What is divine impassibility?

Response

The concept of divine impassibility suggests that God does not experience pain or emotions. This idea can be challenging to grasp as it can be interpreted differently by various individuals. Some believe that it may be better to avoid using this term altogether or to substitute it with another. The term “impassibility” is derived from the root word for passion, which can refer to “intense emotion” or “suffering.” Those who discuss divine impassibility typically have both of these aspects in mind.

The notion of divine impassibility arises from God’s unchanging nature—His immutability. It posits that God is incapable of feeling pain, sorrow, changing His mind, or having emotions. It is argued that if God were capable of change, it would imply imperfection. Any change, even to display emotion, would suggest either an improvement (implying current imperfection) or a deterioration (resulting in imperfection post-change). Advocates of divine impassibility view passages in Scripture that depict God experiencing passion or pain as mere anthropomorphisms. However, taken to its logical conclusion, God’s complete immutability would seemingly eliminate any form of action on His part, rendering Him a static being—a statue.

Conversely, Open Theists interpret biblical references to God’s emotions quite literally. They perceive God as responding to human choices with genuine emotions, such as disappointment or surprise. Open Theists assert that God is unaware of human actions beforehand, so His reactions upon discovering them are authentic. What proponents of divine impassibility regard as anthropomorphism, Open Theists consider as straightforward factual statements. For instance, when God regretted creating mankind and decided to eradicate them from the earth, it was a genuine response: “And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.”

Of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” , (Genesis 6:7). According to Open Theists, when God found out how sinful mankind had become, He regretted His earlier action and made a course correction. We reject Open Theism because it diminishes God’s perfection.

Scripture seems to chart a middle ground between Open Theism and divine impassibility. God has emotions but is not bound by them in the way that human beings are. God’s emotions are more than just anthropomorphic. God may grieve, but He is never “crippled with grief.” God may be angry, but He does not “lose His temper.” God may be disappointed by our choices, but these choices do not catch Him by surprise. God’s basic character does not change, but He can interact with changeable human beings and respond to our choices in time and space, even though He exists outside those dimensions. Although His nature and character remain the same, the way He responds to us may differ according to the situation. He always responds in ways that are consistent with His other attributes.

Ultimately, in Christ, God did experience pain and suffering. And perhaps in Christ we can understand immutability in a way that will allow us to see a perfect, unchangeable God who still experiences pain and emotions. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,” yet we know that Jesus changed—He grew, He acted, He had emotions, He died, He rose, and He felt anger, compassion, and hunger—yet His changes never indicated that He was anything less than perfect to begin with.