“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM …” (Exodus 3:14)
The Greek philosophical conception of deity left God passionless, because having wants, desires, and emotions meant someone was subject to change. They can go from a state of sadness to happiness; trouble to calm; want to fulfillment. According to the philosophers, if the deity ever “wanted,” he was imperfect, because perfection allows for no decrease or increase of any kind. The Greek concept of God’s immutability found its way into Christianity through the church fathers.
God indeed “changes not,” but not as the Greeks supposed. He is a passionate God, who has pleasures He wants fulfilled. He can be saddened, troubled, and grieved by what He sees upon this earth. He can be filled with joy and happiness as well. What does not and cannot change about God is His nature. No matter what happens upon the earth, He is always Love. He is always Holy, Righteous, Gracious, Good, Merciful, and Faithful. And though He is no stoic, and falls short of the Greek ideal, He is Who He is: our perfect, passionate God.