God and His Attributes

The Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning – James 1:17

The only thing constant in this world is change. Fashions change; people change; governments change; even the earth’s topography changes over time.

But God does not change; he is immutable. Although he is a person, he reminds us that he is not a human and therefore does not change his mind as humans do (Numbers 23:19).

It is this unique attribute of God that inspired David to compare God to a rock (mountain); he is stable, solid, reliable, firm, immovable. David asks the rhetorical question, “Who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?” (2 Samuel 22:32).

It is also this remarkable, eternally-the-same nature of God which God himself showcases in the proper name by which he describes himself to Moses: “I am that I am” (Exodus 3:14). God has always been, is now, and will always be the same. Therefore he is the great “I AM” — not “I was” or “I will be”, but from eternity past to eternity future, God says, “I AM”.

James points us to this invariableness of God in order to comfort and encourage us. The God who never changes will always make good on his promises. Nothing will get in his way, he will never need to reconsider.

This includes the wonderful work of salvation that he has begun in you, believer! He that has begun a good work in you will continue it to the end (Philippians 1:6).