Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple

Chad Werkhoven

3 hours ago

Benefit from deep theology by viewing it through God's simple truths.

Malachi 3:6-7

CONTEXT: God speaks through the prophet Malachi to confront Israel's spiritual apathy and corrupt worship. Our short passage today comes between two of these accusations.

6 “I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your fathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.

Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Articles 1-10

Article 11: Election Is Unchangeable

Just as God is most wise, unchangeable, all-knowing, and almighty,
1. so the election made by him can neither be suspended nor altered, revoked, or annulled;
2. neither can God’s chosen ones be cast off, nor their number reduced.

Summary

So far this year, we've been working hard to wrap our minds around this difficult concept that God unconditionally elected those He would save. We've already been reminded that when theology gets complicated, it's a good practice to simplify it by going back to its foundational roots: the attributes of God that the Bible tells us so much about.

In this short little passage in Malachi, we're reminded of three key characteristics of God:

1) God is immutable. That's probably not a word that you've used yet this week, so it might be better to just simply quote God's own words that open today's passage: I the LORD do not change.

We're going to spend the rest of this week being comforted by this awesome attribute, because through it you come to understand that, as the Canons put it, God's election of you can neither be suspended nor altered, revoked, or annulled, so therefore you can be certain that you will never be cast off.

2) God is just. Remember that you are in a covenantal relationship with God in which He has committed Himself to be your God, and you therefore belong to Him, and are expected to keep His decrees. These decrees - also referred to in the Bible as His laws, commands, precepts, etc - are not burdensome or overbearing. In fact, they define how to live a happy life fulfilling your purpose to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!

3) God is faithful. God's people - Israel then, and the Church now - have consistently turned away from God's decrees and have not kept them. So we completely deserve to be destroyed! But God remains faithful to His covenant even though we do not! The NET Bible captures this idea well, translating the opening line as Since, I, the LORD, do not go back on my promises, you, sons of Jacob, have not perished.

God continues to plead with people even today the way He did thousands of years ago through the prophet Malachi: Return to me, and I will return to you!

Dig Deeper

So often the reason people struggle with these doctrines of grace (also known as TULIP or Calvinism) is because they clash with our deeply rooted sense of fairness and justice. We expect people to earn the good things they receive, and that God ought to change His plan based on human responses. It's so much easier to dwell on seemingly flexible passages in the Bible that can be molded to fit our expectations while avoiding the more rigid passages that don't conform to our presuppositions.

However, as you begin to understand the deep and sometimes complicated theology associated with God's sovereignty and predestination through the lens of the simple theology found in passages like today's, the more you will begin to appreciate how beneficial and comforting the doctrines taught in the Canons of Dordt really are.

Find peace in knowing that God's unchanging grace is stronger than you are!

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