In The Margins

by Justan Borth

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring who God is—His existence, His character, and what makes Him, God. To answer that question, we’ve been studying His attributes—the traits that define His nature. These attributes are divided into two categories:

• Incommunicable attributes: traits that belong only to God.
• Communicable attributes: traits that He shares, in part, with us as His image-bearers.

Today, we’re continuing with one of God’s incommunicable attributes—His unchangeableness.

Theologian Wayne Grudem defines it like this:

“God is unchanging in His being, perfections, purposes, and promises. Yet God does act and feel emotions, and He acts and feels differently in response to different situations.”

That can sound a little technical, but here’s what it means: at His core, God never changes. His character doesn’t shift. His goodness doesn’t fade. His love doesn’t weaken. He’s steady and consistent—even when everything around us isn’t.

Psalm 145 gives us a glimpse of this:

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made…
The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.”

These truths about God were written thousands of years ago—and they’re still true today. He’s not unpredictable. He doesn’t wake up in a bad mood. His mercy doesn’t have a limit.

But here’s what’s cool: God’s unchangeableness doesn’t mean He’s cold or distant. He’s not a motionless statue sitting in heaven. Scripture shows us that He feels deeply—He rejoices, grieves, and loves—but those emotions always flow perfectly from His consistent, unchanging nature. He engages with us based on what’s happening, but who He is never changes.

Psalm 102:25–27 describes this beautifully:

“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain…
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.”

Think about how comforting that is. Everything in your life—friends, seasons, emotions, plans—will shift and change. But God stays the same. His promises are as true today as they were when they were first spoken.

That means:

• You can trust Scripture, because the same God who inspired it still speaks through it.
• You can trust His promises, because He always does what He says.
• You can trust His love, because it’s constant—even when you fail or doubt.

When you feel like life is spinning, remember this: God is your anchor. His love, His power, and His presence don’t change. Ever.

Reflections questions:

-As you head into school today, how can you slow down long enough to notice God’s steady presence — the same God who never changes — in the middle of your routine, your classes, and your conversations?

-When have you experienced God’s unchanging nature in your own life? Maybe through a hard season, a prayer that was answered (or not), or just a moment when you realized His love hadn’t moved an inch.

-What promise from God do you need to cling to right now? Is there something He’s said in Scripture that you know is true but find hard to believe in this season?

Further Study: Isaiah 46:9-11