Before you read this I want you to take a moment to be silent.
Did you do it?
In the time that you were silent you changed. You are now a few seconds older than you were. You breathed a few more breaths that you will never get back. We live in a world of change, constant change. In fact, the only thing that is constant in this world is change. I’m not sure your or I could envision a world where everything stays the same.
This is why the immutability of God blows my mind. God does not change. In those few seconds when you were silent, silently changing, God remained the same. He has always been as He is and will always be as He is.
In Malachi God declares,
For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.
God does not change. This is a declarative and definitive statement from God. God does not change. And this is of utmost importance. If God did change He would cease to be faithful to the children of Jacob. If He did change then they would be consumed. He would not keep the covenant, the promise, He made to Israel, the children of Jacob.
God is immutable which means He does not change. When God makes a promise even when His people are not faithful He will keep His promise.
James said there is no variation or shadow due to change in God. He is constant. What you see is what you get because He never changes.
Why does this matter for you, Christian? God is the author of salvation and salvation belongs to Him (Jonah 2:9). Our salvation is a gracious work of God. He takes our heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh. He changes our affections and desires so that we value Him as our supreme treasure. If God saves me and He does not change in His character and work then we know we will never lose our salvation because God does not change.
If God changed, if He was becoming rather than pure being, then we would not be able to take any comfort in our salvation. But praise God He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Once saved we are always saved because God does not change.