Does God make mistakes?

Answer

God does not make mistakes. His perfection and greatness prevent errors: “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” «Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And his greatness is unsearchable. », (Psalm 145:3). In the original language, the word translated as “fathom” includes the idea of being “impossible to find out or enumerate.” In essence, God’s greatness is limitless. This concept cannot apply to a fallible individual because even one mistake would make his greatness measurable and limited.

God’s capacity to accomplish all things and comprehend all matters also prevents Him from making mistakes: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit” «Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite. », (Psalm 147:5). Once again, the Scriptures affirm that God is infallible. Limited knowledge leads to errors, but God possesses boundless knowledge and is error-free.

God has not erred in His creation of the world. God’s boundless wisdom, power, and goodness combined to bring forth a flawless world. After six days of creation, God examined all He had made and declared it “very good” «And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.», (Genesis 1:31). There were no exceptions, qualifications, or disappointments. Just the affirmation of “very good.”

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” «God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?», (Numbers 23:19).

He should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? », (Numbers 23:19). Unlike man, God makes no mistakes and has no afterthoughts leading to a change of mind. God makes no decrees that He must later annul because He did not consider all the consequences or because He did not possess the power to fulfill. Also, God is not like man whose sinfulness requires judgment. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” «This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. », (1 John 1:5b). “The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does” «The LORD is righteous in all his ways, And holy in all his works. », (Psalm 145:17).

Some claim that Scripture shows God having second thoughts about His creation: “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them’” (Genesis 6:5-7).

It’s good to understand the word regret in this passage. When used of God, regret incorporates the thought of compassionate grief and an action taken. God was not showing weakness, admitting an error, or regretting a mistake. Rather, He was expressing His need to take specific, drastic action to counteract the wickedness of mankind: “Ever

Everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” «And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. », (Genesis 6:5). The fact that God did not consider His creation a mistake is proved by the world’s continued existence. We’re still here, sinful though we are. Praise the Lord for His grace: “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” «Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: », (Romans 5:20b), and “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” «But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. », (Genesis 6:8).

God has never made a mistake. He has had a purpose in everything, and outcomes are no surprise to Him, for He declares the end from the beginning: “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

Someone may think God has made a mistake in his or her own personal life. Certain experiences and conditions beyond our control make us wonder if God has maybe miscalculated. However, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” «And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. », (Romans 8:28). This takes faith to accept, but “we live by faith,Not by sight” «(for we walk by faith, not by sight:) », (2 Corinthians 5:7). In everything, we must understand that the things of this life are expendable and are being spent for our eternal reward according to the wisdom of Him who “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy” «Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, », (Jude 1:24). We can rejoice that our Lord God makes no mistakes in our lives but has a good and loving purpose for everything He allows.

There is no fault in our God; there are no mistakes He has made. And there is no fault in His Son; Jesus committed no sin in thought, word, or deed «For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. », (Hebrews 4:15). Satan was desperate to reveal even one fault in Jesus, but the devil utterly failed in his attempts (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus remained the spotless Lamb of God «but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: », (1 Peter 1:19). At the end of Jesus’ life, His earthly judge, Pontius Pilate, declared, “I find no fault in this man” «Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. », (Luke 23:4).

We live with our mistakes, big and little, petty and disastrous, and we get used to making.

Admitting our mistakes is essential, as humans are prone to making them. However, we serve an infallible, error-free God whose greatness is beyond comprehension. “Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too numerous to declare” «Many, O LORD my God, Are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, And thy thoughts which are to us-ward: They cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. », (Psalm 40:5). It’s reassuring to know that God is in control and that He, who never makes mistakes, can more than make up for ours.