Naught Changes Thee: The Doctrine of Divine Immutability, Part II
Excursus on Divine Impassibility
In the first part of this article, the doctrine of divine immutability was introduced and defended against some common objections. Related to the doctrine of immutability is the doctrine of divine impassibility, which means that God is subject to neither passions nor suffering due to factors outside of Himself. In other words, God does not experience emotional or passionate change the way that human beings do, such as when the actions of others anger, sadden, or delight us. Properly understood, impassibility is not a separate attribute but rather a necessary corollary of God’s immutability, for a change in God’s emotional affect suggests a contingency or mutability that God’s unchangeable nature won’t allow for.
Francis Pieper assumes the truth of divine impassibility but treats it separately under the heading of the doctrine of Christ rather than the doctrine of God’s attributes.[i] Pieper argues that for God to dwell in the “unapproachable light” described by St. Paul in 1 Tim. 6:15-16[ii] means “that no human eye can see Him and, much less, any human hand lay hold of Him and subject Him to suffering.”[iii] While there are few other explicit Biblical prooftexts for divine impassibility on its own, it is difficult to see how one can consistently maintain the clearly Scriptural doctrine of immutability while denying impassibility.
Such a feat is attempted by Wayne Grudem, who affirms divine immutability in his treatment of the divine attributes but rejects divine impassibility as a doctrine that goes beyond the Scriptural evidence.[iv] Grudem argues that there is a distinction between God experiencing emotions and the affirmation that “God does not change in his being, perfections, purposes, or promises.”[v] In support of his rejection of divine impassibility, Grudem cites several passages (including Is. 62:5,[vi] Eph. 4:30,[vii] and Ps. 103:13[viii]) which attribute to God emotions such as joy, grief, and pity.[ix] However, Grudem fails to demonstrate how a rejection of impassibility does not necessarily entail a rejection of immutability. If God experiences emotional change and is subject to passions the way that humans are, how can it be said that God is unaffected or unchanged by that which is external to Him? This is a question that Grudem does not grapple with, nor does he discuss the possibility that the verses he cites in support of God’s “passions” are using analogical language.
Application of the Doctrine of Divine Immutability Today
The doctrine of God’s immutability provides a strong of word of warning to those who doubt the firmness of God’s righteous wrath over sin (Law) and a strong word of comfort to those who trust in God’s loving promises (Gospel).[x] As Pieper puts it, God’s unchangeable nature serves “To warn the wicked, because God’s wrath is unchangeable (Mark 9:44)[xi]” and “to comfort the pious, because God’s grace can never depart (Is. 54:10)[xii].”[xiii] A hardhearted sinner ought not hope that God will change His mind about showing just wrath and judgment to the impenitent, nor should a contrite sinner doubt that God will always be unchangeably merciful to those who are in Christ, with His compassion lasting from the present moment and throughout all eternity. This thought should drive us from our sins and into the arms of our loving, unchangeable Christ who has redeemed us according to the Father’s immutable will.
Scriptural logic also demonstrates the necessity for and comfort of divine immutability. In the midst of a prophetic discourse filled with pronouncements of fearsome judgment, purification, and preparation, Mal. 3:6 offers great consolation that is inextricably linked to God’s immutability: “For I am the Lord, I do not change; / Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob” (emphasis added). To take away the unchangeableness of God’s nature is to call God a liar while at the same time removing the basis for the solace found in this particular Word of Gospel truth.
As a corollary to immutability, divine impassibility also offers great comfort to the Christian, despite recent attempts by theologians such as Jürgen Moltmann to find relief instead in the notion of a God who suffers alongside fallen mankind in His divine nature. Matthew Barrett, a noted author on the subject of classical theism in contemporary theology, remarks,
A God who suffers, a God subject to emotional change, is not all that comforting on second thought. A God who suffers may be like us, but he cannot rescue us. In fact, an emotional God is just as helpless as we are. In times of suffering we need a God who does not suffer, one who can overcome suffering in order to redeem us and return justice to this evil world.[xiv]
Christ can only be our “Sure and Steady Anchor” that “shall never be removed”[xv] if He, like the other two Persons of the Holy Trinity, is unmoved in His divine nature by the sufferings and emotional variances that plague mankind. Because He is such an immovable Being, Christians can hold fast to a God who will always hold steady.
The popular contemporary[xvi] hymn, “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” (LSB 802), extols several of the attributes of God as understood by classical theism, including (as suggested by the title) God’s eternity, spiritual essence, and supreme wisdom. Verse 3 celebrates God’s essence as our immutable Life: “To all life Thou givest—to both great and small— / In all life Thou livest, the true Life of all; / We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree / And wither and perish—but naught changes Thee.”[xvii] God’s immutability gives us a cause for awe, a delight in His life-giving power, and hope for the future.
Conclusion
This article has explained the doctrine of divine immutability and its corollary, divine impassibility, as defined by Lutheran dogmaticians, answered objections to the doctrine (such as Scriptural instances of God’s apparent regret or repentance, the question of the effect of the acts of Creation and Incarnation upon God’s being, and the rejection of God’s impassibility in light of Bible texts that appear to attribute emotions to God), and provided insights into the practical application of this seemingly abstract doctrine for the ongoing dynamic of Law and Gospel in the life of individual Christians, as well as examples of praise and comfort supplied by the doctrine in some of the Church’s more recent hymnody.
[i] Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 2:139, 234-235.
[ii] 1 Tim. 6:13-16: “I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.” Note the clear connection between God’s immortality and His unapproachable/impassable nature.
[iii] Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 2:139.
[iv] Grudem, Systematic Theology, 163-166.
[v] Ibid., 165.
[vi] Is. 62:5: “For as a young man marries a virgin, / So shall your sons marry you; / And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, / So shall your God rejoice over you.”
[vii] Eph. 4:30: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
[viii] Ps. 103:13: “As a father pities his children, / So the Lord pities those who fear Him.”
[ix] Grudem, Systematic Theology, 166.
[x] Cf. Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 1:440.
[xi] Mk. 9:43-44, emphasis added: “[Jesus said]: If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—where ‘Their worm does not die / And the fire is not quenched.’”
[xii] Is. 54:10: “‘For the mountains shall depart / And the hills be removed, / But My kindness shall not depart from you, / Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,’ / Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.”
[xiii] Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 1:440.
[xiv] Matthew Barrett, “The Immutability and Impassibility of God,” The Gospel Coalition, n.d., https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/immutability-impassibility-god/, emphasis in original.
[xv] Matt Boswell, “Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor,” MattPapa.com, https://www.mattpapa.com/songs/christ-the-sure-and-steady-anchor.
[xvi] Note that this author, inspired by the Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller, labels any hymn written after the death of J. S. Bach in 1750 as “contemporary.”
[xvii] “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise,” Verse 3, in Lutheran Service Book, 802.
Since 2022, Andrew J. Aulner has been a seminarian with the American Lutheran Theological Seminary (ALTS). By day, he works remotely for Fidelity Investments from his home in Omaha, NE. He serves as vicar at Mighty Fortress Evangelical Lutheran Church (AALC) in Seward. Andrew has been married to Samantha since 2020, and the two of them were joined by a daughter, Latisha "Tish" Kay, in April 2025. When he isn't working, vicaring, husbanding, parenting, or chasing down his kitten Lego, Andrew enjoys reading, writing, and hobbies related to 'The Strenuous Life' adult enrichment program.