“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Technology is one of the big things that distinguishes the Western world from the rest of the countries on planet Earth.  What has technology not touched in the West?  Since the Industrial Revolution in the 18^th and 19^th Centuries, mechanical and then electronic conveniences have multiplied exponentially.  This has had a profound effect on cultural thinking, especially in the United States where change equals improvement.  It affects everything from how we fight wars to how we wash clothes to how we entertain ourselves and make a living.

Not nearly is this true in other, more traditional societies.   Permanence, birthright and stability are the norm there, not upgrades and changes.  Non-Western critics of Western values would seem to identify more with the fact that Jesus is the same.  However, with all the changes in Western culture, there may be a greater appreciation among believers there for the fact that “the Lord do[es] not change” (Malachi 3:6).

One example highlights the impact that change has had on our culture.  Our seven children’s birth dates spanned parts of three decades.  During that time we heard all the “experts’ ” proclamations about how a newborn should sleep.  First, it was on his stomach.  “We know this is the best way,” they said.  But then some babies suffocated, not able to breathe with their little faces pressed against the mattress.  So the experts said babies should sleep on their backs to breathe freely.  “We’re sure this is the best way,” they all agreed.  But some babies spit up and choked to death on their own vomit.  “Babies should sleep on their sides!” the experts later concluded.  Do we see a pattern here?  Even when they know they’re right, the story keeps changing.

However, Jesus doesn’t change.  This alone ought to be proof of his divinity, that he is not of this world.  That was the point of the writer of Hebrews, quoting Psalm 102:25-27:  “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.  They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.  You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed.  But you remain the same, and your years will never end” (1:10-12).  Everything changes in this life; nothing is permanent.  Large businesses go bankrupt, large buildings replace smaller ones, fortunes disappear, world records are broken, halls of fame are only temporary.  King Solomon called this reality “meaninglessness, a chasing after the wind” multiple times in Ecclesiastes.  His conclusion?  “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (12:13-14).

But imagine if Christ did change.  Aren’t we supposed to “gain Christ and be found in him” (Philippians 3:8-9)?  Yes.  Aren’t we to follow him?  Of course.  Isn’t our goal to be “conformed to the likeness of [God’s] Son (Romans 8:29)?  Absolutely.  But what if Christ weren’t the same.  What if his character or nature or mood changed from this to that, or was ever changing?  How could we aim for, let alone hit, such a moving target?  Could we ever really gain Christ?  No.  Follow him?  Not consistently.  Be conformed to his likeness?  Hardly.  In fact, if he did change, it would be a clear demonstration that he was in fact only human.  In that case he would be like us, made in our image, not vice-versa.  Who wants God like that?  Just read up on any of the pantheons of gods (Roman, Greek, Hindu, etc.).  They read like modern soap operas or so-called “reality” TV shows.

No, God does not change; he is the same, along with his Son.  And this lasts for all time—“yesterday and today and forever.”  Talk about consistency, stability and faithfulness!  Who else could “hold all things together” (Colossians 1:17)?  Who else could make us “more than conquerors” over the temporary, changing dimensions of life (Romans 8:37)?  Remember, his “kingdom…cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28).  It is changeless and timeless, a reflection of his character.

Remembering the unchanging God ought to have a deep impact on us.  On one hand, we “should never be the same” (pun intended).  On the other, we should be approximating his character daily.  Does your life reflect the stability of God’s unchanging character so that others see Christ being formed in you?