In the context of this matter, we need to remember that God is not temporal, but eternal, while we are temporal. The whole tapestry of space and time is immediately present to Him. The name which He chose for Moses to identify Him when convincing the chosen people that the call to come out of Egypt was authentic, YHWH (I am that I am), is barely comprehensible to us because we are totally enmeshed in time. The same semantic problem applies to the opening passage of the Gospel of John. The verb for translated "was"(ην) in John 1:1 is not a simple past tense. A better, but far more unwieldy translation would go "In the beginning, the Word 'was already being'. And the Word 'was already being' with God. And the Word 'was already being' God. His existence is prior to time, and, therefore, independent of time. He is Alpha & Omega, the beginning and the end. The whole history of the universe is at once 'visible' to Him, yet He relates to us within the stream (as we experience it) of time. This difference between mankind and God is also why it is so hard to reconcile the concept of 'free will' with predestination.
To be honest, to "repent" or "regret" what you did does not necessarily mean you made a mistake, but it means (in a divine sense) a contradiction. How can you regret a decision even emotionally if you already had it's consequences laid out before you in time?
Use the word "withdrew" to replace repent. When it is spoken of us in the Bible, we repent of our ways while god if we are obedient and return/repent, repents of evil/plagues/horrors that he sets upon us.
Really? 6 minutes to say, "God didn't like that he allowed the extreme sinful condition man got himself into." ....then he flooded the earth to rectify it.
@@HearGodsWord nah, you can worship a god of confusion, but I worship God. *Colossians 2:8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.*
A very difficult subject to address-I have a GREAT respect and admiration for Sinclair Ferguson but I don’t think his explanation satisfied the question.
I have struggled with this question too and have come to a satisfying answer that I would like to share with you and anyone reading. There are many passages in the old testamemt where God ammends his plan for humanity in response to human action. That's not because he lacks forsight but rather because we have free will. We live in a non deterministic universe which means God has to accomadate us when things go awry. It's his way of giving a second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth chance. This is why he relents of the disaster he promised to unleash on nineveh in the book of Jonah and why he relents of his planned disaster in Exodus 32 when Moses intercedes for Israel. It may seem messy, but the reason it's messy is because humans are messy, so the solution to human condition is necessarily a messy one. God of course for sees all of this and knows we will break his covenant but still makes a covenant any ways. That raises the question of why he would do such a thing which I think Paul answers in galatians 4. God creates a covenant he knows we can't keep so that we can be convicted of our guilt and so he can judge us rightfully When the Biblical writers express this fact, they are not as concerned with theological accuracy as we are. They don't walk on egg shells like we do when we talk about God. If they want to express a complex idea they do so simply and frankly, so when Genesis 6:6 says God "regretted" it's important to note the word being used. The word is nacash iirc which is rendered as metanoaia in the greek. It has a wide semantic range as most hebrew words do, but most often means to grieve or change one's mind. In other words, to literally reorientate your whole view about the world. To change the course of your life. That's why it used in the context of repentance. However that's what it means in relation to humans. Given that God is unchanging it means that God is ammending his covenant or his relation to humans as feguson says. Instead of blessing humans as he did before, he has become their judge because of their perversness and wickedness. He feels nachash as a result of creating humans because they have deviated from the intention God had for them. So God is grieved from making man kind because they are not fulfilling the intention he had for them. The biblical writers describe this situation frankly by saying God regretted because taking a long windy digression into the nuances of God's nature would spoil the narrative.
Hawayu Ligonier Ministries *& I Say Thanks 🙏 2 Pst. Sinclair Ferguson 4 Answering This Powerful, Blessful, Deep Question That "What Does Genesis 6:6 Mean When It Says That God Repented ?" Where I Say That Pst. Sinclair Ferguson Has Answered Genesis 6:6 Greatly When It Says That God Repented & When Even God's Word Says In Malachi 3:6 Says That Our Great Almighty God Never Changes 4 Jesus Christ Is The Same Yesterday, & Today, & Forever 4 Our Great Almighty God Is God of Abraham, God of Isaac & God of Jacob Written In Hebrews 13:8 & Matthew 22:32 Where Jesus Christ Is The Same Yesterday, & Today, & Forever 4 I Have Been Blessed Pst. Sinclair Ferguson* & God Bless Yu Pst. Sinclair Ferguson & Ligonier Ministries So Veryyyyyy, Veryyyyyy Much.🙏🙏🕊️🕊️
Isn't it a mercy for God to relent as He did when Moses pled on behalf of the Israelites for God not to destroy them? So God relenting or changing His mind is a mercy which, in itself does not change God's character, but exhibits one of His attributes as a merciful God.
I'm not sure anyone can give a satisfactory answer to this. I'm going to trust God that He is good and honest and that he is unchanging but confess that I don't understand what it means for God to repent.
I think this issue is more simple than people are making it out to be. You can regret the consequences of a thing without regretting the thing itself. For instance, a parent can regret having to discipline their child and so inflict suffering upon them, but that doesn't mean they regret the act of disciplining itself because they wouldn't have done it in the first place if that were true. In this case, they might say "It's regretful that it had to come to this." Likewise, God is regretting the evil humans have unleashed upon themselves and the world as a result of God making them, but he is not regretting the act of creation itself. As Genesis 6 makes clear, God is regretful BECAUSE of the evil humanity has unleashed.
@@Taytimethursday - Yes, it made Him sad. I'm sure it also made Him sad to see His Son on the Cross, yet it became the most triumphant moment for Jesus Christ in all of history. Just because something makes us sad does not mean it's wrong. The same is true for God. While it may make God sad that He made Man, I'm sure He does not regret it. I've had 11 months to think about this matter. Blessings to you.
We cannot place our human emotions On God We repent because we sin God cannot sin God repented means something else Accept what it says and move on When we get to heaven we will know
I think we should be careful to adapt an attitude of "accept and move on, we'll know in heaven", if there is something in scripture that seemingly contradicts what we have previously thought to be the truth, we must strive to understand it - not bending the Word to fit with our thoughts, but molding our thoughts to what scripture teaches. To move on too quickly opens us to err by believing things we think to be true, whilst ignoring passages of scripture that teaches against that. This is the very root danger of heresy. Of course God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours and there are certain divine mysteries which will only be revealed to us in eternity, but I think we must be careful to label things as such too quickly, rather than be faithful in thinking, reading and discussion to come to the truth. God be with you brother/sister.
@@chrisdutoit4563 there are some of us who refuse to accept what the Holy Scriptures teaches when the Holy Scriptures clearly had it written. There are people not believing Jesus is God when Holy Scriptures clearly teaches so. There are some still waiting for the Messiah when Holy Scriptures teaches The Messiah has come and is COMING AGAIN. Man will believe what he will. What Jesus Christ says is so is so because He says so and it is written. May the Lord enlighten your eyes Bro Evangelist RM of Chick- Fil-A fave
I think Immutablity is isegeted on the text. God's character doesn't change, but he is a personage. Classical theism requires God to be Immutable, but why should I as a Christian care what Greek philosophy says.
5:47 AND YET NO CONCLUSION OF MASSIVE SCRIPTURE PASSAGES FROM THE KJV, BUT A VAGUE MALACHI SCRIPTURE, EVEN THE CONDEMNED SALT LAKE CITY CULT KNOW ABOUT....
You must face the truth but you don't have the courage or as we say in the streets the GUTS. Your honor may I please call common sense to the witness stand. Judge: You may. Me: Could you state your name for the court. Sure MY name is common sense. Thank you Mr. Sense. Common sense testified that God was furious with the people He created. Why? They didn't listen to Him. God had a choice, He could constantly rebuke them and punish them or option B WIPE THEM OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. He chose B. We have been useless to God ever since. Did God love the people that He wiped off the face of the earth. Ah, no you don't perform a genocide on the ones YOU LOVE. We all have a serious problem with God. HE CAN'T STAND US. Did Jesus ever say "No one can come to the Father except thru me. Yes He did. If God loved us there would be need for Jesus. If God loved us, He wouldn't have performed a Genocide on us. Ring ring goes the bell time to wake up. It's a dreadful thing...... your salvation is not free. You must earn it. 1: repent 2: forgive 3: feed the hungry. You never ever want Jesus to say to you when I was hungry you turned me away. Your "born again" card will be turned down. Your once saved always saved sticker will be removed. Lastly, you will be placed among the goats. I don't have to tell you the rest, you know.
I don’t see an issue of change. I see God made a decision and beheld a people going to hell in a hurry save Noah and family. If it took Noah 80 years to build the Ark - the people had no respect or Reverence for God - a flood will come. Disobedience resulted in death all but the animals and Noah’s family. It is Judgment by a Just God.
The problem is that the Bible repeatedly SAYS that God is immutable, but it SHOWS that God in fact changes. So Christians try to explain away this contradiction. But apart from God's repenting - which rather shows not God's mutability but his ignorance of the future - the very fact that God has become man, and this man is now in the Heaven with his resurrected body clearly refutes God's immutability. According to Christianity the second divine person (God's Logos) had no human body before the creation. Now it has one. God has changed.
No your problem is you have no understanding of these matters as you are unregenerate and have no spiritual faculty. You don’t even comprehend that you can’t think rightly about these matters, why do you think you have to traverse to a Christian site to speak to these matters constantly? The immutability of God (His quality of not changing) is clearly taught throughout Scripture. For example, in Malachi 3:6 God affirms, "I the Lord do not change." (See also Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Isaiah 46:9-11; and Ezekiel 24:14.) James 1:17 also teaches the immutability of God: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning.” The “shadow of turning” refers to our perspective on the sun: it is eclipsed it moves and it casts its shadow. The sun rises and sets, appears and disappears every day; it comes out of one tropic and enters into another at certain seasons of the year. But with God, who, spiritually speaking, is light itself, there is no darkness at all; there is no change with Him, nor anything like it. God is unchangeable in His nature, perfections, purposes, promises, and gifts. He, being holy, cannot turn to that which is evil; nor can He, who is the fountain of light, be the cause of darkness. Since every good and perfect gift comes from Him, evil cannot proceed from Him, nor can He tempt any to it (James 1:13). The Bible is clear that God does not change His mind, His will, or His nature. There are several logical reasons why God must be immutable, that is, why it is impossible for God to change. First, if anything changes, it must do so in some chronological order. There must be a point in time before the change and a point in time after the change. Therefore, for change to take place it must happen within the constraints of time; however, God is eternal and exists outside of the constraints of time (Psalm 33:11; 41:13; 90:2-4; John 17:5; 2 Timothy 1:9). Second, the immutability of God is necessary for His perfection. If anything changes, it must change for the better or the worse, because a change that makes no difference is not a change. For change to take place, either something that is needed is added, which is a change for the better; or something that is needed is lost, which is a change for the worse. But, since God is perfect, He does not need anything. Therefore, He cannot change for the better. If God were to lose something, He would no longer be perfect; therefore, He cannot change for the worse. Third, the immutability of God is related to His omniscience. When someone changes his/her mind, it is often because new information has come to light that was not previously known or because the circumstances have changed and require a different attitude or action. Because God is omniscient, He cannot learn something new that He did not already know. So, when the Bible speaks of God changing His mind, it must be understood that the circumstance or situation has changed, not God. When Exodus 32:14 and 1 Samuel 15:11-29 speak of God changing His mind, it is simply describing a change of dispensation and outward dealings toward man. Numbers 23:19 clearly presents the immutability of God: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” No, God does not change His mind. These verses affirm the doctrine of God’s immutability: He is unchanging and unchangeable. As to your analogy of the trinity God hasn’t changed ) as Each member of the Trinity is God. The Father is God (John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2). The Son is God (John 1:1, 14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16). There is subordination within the Trinity. Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and the Son, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. This is an internal relationship and does not deny the deity of any Person of the Trinity. The individual members of the Trinity have different tasks. The Father is the ultimate source or cause of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11); divine revelation (Revelation 1:1); salvation (John 3:16-17); and Jesus’ human works (John 5:17; 14:10). The Father initiates all of these things. The Son is the agent through whom the Father does the following works: the creation and maintenance of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17); divine revelation (John 1:1, 16:12-15; Matthew 11:27; Revelation 1:1); and salvation (2 Corinthians 5:19; Matthew 1:21; John 4:42). The Father does all these things through the Son, who functions as His agent. The Holy Spirit is the means by whom the Father does the following works: creation and maintenance of the universe (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 104:30); divine revelation (John 16:12-15; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21); salvation (John 3:6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2); and Jesus’ works (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38). Thus, the Father does all these things by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not parts of God; each of them is God. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God-but there is only one God. That is the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.
@@robmarshall956 Your problem is that you cannot use your mind properly since you are a Christian believer. You wrote a little novel only you did not address the one point I raised. Obviously due to the fact that you cannot explain it away.
@@pannonia77 - I do not know the Nicene Creed but I could look it up on the internet. I cannot look it up in my Bible. It's not there. I am not most Christians. I am one Christian. I am not addressing your grammar. I am addressing your terms and their meanings. "Christianity" (from an earthly perspective) is a vast collection of belief systems with many conflicting ideas. When you say, "according to Christianity" I have no idea what you are talking about. I suggest you speak to me directly and perhaps ask me what I believe. I'll get you started - I believe the Bible. There are many, many ideas and practices in many Christian sects that I disagree with and often strongly. As for God's immutability, The Bible says so and I believe it, even though I don't understand it. God is said to have repented of making Man in Genesis 6. In Exodus God repented that He had saved Israel from Egypt. In Jonah, God repented of destroying the Ninevites. These things confuse me and I don't have a good answer for you but I still trust God and His Word.
The SCRIPTURES says the whole world is under the Wrath of God. Yet when the sinner REPENTS God shows mercy through Jesus Christ by faith alone.
That sounded so calvanist . Norñt originally coming from you but throyour relegios teaching . Be original.
Sinclair Ferguson did an excellent job in the clarification of the Scripture addressed. Praise God (Christ).
God doesn’t take another character, he continues to be what he has promised. Good discussion!
In the context of this matter, we need to remember that God is not temporal, but eternal, while we are temporal. The whole tapestry of space and time is immediately present to Him. The name which He chose for Moses to identify Him when convincing the chosen people that the call to come out of Egypt was authentic, YHWH (I am that I am), is barely comprehensible to us because we are totally enmeshed in time. The same semantic problem applies to the opening passage of the Gospel of John. The verb for translated "was"(ην) in John 1:1 is not a simple past tense. A better, but far more unwieldy translation would go "In the beginning, the Word 'was already being'. And the Word 'was already being' with God. And the Word 'was already being' God. His existence is prior to time, and, therefore, independent of time.
He is Alpha & Omega, the beginning and the end. The whole history of the universe is at once 'visible' to Him, yet He relates to us within the stream (as we experience it) of time. This difference between mankind and God is also why it is so hard to reconcile the concept of 'free will' with predestination.
To be honest, to "repent" or "regret" what you did does not necessarily mean you made a mistake, but it means (in a divine sense) a contradiction. How can you regret a decision even emotionally if you already had it's consequences laid out before you in time?
Thank you for clarifying passages such as these that can so easily tangle us up in their language.
Use the word "withdrew" to replace repent. When it is spoken of us in the Bible, we repent of our ways while god if we are obedient and return/repent, repents of evil/plagues/horrors that he sets upon us.
@@eyesofitachi55 I like the idea. Withdrew. Certainly not "stuck it in forcefully". Definitely not forceful sticking and then withdrew on repeat!
Thank you Dr. Ferguson. I struggled with this too.
It's good to hear sean connery coming to christ
This is probably the best explanation of this I’ve ever heard.
Really? 6 minutes to say, "God didn't like that he allowed the extreme sinful condition man got himself into." ....then he flooded the earth to rectify it.
@@HearGodsWord ah, yes, lots of extra words.... brilliant
@@HearGodsWord nah, you can worship a god of confusion, but I worship God.
*Colossians 2:8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.*
A very difficult subject to address-I have a GREAT respect and admiration for Sinclair Ferguson but I don’t think his explanation satisfied the question.
I have struggled with this question too and have come to a satisfying answer that I would like to share with you and anyone reading. There are many passages in the old testamemt where God ammends his plan for humanity in response to human action. That's not because he lacks forsight but rather because we have free will. We live in a non deterministic universe which means God has to accomadate us when things go awry. It's his way of giving a second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth chance. This is why he relents of the disaster he promised to unleash on nineveh in the book of Jonah and why he relents of his planned disaster in Exodus 32 when Moses intercedes for Israel. It may seem messy, but the reason it's messy is because humans are messy, so the solution to human condition is necessarily a messy one. God of course for sees all of this and knows we will break his covenant but still makes a covenant any ways. That raises the question of why he would do such a thing which I think Paul answers in galatians 4. God creates a covenant he knows we can't keep so that we can be convicted of our guilt and so he can judge us rightfully
When the Biblical writers express this fact, they are not as concerned with theological accuracy as we are. They don't walk on egg shells like we do when we talk about God. If they want to express a complex idea they do so simply and frankly, so when Genesis 6:6 says God "regretted" it's important to note the word being used. The word is nacash iirc which is rendered as metanoaia in the greek. It has a wide semantic range as most hebrew words do, but most often means to grieve or change one's mind. In other words, to literally reorientate your whole view about the world. To change the course of your life. That's why it used in the context of repentance. However that's what it means in relation to humans. Given that God is unchanging it means that God is ammending his covenant or his relation to humans as feguson says. Instead of blessing humans as he did before, he has become their judge because of their perversness and wickedness. He feels nachash as a result of creating humans because they have deviated from the intention God had for them. So God is grieved from making man kind because they are not fulfilling the intention he had for them. The biblical writers describe this situation frankly by saying God regretted because taking a long windy digression into the nuances of God's nature would spoil the narrative.
Hawayu Ligonier Ministries *& I Say Thanks 🙏 2 Pst. Sinclair Ferguson 4 Answering This Powerful, Blessful, Deep Question That "What Does Genesis 6:6 Mean When It Says That God Repented ?" Where I Say That Pst. Sinclair Ferguson Has Answered Genesis 6:6 Greatly When It Says That God Repented & When Even God's Word Says In Malachi 3:6 Says That Our Great Almighty God Never Changes 4 Jesus Christ Is The Same Yesterday, & Today, & Forever 4 Our Great Almighty God Is God of Abraham, God of Isaac & God of Jacob Written In Hebrews 13:8 & Matthew 22:32 Where Jesus Christ Is The Same Yesterday, & Today, & Forever 4 I Have Been Blessed Pst. Sinclair Ferguson* & God Bless Yu Pst. Sinclair Ferguson & Ligonier Ministries So Veryyyyyy, Veryyyyyy Much.🙏🙏🕊️🕊️
You skipped the example in the title. I appreciate the explanation in general but you didn't address the wording of Gen 6:6,7.
Isn't it a mercy for God to relent as He did when Moses pled on behalf of the Israelites for God not to destroy them? So God relenting or changing His mind is a mercy which, in itself does not change God's character, but exhibits one of His attributes as a merciful God.
I'm not sure anyone can give a satisfactory answer to this. I'm going to trust God that He is good and honest and that he is unchanging but confess that I don't understand what it means for God to repent.
I think this issue is more simple than people are making it out to be. You can regret the consequences of a thing without regretting the thing itself. For instance, a parent can regret having to discipline their child and so inflict suffering upon them, but that doesn't mean they regret the act of disciplining itself because they wouldn't have done it in the first place if that were true. In this case, they might say "It's regretful that it had to come to this."
Likewise, God is regretting the evil humans have unleashed upon themselves and the world as a result of God making them, but he is not regretting the act of creation itself. As Genesis 6 makes clear, God is regretful BECAUSE of the evil humanity has unleashed.
@@lyongreene8241 - Very thoughtful. Thank you.
Bible never said He relented but instead it said “it repented the Lord” like grieved him or some sort of regret or remorse.
@@Taytimethursday - Yes, it made Him sad.
I'm sure it also made Him sad to see His Son on the Cross, yet it became the most triumphant moment for Jesus Christ in all of history.
Just because something makes us sad does not mean it's wrong. The same is true for God. While it may make God sad that He made Man, I'm sure He does not regret it.
I've had 11 months to think about this matter.
Blessings to you.
We cannot place our human emotions
On God
We repent because we sin
God cannot sin
God repented means something else
Accept what it says and move on
When we get to heaven we will know
I think we should be careful to adapt an attitude of "accept and move on, we'll know in heaven", if there is something in scripture that seemingly contradicts what we have previously thought to be the truth, we must strive to understand it - not bending the Word to fit with our thoughts, but molding our thoughts to what scripture teaches.
To move on too quickly opens us to err by believing things we think to be true, whilst ignoring passages of scripture that teaches against that. This is the very root danger of heresy.
Of course God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours and there are certain divine mysteries which will only be revealed to us in eternity, but I think we must be careful to label things as such too quickly, rather than be faithful in thinking, reading and discussion to come to the truth.
God be with you brother/sister.
@@chrisdutoit4563 there are some of us who refuse to accept what the Holy Scriptures teaches when the Holy Scriptures clearly had it written. There are people not believing Jesus is God when Holy Scriptures clearly teaches so.
There are some still waiting for the Messiah when Holy Scriptures teaches The Messiah has come and is COMING AGAIN.
Man will believe what he will. What Jesus Christ says is so is so because He says so and it is written.
May the Lord enlighten your eyes
Bro Evangelist RM of Chick- Fil-A fave
God is scientifically THE immovable object
I think Immutablity is isegeted on the text. God's character doesn't change, but he is a personage.
Classical theism requires God to be Immutable, but why should I as a Christian care what Greek philosophy says.
Thank you
A bible helps us improve our life
What an unsatisfactory answer.
Open to interpretation the actual translation could be
Regret!
5:47 AND YET NO CONCLUSION OF MASSIVE SCRIPTURE PASSAGES FROM THE KJV, BUT A VAGUE MALACHI SCRIPTURE, EVEN THE CONDEMNED SALT LAKE CITY CULT KNOW ABOUT....
0:20 so the Sabbath of creation, not "Sunday" is still in place. Good to know.
what do you mean by this?
You must face the truth but you don't have the courage or as we say in the streets the GUTS. Your honor may I please call common sense to the witness stand. Judge: You may. Me: Could you state your name for the court. Sure MY name is common sense. Thank you Mr. Sense. Common sense testified that God was furious with the people He created. Why? They didn't listen to Him. God had a choice, He could constantly rebuke them and punish them or option B WIPE THEM OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. He chose B. We have been useless to God ever since. Did God love the people that He wiped off the face of the earth. Ah, no you don't perform a genocide on the ones YOU LOVE. We all have a serious problem with God. HE CAN'T STAND US. Did Jesus ever say "No one can come to the Father except thru me. Yes He did. If God loved us there would be need for Jesus. If God loved us, He wouldn't have performed a Genocide on us. Ring ring goes the bell time to wake up. It's a dreadful thing...... your salvation is not free. You must earn it. 1: repent 2: forgive 3: feed the hungry. You never ever want Jesus to say to you when I was hungry you turned me away. Your "born again" card will be turned down. Your once saved always saved sticker will be removed. Lastly, you will be placed among the goats. I don't have to tell you the rest, you know.
I don’t see an issue of change. I see God made a decision and beheld a people going to hell in a hurry save Noah and family. If it took Noah 80 years to build the Ark - the people had no respect or Reverence for God - a flood will come. Disobedience resulted in death all but the animals and Noah’s family. It is Judgment by a Just God.
The problem is that the Bible repeatedly SAYS that God is immutable, but it SHOWS that God in fact changes. So Christians try to explain away this contradiction.
But apart from God's repenting - which rather shows not God's mutability but his ignorance of the future - the very fact that God has become man, and this man is now in the Heaven with his resurrected body clearly refutes God's immutability.
According to Christianity the second divine person (God's Logos) had no human body before the creation. Now it has one. God has changed.
No your problem is you have no understanding of these matters as you are unregenerate and have no spiritual faculty. You don’t even comprehend that you can’t think rightly about these matters, why do you think you have to traverse to a Christian site to speak to these matters constantly?
The immutability of God (His quality of not changing) is clearly taught throughout Scripture. For example, in Malachi 3:6 God affirms, "I the Lord do not change." (See also Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Isaiah 46:9-11; and Ezekiel 24:14.)
James 1:17 also teaches the immutability of God: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning.” The “shadow of turning” refers to our perspective on the sun: it is eclipsed it moves and it casts its shadow. The sun rises and sets, appears and disappears every day; it comes out of one tropic and enters into another at certain seasons of the year. But with God, who, spiritually speaking, is light itself, there is no darkness at all; there is no change with Him, nor anything like it. God is unchangeable in His nature, perfections, purposes, promises, and gifts. He, being holy, cannot turn to that which is evil; nor can He, who is the fountain of light, be the cause of darkness. Since every good and perfect gift comes from Him, evil cannot proceed from Him, nor can He tempt any to it (James 1:13). The Bible is clear that God does not change His mind, His will, or His nature.
There are several logical reasons why God must be immutable, that is, why it is impossible for God to change. First, if anything changes, it must do so in some chronological order. There must be a point in time before the change and a point in time after the change. Therefore, for change to take place it must happen within the constraints of time; however, God is eternal and exists outside of the constraints of time (Psalm 33:11; 41:13; 90:2-4; John 17:5; 2 Timothy 1:9).
Second, the immutability of God is necessary for His perfection. If anything changes, it must change for the better or the worse, because a change that makes no difference is not a change. For change to take place, either something that is needed is added, which is a change for the better; or something that is needed is lost, which is a change for the worse. But, since God is perfect, He does not need anything. Therefore, He cannot change for the better. If God were to lose something, He would no longer be perfect; therefore, He cannot change for the worse.
Third, the immutability of God is related to His omniscience. When someone changes his/her mind, it is often because new information has come to light that was not previously known or because the circumstances have changed and require a different attitude or action. Because God is omniscient, He cannot learn something new that He did not already know. So, when the Bible speaks of God changing His mind, it must be understood that the circumstance or situation has changed, not God. When Exodus 32:14 and 1 Samuel 15:11-29 speak of God changing His mind, it is simply describing a change of dispensation and outward dealings toward man.
Numbers 23:19 clearly presents the immutability of God: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” No, God does not change His mind. These verses affirm the doctrine of God’s immutability: He is unchanging and unchangeable.
As to your analogy of the trinity God hasn’t changed ) as Each member of the Trinity is God. The Father is God (John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2). The Son is God (John 1:1, 14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16). There is subordination within the Trinity. Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and the Son, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. This is an internal relationship and does not deny the deity of any Person of the Trinity.
The individual members of the Trinity have different tasks. The Father is the ultimate source or cause of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11); divine revelation (Revelation 1:1); salvation (John 3:16-17); and Jesus’ human works (John 5:17; 14:10). The Father initiates all of these things.
The Son is the agent through whom the Father does the following works: the creation and maintenance of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17); divine revelation (John 1:1, 16:12-15; Matthew 11:27; Revelation 1:1); and salvation (2 Corinthians 5:19; Matthew 1:21; John 4:42). The Father does all these things through the Son, who functions as His agent.
The Holy Spirit is the means by whom the Father does the following works: creation and maintenance of the universe (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 104:30); divine revelation (John 16:12-15; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21); salvation (John 3:6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2); and Jesus’ works (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38). Thus, the Father does all these things by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not parts of God; each of them is God. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God-but there is only one God. That is the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.
_"According to Christianity ..."?_
Shouldn't you use the Bible as the source of your information?
@@rubiks6 Don't you know the Nicean Creed? Don't most Christians believe it?
Can't you address my point instead of my Grammar?
@@robmarshall956 Your problem is that you cannot use your mind properly since you are a Christian believer.
You wrote a little novel only you did not address the one point I raised.
Obviously due to the fact that you cannot explain it away.
@@pannonia77 - I do not know the Nicene Creed but I could look it up on the internet. I cannot look it up in my Bible. It's not there.
I am not most Christians. I am one Christian.
I am not addressing your grammar. I am addressing your terms and their meanings.
"Christianity" (from an earthly perspective) is a vast collection of belief systems with many conflicting ideas. When you say, "according to Christianity" I have no idea what you are talking about. I suggest you speak to me directly and perhaps ask me what I believe. I'll get you started - I believe the Bible. There are many, many ideas and practices in many Christian sects that I disagree with and often strongly.
As for God's immutability, The Bible says so and I believe it, even though I don't understand it. God is said to have repented of making Man in Genesis 6. In Exodus God repented that He had saved Israel from Egypt. In Jonah, God repented of destroying the Ninevites. These things confuse me and I don't have a good answer for you but I still trust God and His Word.
Shout out to Fiji water 💦
WOW GOD REGRETTS MAKING YALLS