Heb. 7:15-19; Gen. 3:22-24, The Unchanging God (1)

One of my favorites, the Cathedral Quartet, sang this song:

Yesterday things were different. Today they’re different again.

Jesus will never, never change. Jesus is always the same.

Let’s consider our “unchanging God,” highlighting some of the things in the New Testament that are enduring.

·       The wrath of God endures, John 3:36.  Jesus combined “wrath” with the “forever” word in this passage.  Some (Catholics, some modernists) are unsure of this truth.  Others deny it altogether, teaching annihilation of the wicked soul after death or proclaiming universalism.  Jesus said, Then they will go away to eternal punishment and the righteous to eternal life (Mt. 25:46).  Punishment is as eternal as the life.  This doctrine is important for God’s people to understand and confess; it promotes the endurance of the saints (Rev. 14:9-12).

·       The purpose of God endures, Rom. 9:11.  God’s purpose stands.  It’s not just that God keeps His word.  It is that His word is a statement of what He is about.  Because of this doctrine, we can be sure that all things work for God for those who love God (Ro. 8:28); He works all things to be consistent with His will (Eph. 1:11); the Church is fully consistent with God’s eternal purpose in Christ; our salvation is the outworking of His own purpose and grace given to us in Christ (2 Tim. 1:9).  Everything in all of creation is moving towards the fulfillment of God promise to exalt His Son (Psalm 2:6-9).

·       The New Covenant of God endures, 2 Cor. 3:11.  As great a monument to God’s wisdom and sovereignty was the Law in the OT, it was temporal.  As Paul made clear, it had a purpose of revealing to us our sin.  But it was replaced by a more glorious covenant, one that remains.  Christ’s death made the Old Testament obsolete, freeing us from it’s claim (Heb. 9:15); Christ’s resurrection made the NT eternal because it was linked to His indestructible life (Hb. 7:15-19).

·       The righteousness of God endures, 2 Cor. 9:9 (from Ps. 112:9).  Don’t wait for God’s standard of righteousness to change.  It won’t!  Note these two related truths.  Because God’s righteousness endures we should not continue in sin (Rom. 6:1).  On the other hand, because God’s righteousness endures, therefore faith, hope and love abide (1 Cor. 13:12).

There is more to say.  But for now, consider how the enduring nature of God is tied to God the Son.  He came to earth so that He could die, which sounds like the end of the enduring God.  Yet, His death makes possible His resurrection, bringing about life that is eternal.  God barred Adam from the “tree of life” lest he eat it’s fruit and “endure” in his sinfulness (Gen. 3:22-24).  God in Christ, the Second Adam, endured the cross (Heb. 12:2) that we might eat of that tree (Rev. 22:2).