Attributes of God – Unchanging

The talk addresses an important divine attribute which is that God is unchangeable. The speaker relies on texts like Hebrews (“He is the same yesterday, today, and forever”) and the Epistle of James (“with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning”) to confirm the constancy of God’s nature.

Meaning of unchangeability
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that God’s unchangeability does not mean that events or responses do not differ, but rather that the creature changes. Thus God’s response appears different according to the state of the human: in the state of sin God manifests justice, and in the state of repentance God manifests mercy and compassion.

Illustrative examples
He mentions the example of the city of Nineveh: God did not change, but Nineveh changed so instead of destroying it God turned away with compassion because He saw their repentance. He also uses the image of a mirror to explain the idea: the mirror does not change, but the person’s image in it changes when the person alters his appearance.

Spiritual conclusion
The message is clear: we must realize that God is steadfast in His attributes and that our change is what alters how He meets us. Repentance is the means to reveal God’s mercy, and sin places us under the judgment of His justice; God acts fittingly to His holiness with the possibility of showing mercy when we repent.

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