On the Immutability and Impassibility Ascribed to God
December 6, 2023
How is God Immutable?
Immutable means “unchanging over time or unable to be changed.” Orthodox Christian theology states that God is immutable. I think the idea is intended as a good thing in that God Is infinite and perfect and will not or cannot change from that. However, if we say that He cannot change, we are imposing an external condition on God. We cannot do that. He is sovereign and, if He wished to change something about Himself, like changing His mind for example, who are we to say that He cannot. Indeed, there are multiple of instances in scripture where it says God changed His mind (Ex. 32:14, Jer. 18:8, 26:13, 26:13, 26:19, Amos 7:3, 7:6, Jonah 3:10, and more). We humans have the right as independent beings to change our minds, and we often do. Does God have a lesser right than we?
If we take the definition that His immutability means God will not change, we have already shown from scripture that He willfully did change His mind, so that leaves us with the question, “What does the immutability of God actually mean?” I think it has to mean that the other perfections ascribed to God (His character including love, grace, mercy, goodness, justice, compassion, justice, longsuffering, etc.), holiness, righteousness, omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience are all unchangeable. Praise God!
What immutability must not mean or does not apply to is what God does. He will always do what is consistent with His perfections, but, as an independent, sovereign being, He can make choices on what to do, say, or think. The moment He does something, says something, or thinks something He has changed. Scripture is filled with His creation of and interaction with this world and mankind. But, the most obvious way God changed is in Jesus Christ (who was fully God and fully man) coming to earth, taking on the form of a man, and enduring the suffering and death of crucifixion – even displaying His changed (pierced) hands and feet to a doubting Thomas. In light of God the Son’s considerable change, how could anyone accurately state that God does not change in any way?
Is God Impassible?
Impassible means “incapable of suffering or feeling pain.” Like immutability above, it is orthodox Christian theology that states God is impassible. To me, nothing could be further from the truth. Again, the obvious, vivid example is God the Son’s suffering and death on the cross to pay for all the sins of mankind and satisfy God’s justice that all sin must be punished. We look to the cross and understand the selfless, loving, suffering servant taking our punishment upon Himself, and it is only meaningful because we all understand pain and suffering. God demonstrated His own principle of the greatest love possible by suffering and dying to save others – us. If you argue that it was only God the Son who suffered, not God the Father, then you misunderstand the Trinity. God is one being. He has manifested Himself to us in three ways – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But, as one being, when the Son suffered, it meant the Father suffered – God suffered. If God the Son did not suffer, then the cross had no meaning and our faith has no meaning.
I think those who argue for God’s impassibility get it from their misunderstanding of God’s immutability. If God can experience suffering, then they argue God experienced a change. So, their error in my view is in misunderstanding what God’s immutability means – as I pointed out above.
“Oh, God, thank You that You were willing to endure the extensive level of suffering You took on yourself to pay for the sins of all of us for all time. Amazing love, how can it be that Thou my God would die for me! And You did not have to do it, You chose to do it out of your great love for us! Thank You, thank You, thank You!!! Amen”
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