Some have asked the question, “Does God change His mind?”, or, “Does God repent?”

This question stems from verses in scripture that state things like, “…it repented the Lord that He made man…” This type of phraseology is simply man’s way of describing the actions taken by an unchanging God.

God does not change his mind.

“I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” Malachi 3:6

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19

God is unchanging. He has established rules of justice and mercy. Justice will demand the penalty of sin, and mercy will lift it. It is the actions of man that choose which will be meted out.

When God appeared to, “change his mind”, he was actually just delivering on his unchanging promises according to the actions taken by men. When they transgressed, he set justice in motion, and when they repented, he extended mercy.

Related Posts

1. The Seven Redemptive Names of God in Psalm 23
2. Quoted: Johannes Kepler on the Glory of God
3. Navigating Change
4. Does God Make Us, or Do We?
5. Mind Games