The question of whether God can suffer, often termed "Divine Impassibility," delves into the very nature and attributes of the Almighty. At first glance, the concept of an impassible God—one incapable of experiencing suffering, pain, or passion—might seem at odds with biblical narratives that portray God expressing grief, repentance, or even the profound suffering of Christ on the cross. However, a careful examination of the King James Version (KJV) Scriptures reveals a consistent theological foundation for God's inherent perfection, immutability, and blessedness, which undergird the doctrine of divine impassibility. This article will explore the biblical basis for God's impassibility, distinguishing between His essential nature and His condescending actions or anthropomorphic descriptions, particularly in light of Christ's incarnation and suffering.
God's Immutable Perfection: The Foundation of Impassibility
The bedrock of divine impassibility lies in God's immutable and perfect nature. The Bible unequivocally declares that God does not change. He is not subject to the vicissitudes of human experience or the limitations of created beings. The prophet Malachi proclaims:
For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Similarly, the Epistle of James reinforces this truth about the Father of lights:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
If God were capable of suffering, it would imply a change from a state of perfect blessedness to one of pain, sorrow, or deficiency. This would contradict His unchangeable nature. God is eternally blessed and perfectly content in Himself, possessing all attributes in their infinite fullness. He is the "blessed God," as 1 Timothy 1:11 describes Him. Suffering, by its very definition, implies a lack, a need, or an unwelcome external imposition. A being who lacks nothing and is eternally complete cannot suffer in His essential being without ceasing to be God.
The Nature of God as Spirit and Sovereign
Further supporting divine impassibility is the biblical revelation of God as Spirit and His absolute sovereignty. Jesus Himself declared:
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
As a pure Spirit, God does not possess a physical body, nerves, or a brain, which are the conduits through which physical and emotional pain are typically experienced in human beings. While we understand that spiritual anguish exists, God's spiritual nature is one of infinite perfection and blessedness, not vulnerability to the pain that comes from finitude or sin.
Moreover, God's absolute sovereignty and omnipotence mean He is never acted upon against His will. He is the prime mover, the one who declares "the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10). The Psalmist affirms, "But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased" (Psalms 115:3). Suffering, in the human sense, often implies being a victim of circumstances or external forces. God, however, is the supreme orchestrator of all things, ruling over all creation. He is never weary, as Isaiah 40:28 states, "The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary." A God who could suffer would be a God who could be diminished, overcome, or thwarted, which is contrary to His omnipotent nature.
Addressing Anthropomorphic Language: God's "Grief" and "Repentance"
A common challenge to divine impassibility arises from biblical passages where God is described using human emotions or actions, such as "grieving" or "repenting." For instance, Genesis 6:6 states:
And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Similarly, Jeremiah 15:6 records God saying, "Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting."
These are examples of anthropomorphic language, where God is described in human terms to make His actions and character comprehensible to finite minds. When the Bible says God "repented" or "grieved," it does not mean He experienced regret or emotional pain that altered His divine essence. Rather, it signifies a change in His disposition or action towards humanity due to their sin. It expresses His righteous displeasure and sorrow over human wickedness, leading to a change in His covenantal dealings or a manifestation of His judgment.
The Scriptures themselves clarify that God is not like man in His capacity to repent in the sense of changing His mind due to error or regret:
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?
And again, in 1 Samuel 15:29, it is stated, "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent." These verses affirm that God's "repentance" is a change in His external relationship or action, not a change in His internal, immutable nature or an experience of suffering that diminishes His blessedness. His "grief" over sin is a perfect, holy displeasure, not a painful passion.
The Incarnation and Christ's Suffering: A Crucial Distinction
Perhaps the most significant challenge to divine impassibility comes from the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross. If God is impassible, how could God the Son suffer so profoundly? The answer lies in the doctrine of the hypostatic union, the biblical truth that Jesus Christ is one person with two distinct natures: fully divine and fully human.
The Scriptures are clear that Christ truly took on human flesh and experienced the fullness of human existence, including suffering and death:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
And:
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Christ's suffering was real, excruciating, and salvific. However, it was His human nature that suffered, not His divine nature. The divine nature, being immutable and impassible, cannot suffer. The unity of the two natures in the one person of Christ means that the person who suffered was indeed God the Son, but the suffering itself was confined to His humanity. The divine nature upheld the human nature through the suffering, allowing for an infinite atonement, but it did not itself experience pain or diminution. To assert that God's divine nature suffered would imply that God is mutable, imperfect, and subject to external forces, which contradicts the very essence of His being as revealed in Scripture.
God's Love, Compassion, and Wrath in Light of Impassibility
Some might argue that a God who cannot suffer cannot truly love or empathize with His creation. However, this misunderstanding equates love and compassion with a susceptibility to pain. God's love is not a weakness or a passion that diminishes Him; it is an intrinsic, perfect attribute of His being. "God is love," 1 John 4:8 declares, not that God merely feels love or is capable of love. His love is eternal, unwavering, and self-giving, yet it does not imply a capacity for suffering in His divine essence.
Similarly, God's compassion is not a painful empathy that causes Him anguish. It is a perfect attribute of His character, leading Him to act graciously towards His creation, even in their rebellion. His mercy and long-suffering are expressions of His perfect love and patience, not indicators of internal turmoil.
Even God's wrath, which is often perceived as a passionate emotion, is described in Scripture as a righteous attribute. Romans 1:18 states, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." This wrath is a holy, unchanging opposition to sin, an expression of His perfect justice, not an uncontrolled outburst that could cause Him distress. As Psalms 97:2 says, "Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne."
Conclusion
The doctrine of divine impassibility, far from diminishing God's character, actually upholds His infinite perfection, immutability, and sovereignty as revealed in the King James Bible. God is not a being subject to change, weakness, or external forces that could inflict pain upon Him. His attributes of love, compassion, and wrath are perfect, eternal, and inherent to His blessed nature, not reactions that cause Him suffering.
While God condescends to communicate with humanity through anthropomorphic language, and while God the Son truly suffered in His human nature on the cross for our salvation, these truths do not negate the impassibility of His divine essence. Understanding divine impassibility ensures that we worship a God who is truly self-sufficient, eternally blessed, and perfectly glorious, the unchangeable "Father of lights" (James 1:17), who is the source of all good and never the recipient of suffering.