Journal: Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
Volume: JBTM 16:2 (Fall 2019)
Article: Did The Incarnation Introduce Change Among The Persons Of The Trinity?
Author: Adam Harwood

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JBTM 16:2 (Fall 2019) p. 37

Did The Incarnation Introduce Change Among The Persons Of The Trinity?

Adam Harwood

Adam Harwood is professor of theology, occupying the McFarland Chair of Theology; director of the Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry; and editor, Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. [email protected]

Note: A version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in San Antonio, Texas, on November 16, 2016.

Since the time of the early church, a strong intuition has existed within the Christian tradition to resist the notions that God either changes or suffers. Rather, God is (in qualified ways) both immutable and impassible. That is, he is unchanging in his nature, and he cannot be moved emotionally to act contrary to his plans.1 The motivating concern has been to safeguard against any notion that God changes in his being, or in his character. After all, Scripture includes statements such as “I the Lord do not change” (Mal 3:6a) and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8).2 God is presently, always has been, and always will be holy, loving, and just. In that sense, he is unchanging. Nevertheless, most who affirm that God is unchanging also believe God has acted in the world at various times, most decisively in the incarnation of the preexistent and eternal Son of God, Jesus. And many of the Christians who affirm God is impassible also affirm he is impassioned.3 So, the view that God is unchanging should not be misinterpreted to mean God is inactive in the world. And the view that God does not alter his plans due to being emotionally moved does not rule out that he is sometimes emotionally moved. Instead, the assertions that God is unchanging and immovable deserve to be qualified to account for God’s acts in relation to his creation.4

This concern for divine immutability and impassibility becomes acute when considering the incarnation. Prior to the incarnation, the eternal Son had not been subjected to changes such as those that occurred in the person of Jesus, such as birth, growth, learning, suffering,

JBTM 16:2 (Fall 2019) p. 38

and dying. When the Word became flesh, however, the incorporeal became corporeal. The main question of this paper is whether this addition of true humanity to the second person of the Trin...

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