by Robert J. Kurz, M.A. Counseling

The word of God is immutable, which simply means “Incapable of being changed.” Incapable, of course, really means something cannot be done. It doesn’t matter how hard someone tries to change an immutable law, it is impossible to do. In Hebrews chapter 6 we read that God determined to show the heirs of promise (Abraham’s seed) the immutability of His counsel, and that He confirmed it by two immutable things – His promise and the oath He swore on Himself concerning His promise. In verse 18 of that chapter, the writer states emphatically that God cannot lie. So, because God cannot, and will not lie, we can trust His promises completely. Every word God has ever spoken is immutable – incapable of being changed. In Malachi 3:6 we read, “I am the Lord, I change not.” In Psalm 119:89 David states, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.”

The laws of God are like the laws of physics. They always operate in a certain way. They will never change. Perhaps, the best known law of physics is the law of gravity. It says that anything heavier than air will fall. If you jump off the roof of your house, you can expect to fall to the ground every time. The only way you can change the law of gravity is - don’t jump. But the law hasn’t really changed, you just have not participated. In a similar way, you can alter the immutable laws of God by refusing to participate. His laws never change, but sometimes you are not affected by them. The most common reason people do not participate in the immutable promises of God is unbelief. We cannot experience the true benefits of God’s laws unless we believe them. Let’s examine one of the greatest of God’s promises to see why this is true.

In Romans 8 we read that, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That is an immutable promise. It is incapable of being changed. In his narrative, Paul lists everything imaginable to prove his point. He talks about things from the past, things in the present, things in the future, things in this world, things in the spirit world, things that are high or low, or any other created thing as being incapable of separating us from the love of God. The only thing he does not list is “us.” We are capable of separating ourselves from God’s love. He will not stop loving us, but we can refuse to participate in His love. We can refuse to accept His unconditional love for us. Sometimes we do this because we do not feel worthy, or we feel our sins are too terrible for God to forgive. At times, we trust our feelings and emotions more than we trust the immutable word of God. How can we think that our feelings could ever be more reliable than the eternal promises of God? He cannot lie. His word will always be true. We can trust Him in every situation or circumstance. Remember, God is committed to His word. He has made a promise, and sworn an oath that He will never change His mind about His love for us. Don’t miss this immutable promise by refusing to participate!