Text: James 1:17 “Every Good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Introduction:
We live in a changing world. Some analysts predict that the fifty years between 1970 and 2030 will experience the change equivalent to that of the past 500 years! People change. Technology changes. Governments rise and fall. Prices change. You can head to work in the morning and by the time you head home, the gas prices can jump several cents. All around us we see changes. Some are for the better, and some are for the worse. Each of us are changing. As we grow older, our bodies change. Our thinking changes. Some of our opinions change. Our tastes for food changes. Children who hate broccoli may not be able to get enough of it when they are teenagers. All these things involve change. Changes are important to every part of our lives.
According to our text that we just read, there is One Who never changes. There is no “variableness, neither shadow of turning” with God. Why does God never change? God cannot change for the better because He is absolutely perfect. He cannot change for the worse, or He would not be absolutely perfect. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Let us look at some of the attributes of God, which exhibit his unchangeableness. We cannot fully understand all that there is to know about God. We can only study the things that God has revealed to us about Himself. There may be attributes of God that He chooses not to reveal to us until we meet Him in glory. We can, however, try to grasp the concepts of the truths that He has revealed to us about Himself.
I. God is unchanging in His Unity.
The unity of God describes the fact that there is only one God. He exists alone as the only God, and there are no other deities that exit.
(Isaiah 45:21-22) “There is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”
(Deuteronomy 6:4) “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” The word LORD here is the word “Yahweh” or “Jehovah” meaning the “Self-existent and eternal One.”
(Deuteronomy 4:35) Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. (KJV)
Ps 76:10 “For thou art great, and doest wondrous things; thou are God alone.”
I Cor. 8:4, “There is none other God but one.”
Eph. 4:6 “One God and father of all.”
I Cor. 8:6 “But to us there is but one God.”
The main cause of idolatry and paganism is the false notion that there is more that one God. When a
culture adopts more than the one true God, paganism and iniquity abound and that culture finds itself on the highway to destruction.
II. God is unchanging eternal existence.
(Psalms 90:2) Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. (KJV)
(Psalms 102:24-27) I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. (KJV)
(Isaiah 57:15) For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. (KJV)
(Deuteronomy 33:27) The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. (KJV)
(Psalms 106:48) Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD. (KJV)
The passages we just read abundantly display the fact that the Almighty God is eternal. It is overwhelming to think about what this really means. Everything around us had a beginning: the earth, the sea, animals, human beings, even angels. God had no beginning. There was never a time when God did not exist. Our minds nearly short circuit trying to comprehend this fact. As far as we can comprehend is only a second compared to God’s eternal past existence. Looking into the future as far as the imagination can wander does not touch the surface of God’s eternal existence yet to be. There will never be a time when God ceases to exist. He is unchanging in His eternal existence.
Logic agrees with the fact that God has always existed. Had He not existed eternally in the past, it would have been impossible for Him to take up existence. There would have been no cause to bring it about and there can never be an effect without a cause. For anything to exist today, something or Someone would have to be eternal to be the cause of all that exists today.
III. God is unchanging in His omnipresence.
God’s attribute of omnipresence simply means that He is present everywhere at all times. Let us observe a few passages of Scripture that point out this fact.
(Psalms 139:7-10) Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
(Proverbs 15:3) The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
(Jeremiah 23:24) Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
The presence of God is not only everywhere on earth but also in the entire universe. He is not limited by time or space as we are. The fact that God is everywhere present is a comfort to those who serve Him. He has promised His guidance and protection to those who love Him. Nothing will happen to His children un-noticed by God.
His presence is not a comfort to the sinner. A sinner who realizes that God is watching and present at all times does not find comfort in that fact.
Ps. 46:1 tells us “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Conclusion:
We have looked at some of the attributes describing who God is. How do we apply these truths to our daily living? What conclusions can we draw from what we have studied?
1. There is only one God.
No other God exists other than the God of the Bible. Any religion that worships another god is false. We as Christians must remember this when we form our world view concerning issues facing our nation today. Buddha did not bring our nation into existence. The Pilgrims did not risk their lives to come here an worship Allah. The only reason we are free as a nation today is because we were founded for the purpose of glorifying the one true God.
2. God is eternal.
We need not fear that tomorrow we will wake up to find out that God has died. He exists eternally in the past and the future. He is not limited by time and space. He is the unchanging God. Because He is unchanging we can depend upon Him to be the same yesterday, today, and forever.
3. God is omnipresent.
There is no place on earth or in the universe that we can hide from the Almighty God. He sees all things and He pays attention to detail. He knows the number of hairs on your head. He knows how many cells you have in your body. He is always there beside you desiring to help you through the valleys of your life. If you are one of His children, you have all of the promises of the Bible
to stand upon, and He is right there waiting to fulfill them. If you are not one of His children, He sees every sin in your heart. He despises that sin. He is angry with the way you have broken His holy law, but He is waiting with open arms for you to ask for forgiveness. He is ready to save you if you are lost.
What a wonderful God we have. He is infinite. There is no way to comprehend His Greatness.
Bibliography:
Leslie D. Wilcox, Profiles in Wesleyan Theology, vol. 1, Schmul Publishing Co., Inc., 1983.
