Immutability of God

Definition and Meaning

The immutability of God is the doctrine that God does not change in his being, attributes, will, or promises. It is one of the attributes of God and is treated in the doctrine of God alongside the eternity of God and the simplicity of God. In this context, saying that God "does not change" does not mean that he is motionless or inactive. Rather, it is understood to mean that God neither improves nor diminishes and that he remains ever faithful to his own character and promises.

Biblical and Historical Background

The following passages are commonly cited as representative texts:

• Malachi 3:6: "For I am the LORD, I change not"
• James 1:17: "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning"
• Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever"
• Hebrews 1:10–12: a passage quoting Psalm 102

Scripture also contains language describing God as relenting or changing his mind (Genesis 6:6; Jonah 3:10). On the basis of passages such as 1 Samuel 15:29, traditional theology has interpreted such expressions as describing, in human terms, the way God responds to people.

Augustine and other Church Fathers, together with medieval theologians, systematized this doctrine, and it was carried forward into Protestant confessions after the Reformation. Chapter 2 of the Westminster Confession of Faith confesses God to be "immutable." Likewise, Question 4 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism teaches that God is "unchangeable" in his being and attributes.

Since the twentieth century, the doctrine has faced criticism. Process theology and open theism hold that God changes in his relationship with the world or leaves the future open. Jürgen Moltmann and others, emphasizing the God who suffers on the cross, reopened the question of impassibility (the doctrine that God does not undergo suffering), which is closely related to immutability. Proponents of the traditional position respond that such views undermine the sovereignty of God and the certainty of his promises.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean churches, this doctrine finds expression chiefly in sermons and hymns that confess "the unchanging God" and "the faithful God." Hebrews 13:8 is frequently used as a text for New Year's Eve watch-night services and New Year sermons.

Denominations show little disagreement on the point that God does not change, but their emphases differ.

• Presbyterian churches: Following the Calvinist tradition, they teach this doctrine through instruction in the Shorter Catechism and connect it with the unchangeableness of God's decrees and predestination.
• Methodist, Holiness, and similar churches: These churches stand in the traditions of Wesleyan theology and Arminianism. While confessing that God's character and promises do not change, they also tend to emphasize that God responds to human repentance and faith.

In Korean theological circles, open theism has mainly been introduced and critiqued rather than embraced.