Did God change His mind?
Q: HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE SCRIPTURES THAT SAY "GOD CHANGED HIS MIND". WHY
WOULD HE NEED TO IF HE IS PERFECT AND KNOWS ALL THINGS FROM BEGINNING TO END?
A: I assume that you are referring to passages like Jonah 3:10: And God saw
their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of [or
changed his mind concerning] the evil, that he had said that he would do unto
them; and he did it not. Other passages are: Genesis 6:7; Exodus 32:14; 1
Samuel 15:11; Psalm 106:45; Hosea 11:8; Joel 2:13.
Some people view these Scriptures as contradicting other statements like
Malachi 3:6: I am the Lord, I change not or other passages like James 1:17 or
1 Samuel 15:29. This contradiction is not real, only apparent. In logic this
is called a fallacy of equivocation, i.e. using a word which has two different
meanings.
What are your opinions?