This session has not been translated into your language yet, so it is shown in English.

The Same Unchanging God

1. CONNECT

   10min
   Previously, we learned that the steps to applying an Old Testament passage to our modern world include exploring a passage’s original meaning, considering the historical developments that took place in the Bible, and applying what we’ve learned to our lives today. Three important connections between ourselves and the Old Testament make modern application possible. In this session, we’ll focus on the first of these connections: the fact that God is the same unchanging God today as he was in the Old Testament.

2. Reflection

   Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “In the Old Testament God was harsh and full of judgment, but in the New Testament he is merciful and full of grace.” If we believe that God has changed like this, it’s no wonder that we have difficulty applying the Old Testament to our lives. But the Scriptures teach that God does not change. His immutability is one of the most important connections between us and the Old Testament. And because we serve the same unchanging God that faithful Israelites served in Old Testament days, we can have confidence that the Old Testament Scriptures apply to our lives as well.

3. Guiding Question

   Why do you think we tend to describe God in the Old Testament differently than we describe God in the New Testament?

4. WATCH

   15min

5. DISCUSS

   15min
   1. Our session identifies three major connections or commonalities between Old Testament faith and the Christian faith: the same ________, the same ________, and the same ________.
   2. Read Isaiah 46:10. How does the fact that God’s eternal counsel (his plan for the universe) will not change or fail assure us that both the Old and New Testaments guide us toward the same goals for history?
   3. According to Hebrews 1:10-12 and James 1:17, God’s attributes do not change. God manifests his attributes in different ways at various times, but he always acts in accordance with his unchanging attributes. How does this truth assure us that Old Testament teachings apply to New Testament believers?
   4. Hebrews 6:17 teaches that when God made a covenant promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, and it would be fulfilled without fail. How do we see God’s Old Testament covenant promises fulfilled in the New Testament?

6. APPLY

   15min
   1. What would you say to someone who claims that God is not the same God in the Old Testament as he is in the New Testament?
   2. Do you think you will read the Old Testament differently now that you are aware of God’s immutability? Why or why not?

7. CHALLENGE

   Take some time to identify how God’s unchanging eternal counsel, attributes and covenant promises connect your life with the teachings of the Old Testament. Finish with a time of prayer.