This reflection originally appeared in Daily Grace: The Mockingbird Devotional, Vol. 2:
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the exiles of the diaspora in: Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood: May grace and peace be yours in abundance. (1 Pet 1:1-2)
Have you ever known someone who was completely unreliable from one day to another? One day they are cheery, the next day they are depressed, and the next day they are short-tempered. They are a different person depending on when you meet them, and you never know what you’re going to get. I’ve met plenty and probably am one myself. Humans are unreliable characters who change with the weather (literally).
It would be easy to think that God is just like every other person we meet, whose approval or disapproval is dependent upon our conformity to certain expectations: Transgressions are met with ostracization, and obedience is met with a pat on the back.
But God is always the same no matter what. As the text outlines, each Person of the Trinity is united in the work of salvation. The Father elects and the Spirit sanctifies by the blood of Jesus. Within the life of God, there is no rivalry or double-mindedness, but unity. God isn’t subject to the weather, nor does he change his mind from day to day. God is not fickle or moody or wearing a costume.
How do we know that God is love? Or how do we know whether there isn’t some other, more powerful God, hidden from view pulling all the strings? What if God changes his mind and pushes the smite button on his cosmic iPad?
Since before the foundation of the world God has been and will be exactly the same (Rev 13:8, Eph 1:4). This God is merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love. Father, Son, and Spirit have always inseparably worked together for our redemption. And on that last day when we see this God face-to-face, we will not be surprised or dismayed at who we find.
