Incarnation: The Unchangeable God & the Incarnation

Change is part of the Christian life but change is not part of God’s nature or Being.

“Change is part of his creation, but change is not a part of God’s nature. He has been and always will be the same...” [Lister, Ryan J. Emblems of the Infinite King: Enter the Knowledge of the Living God, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), 28.]

Image: We may rearrange the furniture in our house, remodel the kitchen, replace the flooring; but when you speak of change for our house, we typically do not speak of changing the foundation. Why? There is a difference between remodeling and laying a new concrete foundation for an existing house. In like manner, who God is and who Christ is are foundational for our life now and forever.

As a Christian, you should listen carefully to the importance of the Incarnation because it directly connects with whether your hope is misplaced or rightly placed.

You should listen carefully, if you are a skeptic, because there is no other unchanging foundation in this life upon which you can build your present life and your eternity.

The Incarnation, without fundamental Adaptation, led to the Humiliation and Exaltation, for our eternal Salvation.

Without the full Humanness of Jesus being added to Jesus’ Godness [without changing the Godness at all], we are all completely hopeless.

Preview:

The Problem: God’s Unchangeableness & the Incarnation

The Solution: God’s Unchangeableness in the Incarnation

The Application: Jesus’ Unchangeableness & our Hope Because of the Incarnation

The Problem: God’s Unchangeableness and the Incarnation

God is Unchanging [Immutable].

The nature of God’s being, spoken in terms of attributes.

The God of the Bible is spoken of in terms of His being. His being is typically identified, by Theologians, as attributes. Among these attributes, there are two categories.

Communicable versus incommunicable attributes.

Communicable attributes are those that God has shared to his creatures — primary consideration should be given to mankind. For example, mankind is created with the capacity to reason, plan, and discern because these matters are true about God.

Then there are those attributes which are incommunicable. God is all-knowing. God is all-powerful. Among these incommunicable attributes, God is unchanging.

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I change not; Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

Incommunicable attribute of unchangeableness.

Unchangeableness means that what God is in Being, he has always been in his Being. What God has been in nature, He has always been in nature.

Quote: 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. - Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine (p. 163). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

God’s Unchangeableness Matters for Eternal Salvation: Why this must matter to us. (saved & unsaved)

God is not developing (Process Theology). Process Theology teaches that God must necessarily be developing like his creation. If God is changeable, then this can lead to some unintended consequences. One of those unintended consequences is that it leaves us without assurance of eternal life because it leaves us without assurance of the Person who is the foundation of our life.

Illustration: Several years ago, men of our church graciously decided to come and fix something that was wrong at our house. The first step to our front entrance had settled down about 6-8 inches. When the foundation shifts, the consequences can be devastating.

In like manner, if God changes, the foundation of our hope and eternal salvation can be devastating.

What God is, is what He has always been.

[Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 168]

(1) Change for better or worse implies that either he was previously better or worse.

(2) If you trusted Him when he was better and now he is worse, why would you keep trusting Him?

(3) If you cannot fully trust Him, why would you trust Him at all.

(4) Trusting Him as an Unchangeable Being is fundamental to assurance of eternal salvation.

For the skeptic, everyone has faith in something or someone. The integrity of that something or someone must be solid, like a Rock, otherwise it will not be able to sustain faith.

The Incarnation causes tension about God’s Unchangeableness (Hebrews 2:10, 5:8-9, Luke 2:52)

Coke vs. Pepsi — They are not the same, but sometimes people say things like “they are all the same.” The Incarnation seems to create a tension between God’s unchangeableness and a developing changing man. How do we explain this difference?

The unchangeable God is a Trinity.

This means that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all three Individual Persons though they are One God. Consequently, God the Son is Unchangeable because that is an attribute of God.

Example: John 20:28 - Jesus was understood/believed as God.

John 20:28 KJV 1900

28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

Acts 5:3-4 - The Holy Ghost is God.

Acts 5:3–4 KJV 1900

3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

The Persons of the Godhead are Unchangeable.

This attribute is true about each Persons of the Godhead — if indeed they are all God.

The Unchangeable Second Person of the Godhead seems to Change.

Change in the Second Person of the Godhead would change whether I could have true assurance.

If the Incarnation means that the Second Person of the Godhead changed in his Being or ultimate Purposes, then God is not changeless, and the foundation of my assurance is unstable.

Without the full Humanness of Jesus being added to Jesus’ Godness [without changing the Godness at all], we are all completely hopeless.

The Solution: God’s Unchangeableness in the Incarnation

Two potential responses. (Eutychianism, Chalcedon).

Response #1: The Beginning of a New Nature

In the 4th-5th Centuries, there was a teaching that had to be refuted. This teaching had primarily two names — Eutychianism (named after the man) and Monophysitism (named according to the teaching).

The teaching itself was that the divine nature and human nature blended to make one new nature, and that this new nature was primarily divine.

Wellum [p. 303] “Eutyches taught that as a result of the incarnation Christ’s human nature was taken up, absorved, and merged into the divine nature, so that both natures were changed into one new nature...” [i.e. composite]

Illustration: Dye in water

The result of this teaching:

(1) Jesus’ nature was not fully human nor fully divine — He cannot rightly represent us as our high priest. Hebrews 4:15.

(2) Jesus’ divine nature changed. God changed.

Illustration: Grudem Picture of Eutychianism

What exactly happened in the Incarnation?

Response #2: The Incarnation Maintained the Integrity of God’s Unchangeableness

(1) God the Son existed before the Incarnation (Hebrews 1)

(2) God the Son continued to be what He always was in the Incarnation. (still 100% God)

As a baby, Jesus as a Person is 100% God. He possessed fully all of the divine nature. Luke 1:35

The divine nature, in his fullness includes all of the incommunicable attributes of God.

(3) God the Son became what He was not in the Incarnation. (took on flesh) John 1:14

In order for this to happen, we must understand that this addition, did not mean a mixing of the two. This addition is true, but the natures remain distinct in the same Person. [1 Person, 2 Natures - Hypostatic Union]

The attributes of sinless human nature were assumed by the pre-existing Son in the Incarnation.

(4) God the Son developed in His human nature by the Spirit during the Incarnation life.

Jesus developed while being fully God in his divine nature.

Jesus was conceived of and received the Holy Spirit without measure. John 3:34.

The Holy Spirit is in unique relationship with the Son, such that the Son is uniquely gifted in His human nature.

“From the womb to the tomb the Spirit was the constant companion of the incarnate Son, and it is the Spirit’s unique indwelling, empowering, and anointing work that best makes sense of these “graces” and of “Christ’s supernatural abilities as well as his moral and spiritual preeminence.” [Wellum, God the Son Incarnate, 327]

Puritan John Owen, “...Christ’s human nature remains fully and completely human, yet the Spirit fills him with light and wisdom “to the utmost capacity of a creature; but it was so, not by being changed into a divine nature or essence, but by the communication of the Spirit unto it without measure.” [Wellum, 327]

Receptivity is according to sinlessness.

Many of you are familiar with hand warmers, but are you aware of toe warmers? You peel the paper off of the sticky side and attach it to the bottom of your sock, under the toes. Recently, I used some toe warmers and I peeled it, and accidentally dropped it sticky side down onto a dirty floor. Whenever dirt gets on the sticky side, it is less sticky. So, it had a hard time sticking to my foot so I could insert it into my boot. Dirt impacts stickiness. If there is dirt on the sticky side, then it is not as sticky.

In like manner, Jesus had no dirt; thus, his receptivity of the Spirit was perfect.

Summary:

In the Incarnation, Jesus is 1 Person, 2 Natures. These two natures in the one person remain distinct as the eternal Son adds to Himself flesh. The Incarnation does not change the Being or Essence of Who God is.

Reformed Systematic Theology, Volume 2: Man and Christ Christ’s Human Spirit

Ambrose said, “Jesus advanced in age and in wisdom.… For what advances, surely is changed for the better, but what is divine is not changed. So, what is changed is surely not divine,” but is “human.”

In addition, the distinction between Jesus’ two natures allows for Christ’s, sinless human nature to be receptive to unique anointing by the 3rd Person of the Trinity — the Holy Spirit of God.

The Application: Jesus’ Unchangeableness & our Hope Through the the Incarnation

So what? (applications)

(1) The Incarnation [hypostatic] allows Jesus to be made perfect THROUGH Humiliation (suffering).

(i.e. Jesus’ is able to receive FULL exaltation through FULL humiliation) Hebrews 2:10.

His perfected state is made possible through his fully incarnated state.

What should you believe?

The principle of exaltation through humiliation.

For every Christian, the incarnation - exaltation paradigm means that all suffering is only temporary.

There is a Christian metamorphosis process that is taking place.

The important details of the incarnation should lead us to worship God.

The cost of the incarnation should cause us to declare all out war on our sin. [willfully entering suffering]

The shell of the Cicadas are disgusting. The “old man” and his nature/life should be increasingly disgusting.

(2) The Incarnation allows Jesus to Author eternal Salvation.

(i.e. The Humiliation led to the Resurrection. The Resurrection is part of Exaltation. The Exaltation is Confirmation that He can fully offer SALVATION.) Hebrews 5:8-9.

Why should eternal salvation matter?

“Eternity is too long to be wrong.” Will you turn to Jesus as your Savior today?

The principle of Spirit’s-empowering for working out this salvation (because of the exaltation).

Ephesians 3:16 KJV 1900

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

“…the Son doesn’t just help put the rescue mission together; the son actually is the rescue mission.” [Lister, p. 86]

(3) The Incarnation and Exaltation has no Termination. Hebrews 13:8.

(i.e. What should be the measure of my persistence as a Christian in this life? According to the measure of our High Priest.)

The principle of persisting by the hope of our unchanging High Priest.

“we owe our standing in grace every moment to his sitting in heaven and interceding every moment.” [Goodwin in A Puritan Theology by Beeke, p. 354]

All three applications flow from the incarnation.

The Incarnation, without fundamental Adaptation, led to the Humiliation and Exaltation, for our eternal Salvation.

Because full Humanness was added to Jesus' God-ness [without it changing Jesus' God-ness at all], we may be completely hopeful.