Does God Repent, or Doesn’t He? Part 2: Toward an Answer
What do we make of the fact that the Bible says both that God repents and that he doesn’t?
I think the key to what’s going on here comes from the passage about God’s rejection of King Saul. I don’t know whether you noticed this in the previous post, but this event appears in both the list of statements that God doesn’t repent and the list of examples of his repenting.
In other words, the passage says both that God doesn’t repent and that he does.
Discussion
Does God Repent, or Doesn’t He? Part 1: The Question
In a previous post I meditated a bit on the prophets’ repeated description of God as “one who relents concerning calamity” (Jonah 4.2). And as I noted at the time, that assertion introduces what appears to be a significant theological problem.
The Scripture says repeatedly that God does not repent:
Discussion
Hymns for the Attributes of God
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“Church Works Media has a helpful resource for pastors and those who plan worship services: a topical list of hymns. In a similar spirit, I wanted to share a list of hymns that we either sang or considered singing in connection to a series I preached on the attributes of God.” - DBTS Blog
Discussion
In Awe of God’s Omnipresence (Part 1)
Orthodox Christians have confessed throughout the centuries of church history that God exists eternally in three co-equal Persons—each possessing one glorious nature, essence, substance, being or “form” (Phil. 2:6). Each of the three, while distinct from the other two, fully possesses all of the attributes (sometimes called perfections) of the “Godhead” (Rom. 1:20).
Discussion
Giving Thanks for the Goodness of God
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“We think we know what it means for God to be good, until we try to explain it. Then we usually start listing other attributes…. It takes some reflection to understand all that we mean—or should mean—when we confess that God is good.” - Kevin DeYoung
Discussion
The Old Testament God of Compassion and Mercy
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Exodus 34:6-7 “It is truly amazing to discover, therefore, that the first thing God had determined to reveal to us about His name (or character) was that He is merciful.” - Ligonier
Discussion