The changeless nature of God

 In context, the well known clause, “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:30) refers to the inclusion of Gentiles in the family of God. But a statement of that kind may be widely used in a number of settings. An example in English of that might be, “It never rains but it pours.” In a downpour it refers to a heavy rain, but on a day filled with social blunders it could describe the weight of self-condemnation. After a win at the local casino one might look at a lapful of coins and exclaim, “It never rains but it pours.” In a somewhat similar way, the irrevocable gifts of God and his choices along the way carry various nuances in different settings.
         Think with me about the “irrevocable” nature of God’s gift of salvation. No believer need fear that in time God might change his mind and that person will fail to end up in heaven. When I accepted Christ as savior and freely shared the good news with others I never have to have sleepless nights about the possibility of not making it. When God saves he does it for good. The gift of salvation is irrevocable – he can’t take it back even if he wanted to because that would violate who he is. Then there is the gift of sharing one’s faith. If this is what you seem to be able to do quite well, I am confident that this gift will not be rescinded as life moves toward its goal. There is a wonderful stability in the way God acts. He is not an inexperienced novice still looking for the best way run the world. Incidentally, it is the scientist’s confidence that material creation is stable that has led to the social benefits of the day. If the material world were in some way undependable it would be hard to envision scientists coming up with new insights that were less than dependable. You cannot depend on A and B equaling C if now and then B is something else. God’s gifts remain as they are. The certainty that they are irrevocable adds stability to this old world.
         If God’s gifts are irrevocable, so also is his call. Scripture teaches that God calls (elects, predestines, chooses) those whom he will. Define it as you wish, his call will forever remain the same. Life moves along a steady path with a certainty that encourages us to relax because God’s plans do not fluctuate. We know that the future will be consistent with the past. God’s sunsets will remain as beautiful as ever; God’s desire for our fellowship will never change. Praise God for his ability and his willingness to become totally and unalterably the same.