The Eternal and Unchanging Nature of God: A Foundation for Faith and Healing

One of the most foundational aspects of developing an unshakeable faith in God is understanding his eternal, unchanging nature. One of the first steps to knowing the Lord is understanding his character and attributes. Perhaps the first characteristic to know is that he was God before the world was created, and he is still God, and He will always be God.

You may wonder why that’s important to know. Yet it is so crucial! Knowing God is eternal leads to faith in him, hope for healing and justice, and an assurance that he will fulfill his promises. If God was not eternal and unchanging, how could we have confidence that he had the power to uphold his promises? How could we be sure he is the true source of salvation? There would always be that little nagging doubt in our  minds that perhaps there would someone more powerful than him that could thwart all his works.

My kids loved watching Marvel movies, where the superheroes had supernatural god-like powers. Many of the antagonists of these stories even claimed to be gods. Yet the gods depicted in those movies and in the mythologies of various societies cannot have the power to save. They are always overthrown by some other entity greater or clever than them. Yet these are simply stories.

This eternal nature of God is not just an abstract theological point. It has deep practical implications for our ability to exercise faith in him, especially when we are looking to him for healing, help and hope amidst the trials of life. He is there! He is real! And he loves you!

Testimonies Through the Ages: God Is Eternal

The scriptures are full of testimonies that God is indeed eternal and unchanging, "from everlasting to everlasting." As the Psalmist declared, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God" (Psalms 90:2). Jesus Christ—who is that Jehovah from the Old Testament—proclaimed, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 21:6).

This testimony of God's divinity was passed down from Adam and Eve to subsequent generations. These first parents spoke directly with God. They walked and talked with God in the garden of Eden. After they partook of the fruit and were cast out of the garden, they still heard his voice and taught their children about his divine nature. That testimony still resounds through the generations until today.

Enoch, whom the bible says walked with God, heard the Lord proclaim, "I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name also" (Moses 7:35). The Bible records how this knowledge continued through the great patriarchs like Abraham. Believe in the testimonies of his fathers, Abraham sought the face of God. Because of his faith and trust, God spoke with Abraham, and he became a personal witness of the divinity of God. With that knowledge of God's divinity, passed down through the ages, men could develop a deep and lasting faith.

The more we study the revelations and first-hand accounts witnessing God's divine characteristics and eternal nature, the deeper our faith becomes rooted in him. We come to know, like Moses, that “God is not a man, that he should lie" (Numbers 23:19) and like Paul that it is “impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). With these witnesses over the generations, our confidence becomes firm that we can lay hold upon hope and access his promised blessings and redemption.

One Eternal Round: God Is the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Because we know God is everlasting, and the creator of all things, we can trust fully that in him. Our faith can be solid on that foundation. His words and promises have true eternal meaning because he himself is eternal and unchanging. As Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35).

This is confirmed throughout scripture as we read testimonies from people throughout every generation. That testimony proclaims that he does not change. Paul stated that Jesus is “same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). He is the One True God, who leads all men to do good, "for I am the Lord, I change not" (Malachi 3:6).

When our souls are afflicted and we are desperately seeking God's healing and divine help, it’s a comfort to know that he is eternal and unchanging. He is the same loving, merciful, and all-powerful God that he has always been! We can take courage that he truly has "all power" and the ability to uphold his precious promises of peace, redemption and eternal life. We can find faith in his capacity to heal us, both physically and spiritually, because he is not limited to the powers of this world. He is not a passive being. He is the great I Am!

Just as the eternal, unchanging God was able to bear the consequences of all human sin and imperfection through his infinite atonement, so we know he is equally able to heal and redeem us if we exercise faith in him. This infinite, eternal perspective allows us to fully put our trust in him with unwavering faith, not only for our eternal salvation but also for the healing blessings and guidance we need in our daily lives.

When doubts, fears or feelings of limitation and inadequacy afflict us, we can turn with confidence to this Great Physician, the God who simply is, who has been and will forever be the same eternal, all-powerful and all-loving being. As we come to know his eternal, unchanging character, we gain the unshakable faith needed to rise above our adversity.

Hope and Healing Comes Through Christ

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