Does God Grow?

In the last article I posted some quotes of Tony Robbins when he was on a podcast talking about God. He had mentioned that he read the whole bible for himself to be able to assess it on his own. He thought it was very good and very powerful. What sparked all of this was his son becoming a Christian. So after reading it through, he mentions in the podcast how he asked his son a question.

“And I said, so I said, I got a question for you. Because he was like, this is what the Bible says. And rather than saying, look, the Bible has been translated by men, every group of Romans that may decide what went in and what went out. And we found missing pieces of the Bible, all that stuff. I just simply said, do you think God grows? And he looked at me and said, what are you, what are you saying? Is this a technique? I said, it's not a technique. I said, it's a simple question. Because I read the first half of the Bible and God seems very selfish and spiteful and mean. And second part, totally, completely loving. So I said, everything in the universe grows or dies. So God knows what's going to happen, knows your thoughts. I said, I'll buy all that. But my question is not that. He goes, well, then you're saying it doesn't mean the same thing as the words. I said, no, I just said, does God grow? And he really thought about it for a little bit. And I said, because my concern is, your experience of God is through a minister, which I think it's a beautiful thing. But I'd love it if you'd had a direct experience of God. And that was what you're making judgments from, rather than what somebody else told you. I'd love to have you read that same Bible and see what your experience of it is, rather than someone telling you what it means through their filters.”

Interesting. So to summarize his position, when reading the bible he viewed a “change” in God from one Testament to the other. God’s attitude, mannerisms, actions were all different. In Tony’s eyes God “changed” for the better. I already addressed in the previous article about Tony’s misevaluation of the bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament. As far as God growing, this is just a preposterous notion. For starters the bible states that God never ever changes: Malachi 3:6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” Numbers 23:19 “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” For some reason Tony doesn’t seem to remember these verses from when he read the bible. He is making judgements on his own evaluation. Not letting the bible speak for itself. Or to put it more succinctly: letting God speak for Himself about Himself.

 A second reason we know that God does not grow is because then He could no longer be God. To suggest that God grows is to assume that change was made for the better. Which implies that God improved! How can someone claim to be God who is not perfect? Or how can someone need to grow if they are supposedly perfect? For someone as educated as Tony is, I am surprised he would make such an illogical statement . But maybe it speaks more to his pride of bringing God down to our level for scrutiny and evaluation, instead of worship and glory like God deserves.

Now to be thorough and transparent, there are passages in the bible that make it appear as if God changed His  mind. In Exodus 32 for example, we see that God is ready to wipe out the Israelites for making the golden calf. “And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” (Exodus 32:9–10) Then Moses steps in and it appears that he talks God out of it. He tells God “Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did He  bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.” (Exodus 32:12) Then the bible says, “And the LORD relented from the disaster that He  had spoken of bringing on his people.” (Exodus 32:14) God changed his mind, right?! Not quite. This is an example of what scholars refer to as anthropomorphic language. That is language given to us to help understand God, even though it is not a direct correlation. For example, we are told in passages about the eyes, hands or arms of God. That he “walked” in the Garden of Eden. This does not mean that God has body parts like us. The bible is helping us to understand God’s actions in language that is relatable to us. It is the same here in Exodus. We are seeing anthropomorphic language on how God was feeling when He saw such a grievous sin by His people. John Gill on this passage says, “Not that any of God’s thoughts or the determinations of his mind are alterable; for the thoughts of his heart are to all generations [Ps. 33:11]; but He changes the outward dispensations of His providence, or His methods of acting with men . . . and this being similar to what they do when they repent of anything, who alter their course, hence repentance is ascribed to God, though, properly speaking, it does not belong to Him .” So no, God does not change His mind or anything else.

The reason Tony gives to believe God grows is because of observation. He said, “...everything in the universe grows or dies.” He is again bringing God down to our level. Assuming that just because Tony observes it this way, that must mean God is this way too. But again it is irrational thinking at best. Just because God is alive, does not mean He lives as we do. He is eternal. He is immortal. He has no beginning and has no end. Tony’s line of thinking is in the same vein  as the popular question skeptics like to ask “Who made God?” Which is a groundless question. God was not created. God does not die. God is not bound by time. How can the one who created time have a beginning? This is what makes Him God. This is why the bible teaches that He does not change. It would be like asking someone “What does blue smell like?” It doesn’t. Blue is a color, it doesn't have a smell. The same with God. You can ask the question, but it doesn't apply. This is why we know God exists. For everything in our world had a beginning. So you need someone who doesn’t have a beginning to start things off in creation.

So no, God does not grow, or change in any other way. It is questions like this that have me disagreeing with Tony that he is actually a christian. Regardless of what the bible says, who would want to worship a god that changes? That makes mistakes? Who needs to learn? That isn’t perfect? Believing this, as Tony would suggest, would actually bring about despair, not hope. For we have such joy and hope as christians because we trust in God’s word. Because He is a God that is perfect and unchanging, we can rely on what He has promised us in the Gospel. We don’t have to fear, be anxious, uncertain, doubting, lonely and so much more because of God being a God who does not change. Because He is not a man that He should lie. Or a son of man that He should change His mind. Because we know that what He has said, He will do. And when He has spoken, He has fulfilled it. Praise God, that He does not grow.