack of knowledge concerning man, but from man’s finite limited understanding of an infinite and awesome God. Of God we affirm with the Apostle Paul, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Rom. 11:36).” (Read the complete article)

[3] Who’s Moving Whom?: An Evaluation of Clark Pinnock’s Theology of God’s Openness, by Glenn R. Kreider (Professor of Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary)

[4] “The Attributes of God” part 1 and part 2, by A. W. Tozer (Infinitude, Immensity, Goodness, Justice, Mercy, Grace, Omnipresence, Immanence, Holiness, Perfection); read also Knowledge Of The Holy, The Pursuit of God and other works by Tozer.

“If a sermon can be compared to light, then A. W. Tozer released a laser beam from the pulpit, a beam that penetrated your heart. If you have never read Tozer - what are you waiting for? Thirty minutes spent in a Tozer essay is often better than a week at a Bible conference.” (Warren Wiersbe, Bible teacher; General Director, Back to the Bible Broadcast; Former Pastor, Moody Church in Chicago)

[5] Knowing God, by J.I. Packer

“We are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.”

Knowing God study guides: Section 1 Introduction and Chapters 1-6; Section 2 Chapters 7-17; Section 3 Chapters 18-22.

[6] Evidence from Nature, from Institute for Creation Research (God’s Invisible Things, The Earth Is Unique, The Heavens Declare )

ICR’s popular Acts & Facts free monthly news magazine contains articles and information of current interest dealing with creation, evolution, and related topics. Current and past issues can also be read, and you can sign up to receive future issues in the mail, all for free. Full versions of previous editions can be viewed online in PDF format.

[7] Does God Exist? by Jimmy Williams (also available in Spanish)

[8] Does God Exist? by Hampton Keathley IV

[9] Evidence For God's Existence by J. Hampton Keathley, III

[10] The Rationality of the Christian Worldview

[11] Materials by Ken Boa

• The Evolution Revolution: Naturalism and the Question of Origins
• No God at All: Western Humanism and the New Atheism

[12] Evidentialist Apologetics: Faith Founded on Fact

[13] Presenting Evidence That Demands a Verdict

[14] Classical Apologetics: It Stands to Reason

[15] Taking Every Thought Captive

[16] How I Know Christianity is True by Patrick Zukerian

[17] Survey of Bible Doctrine: God by Sid Litke

Sermons on the attributes of God (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

[1] Sermons by Philip G. Layton, Gold Country Baptist Church

• Living in Light of God’s Attributes, Introduction
• Living in Light of God’s Sovereignty
• Living in Light of God’s Sovereignty, Part 2
• Living in Light of God’s Providence
• Living in Light of God’s Omniscience
• Living in Light of God’s Omnipotence
• Living in Light of God’s Omnipresence
• Living in Light of God’s Justice and Mercy at the Cross
• Living in Light of God’s Faithfulness and Goodness
• Living in Light of God’s Holiness
• Living in Light of God’s Grace
• Living in Light of God’s Glory
• God is Love .. but that's not all - Living in Light of His Wrath and Love
• God is God and I Am Not - Living in Light of God’s Supremacy
• Living in Light of our Infinite and Intimate Creator

[2] Sermons by Pastor Jeremy Stephens, Southview Baptist Church

• Knowing an Unknowable God - Part 1 - Self Existence
• Knowing An Unknowable God - Part 2 - Immutability
• Knowing an Unknowable God - Part 3 – God’s Love

[3] God is, by David Palmer, East Side Baptist Church

[4] The Doctrine of God - Part A: The Nature and Attributes of God, by Randy D. Starkey, East Bend Baptist Church

[5] SF523 - WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT GOD (Hebrews 11:6), by Timothy McGhee, First Baptist Church – Powell

[6] Materials by Kurt Andree

• The Communicable Attributes of God I
• The Incommunicable Attributes of God I
  

[7] Praise to the God of Unlimited Power, by Dr. Kelly Randolph, Country Acres Baptist Church

[8] Is It Possible To See God, by Thomas

[9] God The Holy Spirit, by George Toews

[10] Three Forgotten Perfections of God, by Kenneth P. McCaulley

[11] Attributes of God, by Shaun LePage

[12] Attributes Of God: Faithfulness, by Timothy D. Hall

[13] Doctrinal Statement: Theology Proper, by Jason Button

[14] 100 Names of Jesus, by Ralph Andrus, Calvary Baptist Church

[15] What We Believe and Why We Believe It Concerning God 4, by Richard E. Rutherford Jr

[16] The Immensity of God, by Wayne Gropp

[17] Some Things God Cannot Do, by Kenneth W. Burton

Note: This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials.