Does God Change?

Welcome to Christian AnarchySomeone who follows Christ as their only authority—rejecting institutional control over their spiritual life.. Today, our camera people are too lazy to move the camera in my direction, so I have to make it inconvenient. I'm Ethan Foster, here with Sean McCraney and Steve Utley. We’re discussing whether God changes, just like the camera angles in this room. Does He change, y'all?

Does God Change His Characteristics?

No, you say no. All right, I would say, but change how? How do you want to? Ah, yeah, yeah, because that's important. But change how, okay? Well, first, let's just get to the basics. Does He change His wig?

The Unchanging Nature of God's Love

Is His wig something He would change? No, He would never change that. He keeps the same wig, yes. Okay, I just want to make sure. I think we’re off to a hot start today. I think God doesn't change His characteristics. Is that how you would limit it? That's kind of what I was talking about, yeah. Like, He doesn't change His love for us. He doesn't change His characteristics. Yeah, are you sure about that? I think so. Oh, here it comes. I'm pretty sure. I don't see why not. So, would it be because what did Jesus say about God? He said God is spirit, right? Yep. So, when Jesus was made flesh, don’t we say that's God with us? Yeah, but I don't think that's a characteristic change.

Spiritual Traits vs. Physical Traits

When I talk about characteristics, it’s about love, mercy, kindness, justice, like spiritual traits. Yeah, yeah. Now, in terms of a physical trait, that's why I said characteristics in terms of His character. Now, in terms of the essence of God, really, if we’re going to take your view of it, then sure, God changes, but it always stays one God. It’s limited to the one God. I was kind of taking it as does God change, I mean like is He changing currently, not like has He ever changed, ever. Has He ever changed?

Has God Ever Changed?

Well, in the physical things we’re just talking about, well in those things, yeah, but in traits like spiritual traits, uh, no. Is He learning? No, He knows everything. Yes. Okay, just curious. Yeah, all right. He’s learning, He does something, He’s not, He doesn't change. Does He ever change His mind? Ooh, I think He does. Yeah, yeah.

The Mystery of God Changing His Mind

How does that work? I was going to ask. Yeah, it’s interesting. Yeah, it's a very interesting dynamic in the Bible because when God is talking, right? Take the whole example with Moses, right? Moses is like, well God, I can barely even—I can't talk. I forgot his exact speech but something like I'm slow of speech. Yeah, slow of speech. So, and God's getting mad. He’s like, Moses, you need to do this. And it's like, well, Sem—I believe it was his brother, right?

Biblical Examples of God Changing His Mind

Aaron. Yeah, Aaron. Man, I need to go back to Bible school. But no, so He sends Aaron. God’s like, all right, I'll do this. We'll meet halfway at this point. How many times in the Old Testament does God say I'm going to destroy those people and someone intercedes and says please don’t, please don’t, and He goes, okay, I won't? Yeah, yeah, so what’s gonna happen in Numbers, too? Yeah, it happened. It was all over the place. And the way it's phrased in the Old Testament is that God repented. He repented, which means changed His mind.

The Paradox of an Omniscient God Making Changes

So how does a being who knows all things, who's omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, change His mind? Him knowing everything does not preclude Him from the ability to change His mind, I would say. Okay. I don't know. It’s a mystery, man. It’s a tough question. It's hard. Yeah, this is a hard question. I mean because why do we pray, right? Please save—I'm going to kill your child—please don’t, please don’t. Okay, I won’t. Right, that’s a good point. I don't get it. Yeah, that is a good point. That's what I would say.

Of course, I used to hold the evangelical view that, oh, God never changes His mind, it's set in stone, right? Then an atheist would ask that question. Oh my God.

Reflections on Prayer and the Nature of God

Understanding Prayer

I recently read a YouTube comment that made me pause. An atheist asked, "Why do you pray?" In response, someone mentioned that God wants to hear our perspective. I found myself questioning the validity of this notion. To me, prayer isn't a wish list; it's more about seeking strength, asking for help, or praying for someone's healing. But if everything is already set in stone, what’s the point of praying for something specific?

The Nature of Divine Change

It sparked a thought: if God can change things in the moment while knowing everything in advance, what's the process behind that? We can't fully understand it since we lack foreknowledge. The tension between God's unchanging nature and His ability to change the course of events is intriguing. Some might argue God does change, but scripture quotes that He doesn't change. It seems to depend on one's perspective.

God's Immutable Characteristics

So, what aspects of God remain unchanged? His spiritual characteristics like love, peace, joy, and kindness are constants we can trust. However, His mind, for lack of a better term, might change.

Exploring Divine Wrath and Change

This brings up an interesting question concerning God's wrath. Historically, the apostles warned about the wrath of God, yet Christ has paid for the sins of the world. Did God's mood change post-redemption? Some say God is not wrath but love itself, capable of wrath but not defined by it. The cessation of wrath isn't necessarily a change in His nature but perhaps a change of mind, as the circumstances requiring wrath have evolved. As long as He retains the capacity for wrath, it's not a change in who He is.

Closing Thoughts

In conclusion, while God's ability to feel wrath remains, the need to express that wrath has diminished. His unchanging nature may coexist with the dynamic ways He interacts with the world. With all these considerations, we circle back to the mystery and depth of divine constancy versus change.

Preview of Next Week: Controversial Topics

Join us next week as we tackle the provocative topic of whether God holds hatred. A note to my managers watching, please remember, I’m just the messenger here, not a provocateur!