29 Reasons Why We Can Know That God Doesn't Make Mistakes
- Heather Riggleman GodUpdates Contributor
- Updated Nov 16, 2021
The sun was setting, casting a golden hue across the lush, green Nebraska fields. I stared out into the horizon as tears cascaded in rivers down my cheeks as the swing creaked to the rhythm of the counselor’s words about my daughter’s recent autism diagnosis: God doesn’t make mistakes.
Those words at the time were meant to be a healing balm to my soul. Instead, it felt like I was handed a beautiful package wrapped in thorns. The more I tried to unwrap this gift, the more my fingers bled from the prickly packaging.
Have you ever made a mistake, ditched responsibilities, ruined relationships, took a wrong turn, made the wrong choice, or like me, you were handed a diagnosis you thought was surely a big, ugly disaster? Or perhaps you have a terminal illness? Maybe your child passed away suddenly, or your husband left you and someone tried to comfort you with the well-meaning words of “God doesn’t make mistakes.”
Billy Graham once said, “We don’t always understand why God allows some things to happen but we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We also know, “All things work together for good, for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose,’ which means that God is in control of everything and will use it all for our good, (Romans 8:28). God is perfect in every way. God cannot make mistakes. He doesn’t change, and He always accomplishes what He sets out to do!”
Sometimes God’s Word doesn’t provide the solace we need when something unexpected or tragic happens because we live in a fallen world. We also know our perspective that is limited, while God's is infinite light of our limited knowledge and wisdom (Job 42:1-3; Isaiah 55:8,9). When we try to make sense of God or when we question whether or not God makes mistakes, we are on a slippery slope where Truth becomes a tangled mess knotted in our own feelings, desires, thoughts, and not derived from the Word of God. We seek to live our own truths and determine our own destinies when we assume God somehow made a mistake.
The truth about God, ourselves, and the one who is authoring our stories must be rooted in the One who is Truth. If you find yourself questioning whether or not God makes mistakes, here are three reasons to believe God never makes mistakes.
#1 God Doesn't Make Mistakes Because God Is Truth
This truth has always been true and will continue to be true for all of eternity. And this truth is good. This truth is found only within Scripture. The Bible is the infallible Word of God. We trust it is true because God is Truth. Psalm 119 tells us over and over again that God’s Word is holy and right and its instructions are good. Paul listed in 2 Timothy 3:16, four ways believers can stand on the Bible as a foundation. It is useful for: teaching, correcting, training in righteousness, and rebuking. Each verse is capable to of illuminating the mightiness and holiness of God. Scripture is our authority, defining truth for us because God is Truth.
Scripture has authority over every believer and every aspect of life because it is breathed out by God. The Bible is the only text on this planet that does not contradict itself – it is our source of truth. The Hebrew word for “truth” is emet, which means: stable, faith, and firm. While the Greek word for “truth” is alethia, which means "upright and having nothing to hide." The Bible firmly reminds us that Christ is our truth. In John 14:6, he said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life and He called the Holy Spirit—our source for illuminating truth as “the Spirit of Truth,” in Hebrews 6:18, John 14:17; 15:26; and 16:13.
#2 God Doesn't Make Mistakes Because He Has a Plan
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
I like how the writer King Solomon makes a point in this passage to say that we should trust God and NOT look to our own understanding. Why? Because we see only a small fragment of what is going on around us. God sees everything including the present and the future. He placed you in this exact moment and time for His purpose. In Acts 17:27, Paul reminds each of us that, “…[God] marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us.”
Perhaps one of the most beautiful and life-affirming passages in the Bible are the words of David penned in Psalm 139. “My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all are written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them,” (Psalm 139:15-16).
We were created on purpose, for His purpose, even when we encounter struggles, trials, and difficulties. We live in a broken and fallen world. Because we live in a broken world, we’ve only caught a glimpse of God’s glory and we will never understand His plans especially when we are suffering. But God did plan for us:
To be more like Christ.
To glorify Him.
To be filled with Mercy.
To reflect His grace.
To perpetuate compassion.
To spread hope.
To demonstrate selflessness in a selfish world.
To emulate the Gospel.
When we begin to doubt God’s plan for us, our job is to remember, Jesus is the place where the plan of God meets, weaves, and intersects in our lives.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Khongor Ganbold
#3 God Doesn't Make Mistakes Because He’s Never Broken a Promise
“Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass,” Joshua 21:45.
When we don’t see God’s promises manifest in our lives we want to give up, doubt God, and assume He’s made a mistake because we are conditioned by this world to assume if it doesn’t happen then God must not care. But God does keep His promises.
What are His promises? There are too many to list but when you hold your Bible, you’re holding God’s promises to you. You’re also holding the story of how one man fulfilled every promise and prophecy that was predicted. In the final 24 hours of Jesus’ life, 29 Old Testament prophesies were fulfilled, that were written by several people over the course of five centuries from 1000 to 500 BC. In addition to the three main points, here are 26 additional promises we can stand on.
Here are 26 promises God made to His children.
God watches over our lives and keeps us from harm (Psalm 121).
God has plans to prosper us and give us hope (Jeremiah 29:11-13).
God meets all our needs (Philippians 4:19).
God always keeps His promises (Numbers 23:19, Psalm 146:6).
God created us and knew us before we were born (Psalm 139).
God chose us (2 Peter 2:9).
God always teaches and guides us (Psalm 32:8).
God is always good, faithful, and compassionate (Hebrews 10:23, Isaiah 54:10).
God is always with us (Joshua 1:9).
God never forgets us (Is. 49:15-16).
God designed us for a purpose. (Ephesians 2:10).
God fights for us (Isaiah 54:17, Deuteronomy 3:22, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
God always guides us (Proverbs 3:5-6).
God is our hiding place and refuge (Psalm 119).
God provides a way out of temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13).
God gives us power for our lives (2 Timothy 1:7).
God comforts us (Isaiah 66:13, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
God keeps us in peace (Isaiah 26:3, 12).
God gives us wisdom (James 1:5).
God gives us rest (Psalm 46:10).
God always forgives us when we confess to Him (1 John 1:9).
God always hears us when we pray (Psalm 55:17).
God gives us eternal life (John 3:16-17).
God gives us victory over death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 54-57).
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:1-7).
Jesus is the greatest answer to all of God’s promises (2 Corinthians 1:20-22).
Why it Is So Significant That We Serve a Perfect God
Some of the spiritual promises are the continued forgiveness of sins, our sanctification, supplying us with strength and peace in trials, and preserving with us until He calls us home. When God made these promises to us, He made them unbreakable because His character doesn’t allow Him to go back on His word. Meaning, we serve a perfect God. Being perfect is the standard by which everything in this world is measured. Perfect means “without flaw.” God is perfect in every way. There are no standards higher than God’s standard. But we as humans try to elevate our own way of understanding and opinions. Yet, we are flawed compared to our flawless God.
When we judge God by our own standards, we are placing ourselves on His throne. Psalm 18:30 says that all God does and says is perfect: “As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.” God’s perfection is seen in His character, His Word, and His actions.
Our mighty Father’s goal is that we become “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). Although we know we will never attain absolute perfection in this fallen world, He wants us to pursue Him through it all. You and I will make mistakes. You and will question the things that come our way but we can rest knowing that we serving a perfect God who brings all things together for our good!
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