Can God Change?

The LDS doctrine of “eternal progression” teaches that God was born a man and, by His righteous living, achieved godhood.

This idea is summarized in the famous Lorenzo Snow couplet which states,

“as man is, God once was, as God is, man may become”

Yet Christians believe that God is eternally unchanging, that God has no beginning, and that it’s impossible for Him to “progress”. 

So, what does the Bible say about this? Does God change? 

God is the Eternal, Unchanging, Creator

God’s creation is constantly changing.

The grass withers, the flowers fade (Isaiah 40:8). Scripture even says that our life is like vapor in the wind—here one moment, and gone the next (James 4:14).

Creation is in constant motion, and yet God, the one who created everything, is not like His creation. He never changes.

The Bible says

“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)

The Bible continually contrasts Creator and Creation. While this earth has a beginning and an end God is “from everlasting to everlasting”, (Isaiah 43:13).

God is unchanging because He is not lacking anything. He is perfect!

Because God is perfect, complete, and not lacking anything, He cannot change, or he would no longer be perfect. God does not progress because there is nothing greater for Him to progress to!

A god who progresses is a god who is not as good today as He can be tomorrow.

He would be lacking, imperfect. There would be qualities he would not have yet perfected. Knowledge he would not have yet attained. God is already perfect! If he were to ever change, then he could no longer be considered “perfect”.

The Bible says,

“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)

You and I could never conceive of a better, more-perfect version of God.

The book of Job says of God,

“But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does.” (Job 23:13).

Think about what could happen if God was always changing. How could we ever be sure of truth in a universe where God changes?

As we observe our world, we see it in a constant state of flux. One generation makes laws, the next repeals them. Some write constitutions, and others amend them. Whole societies change their views on what they think is right and wrong. Past social customs—once applauded—are later despised; and those once abhorred are now celebrated. Whether for better or for worse, our world is always changing.

But objective Biblical truth never changes, because it is rooted in an unchanging God. 

We can be sure that God will never change his mind on salvation, on His standard of righteousness, His goodness, or on His love for His people, because God never changes! 

The Bible plainly states,

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19). 

This means that we can trust that what the Bible reveals will be true for all time. Jesus even says

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) 

The God of the Bible is so different than the ever-changing, always-progressing god of Mormonism. God says of Himself,

“For I the Lord do not change;” (Malachi 3:6).

Our entire hope for salvation rests on the unchangeable nature of God. Truth matters, and it doesn’t change because it is firmly rooted in the perfect and stable nature of God.