[OUTLINE] 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: Remodeling vs. Foundation of House.

In like manner, who God is and who Christ is are foundational for our life now and forever.

Need:

Christian’s hope is at stake.

Skeptic: Life is at stake.

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.

Communicable versus incommunicable attributes.

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

Incommunicable attribute of unchangeableness.

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).

Unintended consequences (hopelessness)

Illustration: The settled foundation/front step at house

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

Coke vs. Pepsi

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.

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.

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.

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. 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 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

Not a mixing of the two.

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]

Receptivity is according to sinlessness.

Toe Warmers

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.

Bridge to Conclusion:

God us Unchangeable in His Being

Jesus is 100% God and did NOT change In his Divine Being or Nature

Jesus is 100% Man and the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus humanness uniquely.

So what?

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.

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.