When God Repents | The Institute for Creation Research

When God Repents

“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for He is not a man, that He should repent” (I Samuel 15:29).

There are a number of Scriptures that speak of God repenting. For example, in the days before the great flood, “it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth” (Genesis 6:6). In the same chapter containing our text, God said: “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments” (I Samuel 15:11). Yet the Scriptures plainly teach that God changes not. “God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent” (Numbers 23:19). Bible critics have made much of this apparent “contradiction” in the Bible.

There is no contradiction, of course. The words translated “repent” in both Old and New Testaments, are used of actions which indicate outwardly that a “change of mind” has occurred inwardly. It is precisely because God does not repent concerning evil, that His actions will change toward man when man truly repents (this human “repentance” can go either way; changing from good to evil, or vice versa), and God will respond accordingly, since He cannot change His own mind toward evil.

Thus, He said concerning national repentance: “If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them” (Jeremiah 18:8). That is, if the nation truly repents, then God will change His own projected course of action. He seems outwardly to “repent,” specifically because He cannot repent in His inward attitude toward good and evil.

God has greatly blessed America in the past, but America’s people have drastically changed in recent years. Can the time be long coming when God must say: “It repenteth me that I have so favored this apostate nation”? HMM

The Latest
NEWS
Turning Point Founder Charlie Kirk Is Now with the Lord
Courageous Christian and creation supporter Charlie Kirk was murdered on September 10, 2025, while speaking at a Turning Point USA event held at Utah...

NEWS
Deliverance from Fear
“I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4) There are many things in such a world as ours that...

CREATION PODCAST
Can We Build a REAL Jurassic Park?! | The Creation Podcast: Episode...
In 1993, the movie Jurassic Park took the world by storm with its compelling characters, excellent cinematography, industry-altering...

NEWS
Project Artifact: The Spear
DALLAS, TX, September 9, 2025 — It’s finally here! Today marks the official launch of the Institute for Creation Research’s highly...

NEWS
Flood Tsunamis Transported Trees and Amber
A recent study published in Scientific Reports found strange globs of tree resin (amber) mixed within claimed ancient (Cretaceous) deep-water sediments...

NEWS
Secular Paper Admits ''Unreasonable Likelihood'' of Abiogenesis
A recent popular science article begins with the words, “A new study published in July 2025 tackles one of science’s most profound mysteries...

NEWS
September 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What...

ACTS & FACTS
Pervasive Genome Functionality Destroys the Myth of Junk DNA
In 2001, the first rough draft of the human genome was published in a collaborative effort between private industry and the public sector.1,2...

NEWS
Happy Labor Day 2025
“For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9) Labor Day was...

ACTS & FACTS
The Age of Reptiles Myth
We hear about the Age of Reptiles, also called the Age of Dinosaurs, almost as early as we can understand the idea. Even kindergarteners might be taught...