Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
New Visions
Family, Parenting and Religion
Good Questions – Does God Change?

Good Questions – Does God Change?

Last updated on: February 7, 2025 at 12:44 pm by Karl J. Forehand

Good Questions – Does God Change? 2025-02-07T12:44:48-06:00 Karl J. Forehand

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Photo by cottonbro studio

“Immutability means God does not change in any way;

He is unchanging and, for that reason, perfect in every way.”

~Gospel coalition

The universe is continuously changing, mainly because it is always expanding. This indicates that galaxies are moving farther apart over time, and this expansion is even accelerating due to a mysterious force known as dark energy.

Molecules are in constant motion—vibrating, rotating, and translating. Their positions and orientations continuously change because of their thermal energy. This movement is called “Brownian motion”[1], and it is affected by temperature; higher temperatures lead to quicker molecular movement.

Energy is in constant flux, as it can only change from one form to another. While the total energy in a system remains constant, its form can change continuously due to interactions within the system. This principle is known as the Law of Conservation of Energy.

Atoms are primarily made up of energy, as most of an atom’s mass comes from the energy in its nucleus, as articulated by Einstein’s equation E=mc². Although atoms may seem mostly empty space because the nucleus is tiny compared to the volume occupied by electrons, the energy within these particles constitutes most of their mass. Thus, the essence of an atom is fundamentally energy.

Theological Assumptions

Most theological perspectives view God not merely as “energy” or “matter” but as the creator of both. This implies that God transcends the physical realm and is unbound by the limitations of the universe, including energy and matter. Therefore, calling God “energy” is an oversimplification that fails to fully capture the theological understanding.

Religion asserts that God created everything, yet we observe that creation always evolves. Nothing remains static. Even if God is the exception, he wouldn’t be perfect if he said one thing and acted differently.

The idea that God is immutable, or unchanging, is a central tenet of Christianity. However, some argue that God is not immutable because he changes his mind or is surprised by things.

Some things to think about.

God changes his mind. If God changes his mind, then he is not immutable. For example, in the Bible, God regrets making Saul king.
God is surprised by things. If God is surprised by things, then he is not all-knowing. For example, in the Bible, God is surprised when the Israelites abandon him for a statue of a cow.
God changes roles. At times, we view God as a narcissistic king who eliminates His enemies. We might even portray Him as a warlord imposing His will on nations and communities, overwhelming and subduing them while seizing their property and mistreating their women and children. Later, He takes on the roles of a lion and a lamb. Future predictions suggest that He will return as a conqueror, even though He didn’t present Himself that way in scripture.
Acting contrary to the Universe. Even though humans are described as image-bearers[2] of God, meaning we are created in His image, the source of creation seems to violate the rules we follow as reflections of the original. Christians sometimes admonish each other to remember that we are image-bearers of God, yet they exonerate Him by characterizing Him as unchanging and distinct from His creation.
Changes the Covenants with Man. If God is real and he is all-knowing, why would he need to change his covenant if he supposedly does not change? Why did we require a temporary solution that lasted thousands of years, only to switch to a new covenant that is valid until this second time, during which we will operate under still different rules?
Why did God Stop Speaking? In the Old Testament, God speaks directly to His chosen people. The common theory about Jesus’s time on earth is that He was the Word who would speak to us. When even His immediate disciples couldn’t understand what He was saying, He promised another part of the Godhead would come later to help us comprehend. If He is unchanging, why not use the most effective solution first instead of playing games and pretending to be unchanging?
Why doesn’t God evolve with the universe? Everything about the universe is expanding and changing, as I mentioned earlier. Animals evolve in response to shifting conditions to adapt to their environments for reproduction and survival. We observe much of the universe operating this way, especially humans with more advanced reasoning abilities. But if everything else in the universe changes, why do we assume that God does not?
Why is the revelation complete when it’s not perfect? Christians can sometimes be closed-minded towards any literature other than the canon that was accepted 1,600 years ago. Our world has evolved dramatically since the early Christians wandered in the desert, trying to imagine what God was like. We don’t exist in the same world as when the Bible was written; we have a deeper understanding of mental health, the complexities of our world, and the reasons behind our actions. The question isn’t whether God changes, but rather, why not?

The Case against God.

I began to deconstruct my faith; my purpose was not to attack the church or discredit God. I wanted to find the truth and live my life better than merely entering a building to recreate past practices and reinforce beliefs in which I was starting to lose faith. I didn’t just gather opinions from others; while I read many books, I also spent a lot of time in silence contemplating the nature of the universe and my assumptions about God and the afterlife.

All the unanswered questions began to emerge, starting with whether God should be superior to me. However, this is one of those questions that theologians have never adequately answered. The writers of the Bible contradicted themselves when they first quoted God as saying that He never changes, yet they also recorded instances when He did. This is simply inconsistent with the truth, does not align with how the universe operates that He supposedly created, and frankly, it doesn’t make logical sense.

Things that do not adapt in our world tend to die or go extinct. If we assume he is different and perfect, then we must also demonstrate that the many mistakes he seems to have made do not support that hypothesis. He created a being that causes us much frustration, or if he didn’t create it, he allowed it to hinder our efforts. Apparently, because of his foreknowledge, he knew we would fail the system and test he established. Then he waited thousands of years to propose the solution, and we are currently awaiting the completion of that process with the second coming.

God violated his own laws many times if the record of Scripture is reliable. He murdered many more people than Satan did, according to the narrative. At times, he became jealous and faced criticism in the New Testament. Even Jesus contradicted himself when discussing unconditional love while also showing favoritism. In most versions of Christianity, Jesus was considered equal to God. Yet, he and the New Testament writers condoned slavery and promoted the idea that God only accepts you if you obey him.

The lack of good-quality answers to these questions eventually led me to leave Christianity. When I asked why God would allow something like rape to happen, it was difficult for me to accept that God is loving and powerful. If He can stop abuse and chooses not to, then He is not truly loving. He is not all-powerful if He possesses the desire but lacks the ability to intervene.

To make matters worse, Christians have adopted a mantra of blaming themselves for everything they don’t understand or for things that go wrong in their lives. The flip side of that idea is that they give God credit for everything that goes right. While this may serve as a temporary fix, it doesn’t address the core issue or provide an answer to the question. Not only does he not intervene, but according to the narrative, he doesn’t seem to care much either. I should clarify that according to the narrative, he cares, but since he doesn’t act, I assume he can’t or doesn’t want to. Personally, I don’t need any more privileged people in my life, especially from a God who doesn’t follow the rules he supposedly established.

I’m done making excuses for God. I’ve also stopped blaming myself for God’s lack of communication and the flawed holy texts that we’ve assigned to Him based on our assumptions. As I’ve mentioned many times, there is value in religion, spirituality, and our imaginations about what God is like and whether there is an afterlife. However, I can’t let my need for certainty overshadow the unanswered questions.

When I persist in my questions, I sometimes discover puzzle pieces scattered throughout my world. However, I don’t derive insight from centuries-old assumptions that essentially overlook discrepancies and inconsistencies to continue the business of religion. Like other Mystics, I am on a quest to experience God, if He exists, and to keep asking questions even when the general tendency is to avoid them.

The answer to the question has never been to ignore it. When it doesn’t seem to have a response, the worst thing we can do is cultivate confidence in our guesses. Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned during my deconstruction is to confidently say, “I don’t know,” and continue to engage with what I know, what I feel, and the few things I can prove.

Keep asking good questions!

Karl Forehand

Travel Tips for the Desert – Part 3

Travel Tips for the Desert – Part 2

Travel Tips for the Desert – Part 1

How to Survive a Stroke

Our New Course is ready to review for FREE! Start Here

YouTube Playlist – click here

Religious Trauma Resources

The Desert Sanctuary Podcast

Karl Forehand is a former pastor, podcaster, and award-winning author. His books include Out into the Desert, Leaning Forward, Apparent Faith: What Fatherhood Taught Me About the Father’s Heart, The Tea Shop and Being: A Journey Toward Presence and Authenticity. He is the creator of The Desert Sanctuary podcast and community. He is married to his wife Laura of 35 years and has one dog named Winston. His three children are grown and are beginning to multiply! You can read more about the author here.

[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Brownian%20motion

[2] Genesis 1:27

Progressive Christian

Family, Parenting and Religion

Education and Religion

Uncategorized

immutable

unchanging

Previous Post

February 2, 2025

Good Questions - Is God Retributive or Restorative?

Next Post

February 23, 2025 “Like a Fish, Standing on the Beach”

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abuse Addiction Advent adventure Alpha Male Animals Answers Attachment Attitude authenticity Authenticty Authentiicity Awareness being Bible Black Community BLM body awarenss book Books Bravery Bullying Bypassing Certainty Certianty Chamge change children Christianity Christmas Church Comfort community Compaasion Compassion Complementarian Complementarianism Conditioning Consciousness Contemplation Control Conversation Converstations Covid-19 Creation Darkness Death Debate deconstruction demons depression desert Devil Disciples discussion Divine dreams Easter Eclipse Empathy Essence evolution evolve faith fatherhood Fear fiction Flood Focus Focusing Focussing Future Genesis Goals God Gratitude grief growth Guns Hate healing Health Heart Hell Holiday Hypnosis ignorance Improvement infallible Inner Child Integrity Intuition Jesus Jezebel Journey King LGBTQ+ Love MAGA Marriage meditation Men Mercy Message metaphysical Mindfulness Misogyny Mourning Music Mystic mystical Narcissism Nationalism Nature New Year Novel Nutrition Organization other Pain Pandemic parenting Pastors Patriarchy Patriotism Personal Growth Plan Poet poets Police politics Power practice praise Prayer presence pro-life Problem Solving Progress prolife Prophet prophets Purity Culture Purpose Queer Questions Racism Rape Rapture reconstruction Recovery Religion Resolutions Restoration Resurrection Retribution Reviews Root Cause Sanctuary Satan SBC Scripture Seeking Self-Care Self-esteem Seminary Sex Shadow shame social justice social media solitude Spirits Spirituality stillness Story Survivor Thanksgiving Theologians Theology Tradition Trauma travel Trump Uncategorized Unchurching Universe Violence Vision Voice Volunteer Vulnerability War Women Word worship Writing

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many people did Jesus feed with five loaves and two fish?

Select your answer to see how you score.

About 12 About 5000 men About 7000 About 100

Books by This Author Books by The Desert Sanctuary

See All Titles »