Can the incarnation be reconciled with the immutability of God?

TL;DR:

God’s divine nature never changes, yet in the incarnation, the Son of God took on human nature without altering His divinity. Jesus’ dual nature—fully God and fully human—shows how God can enter our world while remaining perfectly immutable.

what does the bible say?

The Bible teaches that God does not change. His character, promises, and purposes remain constant across time (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). Yet it also teaches that the eternal Son became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). At first glance, this appears to be a contradiction: how can God remain unchanging and yet become man?

The answer is found in the nature of the incarnation. The Son of God did not stop being divine or alter His divine essence. Instead, He took on a true human nature while remaining fully God (Philippians 2:6-7; Colossians 2:9). His divine nature remained what it always was, even as He entered the world in time and space.

This means the incarnation was not a modification of His divinity but an addition of humanity. Though Jesus experienced change, limitation, and suffering in His human nature, His divine nature remained eternally unaltered. In this way, the incarnation does not violate the immutability of God.

from the old testament

In Malachi 3:6, God declares, “For I the LORD do not change.” Because His faithfulness does not change based on circumstance or time, His covenant and mercy are secure. In other words, when God acts in history, He does so without changing His nature.
Numbers 23:19 reinforces this by saying God is not like a man who changes His mind or fails to keep His word. This distinguishes the Creator from His creation. He is not subject to the instability of human nature.
At the same time, the Old Testament anticipates the arrival of the LORD Himself in human form. In Isaiah 7:14, we’re told a virgin will bear a son whose name is Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” In Isaiah 9:6, this child is called “Mighty God.” These promises reveal that God would come in a new way—not by changing His nature, but by entering creation in fulfillment of His eternal plan.
Psalm 102:25-27 contrasts the temporary nature of creation with God’s unchanging existence. The psalmist says, “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth…. They will perish, but you will remain…. you are the same, and your years have no end.” This affirmation of God’s eternal sameness becomes the crucial background for understanding how the Son could enter time and still remain eternal and unchanged in His divine nature.

from the new testament

John 1:1-14 begins by establishing that the Word was with God and was God from the beginning. When the Word became flesh, He did not cease being divine. His divine nature remained eternal and unchanging, even as He added human nature and entered the world.
Hebrews 13:8 declares, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Though His human experience involved hunger, fatigue, suffering, and death, His divine identity was constant. The Son of God did not stop being who He was when He became who He had not been.
How can this be? In Philippians 2:6-7, Paul explains that though Christ existed in the form of God, He took on the form of a servant. While remaining fully God, Jesus added a human nature. Theologians refer to Jesus’ dual nature as the hypostatic union, which says that Jesus has both a full divine nature as well as a full human nature with the two natures being neither mixed nor separated.
Colossians 2:9 affirms that “in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” The divine nature was not diminished when Jesus added on humanity. It was present fully, even as Jesus walked in human weakness.
Hebrews 1:10-12 applies the language of Psalm 102 to Christ, quoting directly: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth… they will perish, but you remain.” This confirms that the Son shares the unchanging nature of the LORD described in the psalm. Even in taking on flesh, the divine Son remained who He eternally is.

implications for today

The incarnation did not change God’s divine nature because, when Jesus came to earth, He added on a second nature, namely human nature. While the dual-nature of Jesus is mysterious, it was in His human nature that He lived and died. Because of His humanity, God was able to offer a way of escape from the wrath that His unchanging nature demanded by providing His Son as a sacrifice.

Jesus did not remain dead but resurrected and continues to live as both fully God and fully human, able to sympathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15) and interceding on our behalf before the Father (Hebrews 7:15).

The mystery of the incarnation gives us great hope. First, through it, we learn that God desires to reconcile with us despite our rebellion against Him. If Jesus had not come as fully human, His death would not have been enough to satisfy God’s wrath against sinners. It is also an example of great humility. For Jesus to add on humanity, He had to lay aside His prerogatives as God and limit Himself to be like us. Considering all that Jesus gave us to bring salvation, should encourage us to be willing to give up what little we have in this life to show love and compassion to others so that we can show them Jesus!

understand

Jesus’ divine nature did not change in the incarnation, but He added on human nature.
The Bible teaches that God’s divine nature is immutable.
Knowing that God took on human form to save humanity should help us appreciate His sacrifice all the more.

reflect

How is your faith impacted by knowing that God doesn’t change?
How does knowing that the almighty God took on human form impact your view of His love for you?
In what ways can you respond to Jesus’ sacrifice as both God and man in your actions and attitudes?

engage

How can we use Jesus’ dual nature to explain God’s accessibility and involvement in the world to skeptics?
How does the fact that Jesus took on human form help in evangelizing about Him to unbelievers?
How can understanding the hypostatic union help others reconcile seemingly contradictory aspects of Jesus’ nature?