Does God Change His Mind?

Does God change His mind? Does it appear that He does in places in the Bible?

Does God Change?

Has it ever occurred to you that nothings ever occurred to God? God never needs changing, humans are always changing. Time changes us and everything around us but God is eternal and is not affected by time, therefore He never changes. God answered Job and all others skeptics of God who suggest God is less than good, by saying, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me” (Job 38:2-b3). “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it” (Job 40:2) and “Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel” (Isaiah 40:13)? He is God and He has no need of change nor will He ever need to change for He is the consummation of all perfection; in glory, holiness, mightiness, and all things, A-Z! How can a finite creature (us) ever question or offer advice to an infinite God? It does happen, even for believers, but really, “who has known the mind of the Lord? or who has been his counselor” (Rom 11:34) or “who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him” (1st Cor 2:6)? The obvious answer is no one has really known the mind of God and so if we can’t know the mind of God, can we counsel Him!? We don’t know His mind but He does know ours.

We do Change

Not only do humans change, we need to change. Most plants that I’ve seen that stop growing usually die out. We might not die a physical life but people are changed by their circumstances; they either learn from their mistakes or they keep repeating them. I know; I’ve lived this. Jesus said “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here” (Luke 11:32) so Nineveh was saved from God’s judgment by changing their minds and their lives, which is what true repentance is. When a person repents, they have turned their back on their sins, they’ve turned away from them, and they have forsaken them and then they go to the cross to plead for forgiveness and His righteous blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness (2nd Cor 5:21; 1st John 1:9).

Does God Repent?

Some older translations use the word “repent” instead of the better translation “regret” or “relented” in the Old Testament and that’s unfortunate because it gives the false idea that God had repented of something. If God knows all, the future included, and is totally perfect and altogether holy, why would He need to repent of anything?! He has nothing to repent of! One example is where the King James says that “it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart” (Gen 6:6) while the ESV has it “And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” We all do things that we’ve regretted but a better translation from the Hebrew for the word “regretted” is “`atsab” and means “grieve, to hurt, to displease” and “pain” so really, “it grieved God that He had made man on the earth” is a more accurate reading. In Exodus 32:14 one translation (KJV) reads “And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people” but a much better translation is “And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people” (ESV). Other verses that use the word “repent” instead of “grieve” or “regret” occur in 2nd Samuel 24:16, Jonah 3:10, among other places.

Does prayer change God’s Mind?

Since God is sovereign over all that happens, why pray about anything? Also, since God does not change, why pray at all? How could we possibly change His mind? He’s unchangeable, remember? Why pray? God tells us too! That’s enough of a reason right there. In speaking to His disciples, Jesus “told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Paul wrote to Timothy, “that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling” (1st Tim 2:8). Jesus showed the disciples how to pray so prayer must be important. Instead of our prayers changing God or His mind (impossible), our prayers should change us to pray for God’s will and not ours, and pray for Him to be glorified, not us. Our will should become His will. God does hear and answer our prayers…we know that in many places in Scripture.

Conclusion

You can change your mind today about God. You can say today I am going to fully reject ever believing in You but by doing so, you are hardening your heart further and making it harder for the Spirit of God to enter it. I would pray, as I am writing this, that you would change or turn to God by repenting and belief, if you have not already done so in your life. Not one of us is even guaranteed tomorrow. There’s a day to die, and then the judgment (Heb 9:27).

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.