Q.
Is there a scriptural basis for God changing God’s mind?
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Brandon Gilvin
Who is...
?
Brandon Gilvin
I have a thing for Pad Thai.A.
In Genesis 18, the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
includes an interesting quip of a tradition. God reveals to Abraham
that the cities have been judged as wicked and will be destroyed.
Abraham essentially lobbies God to spare Sodom, arguing that if fi fty righ-
teous people can be found there, then the city should be spared. When God
agrees, Abraham negotiates, whittling the number from fi fty to twenty to
ten. God agrees each time, amending the plan to destroy the city under any
circumstance. Of course, Lot is the only righteous man, and only he and his
household are spared.
There are other stories to this effect, and it’s important to remember
that the God portrayed in the Hebrew Bible is not the “Unmoved Mover” of
Aristotle, nor is the God portrayed in most Western philosophy. This God
functions like a character in relationship with human characters, involved inti-
mately, and reacting to their actions as well as pressing them into action.José F. Morales Jr.
Who is...
?
José F. Morales Jr.
I think graf ti is legitimate art and should be treated as such.A.
Here are two examples from scripture of God changing God’s
mind:
Exodus 32:14—“And the Lord changed his mind about the
disaster that he planned to bring on his people.” Here, God is angry at the
idolatrous people and is about to “consume” them all. But Moses implores,
and God heeds his plea.
Jonah 3:10—“When God saw what they did, how they turned from their
evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he
would bring upon them; and he did not do it.” Sent by God, Jonah preaches
God’s doom on the Ninevites. But Nineveh repents. And God recants.