God’s Immutability & Infinity________________________
Letter from the Pastor March 3, 2026
SECOND LONDON CONFESSION, 2:1b
The Confession says in chapter 2:1b
The Lord our God… is immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, every way infinite, most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, and withal most just and terrible in His judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.[1]
GOD’S IMMUTABILITY
To say that God is immutable means that he is not subject to change, either by external or internal causes. Three scripture passages ground this doctrine:
Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
but you are the same, and your years have no end. (Psalm 102:25-27, ESV))
For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6, ESV)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17, ESV)
If God were to change, he would either change into something better or something worse, but this would imply imperfection in God, and therefore he would not be God were he not perfect. “But,” you say, “does God not say that he changes in some passages?” While there are passages in which God speaks of changing his mind, or even repenting, these are not to be interpreted as changes in his nature, but only in his actions which are visible to us.
In the last century, several theologians have argued that God can and does change. They argue that God, in order to truly relate to creation, must grow and adapt over time. This, they argue, is the only way to preserve true human freedom. We will address the issue of human freedom in a later chapter of the Confession. But suffice it to say, we do not preserve human freedom by making God subject to our choices. In doing so, they diminish the Biblical presentation of God and his perfections.
Because God is immutable, sinners ought to beware his coming judgment. He will not change his mind concerning evil. Christians ought to rejoice that all of his promises will stand. Because God cannot change, “Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:45, ESV) And the same will be true of all his promises to the church.
GOD’S INFINITY
While immutability may be difficult to understand, God’s infinity is quite beyond our comprehension. As you will see in a moment, to even define infinity requires boundaries, but true infinity is to be without bounds; to have no parameters.
Psalm 139 speaks of God’s pervasive presence:
“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.”
(Psalm 139:7–10, ESV)
The Psalmist understands that God is not absent in any location on, above, or under the earth. The Confession teaches that God is immense, meaning that he is not spatially bounded. He is “every way infinite,” which is to say all that is in God is infinite. The Dutch Reformer, Wilhelmus À Brakel’s writing on God’s infinity helps stretch our thinking. He writes:
“Occasionally, when referring to something of which the limits are not known, we refer to infinity in a hypothetical sense, as when we speak of the total number of grains of sand, blades of grass, or stars. We also define as infinite that to which something can always be added, which for instance is true of a number. Regardless of how long one counts, the ultimate sum will either be even or uneven, a reality which changes as soon as one number is added — even if you were to count during your entire lifetime. When we define God to be infinite, however, we do so in the literal sense of the word, thereby conveying that His Being is truly without any parameters or limitations.”[2]
In other words, rather than defining infinity, we end up resorting to images and pictures of things which are large (like the universe, or sand) and saying, “God’s like that.” The problem is he isn’t like that at all. To say that God is omnipresent means there is no part of creation which excludes his infinite presence, yet at the same time creation does not confine or bound his presence. He is present within all of creation without being contained by it.
Christian, God is ever present with you. He sees all your actions and thoughts. God’s immensity and omnipresence ought to keep you from presumptuous sin. His presence ought to be a comfort to you as well. You are never and can never be truly alone. Because God, through Christ, has become your Father, he is near to you and loves you. His infinity ought to give you rest and peace. Though you cannot be in all places, judging all actions, overseeing the care of the world, he can and does.
CONCLUSION
Because God is immutable, infinite, self-existent, and pure spirit; he is “most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory.” He forgives sin and punishes the sinner. He works all things according to the purpose of his will, and nothing can thwart his decrees.
In Christ,
Pastor Jonathan
[1]You would be helped to read the entirety of chapter 2 on your own time. The full text of the confession can be accessed at: https://www.the1689confession.com
[2] Wilhelmus A’ Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2012), 93.