I would like to invite readers to listen to Anna Madsen’s rendition of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” an 8th-century hymn traditionally associated with the Advent season.
The first verse of this solemn hymn says:
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
Christian Advent, or Adventus, is the four-week period before Christmas in the Christian liturgical year. Each week encompasses one of the following themes: hope, peace, joy, and love. The Advent season serves as a remembrance of Christ’s incarnation, inviting us to reflect on God’s promises of liberation and salvation.
It’s no secret that as humans, we struggle with the understanding of what God’s unchanging purposes are. Our knowledge about God and his divine plans is limited, and our souls wrestle with that. This struggle can be observed, for example, when we sometimes act as if God were a semi-otiose deity who needs to be awakened, not being aware of how God’s unchanging purposes are unfolded. Such a struggle can diminish our hope, bringing uncertainty and despair.
I find a powerful connection between Advent and God’s unchanging purposes since the Advent season is not only about remembrance but also about expectation. We expect Christ’s return. Considering this, I see Advent as a great time to meditate on God’s purposes, which help us prepare our hearts for Christ.
Understanding God’s Counsel and Purposes
God’s counsel refers to His divine will, eternal plans or unchanging purposes. In the reformed faith, the eternal counsel of God is immutable–theologically speaking, this means that the divine will, character, essence, and nature are unchangeable (Ps. 33:11; Isa. 46:10; Heb. 13:8; Eph. 1:11, James 1:17). We can appreciate the fulfillment of God’s eternal counsel in several ways, such as when God created the universe and humankind (Col. 1:16-17). It is noted when God started the salvation plan in the world (Eph. 1:4-5). And we also see it when God offered Christ to the world (John 3:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 3:25-27).
A Reformed document that speaks clearly about God’s counsel and His plans is The Westminster Confession, one of the doctrinal standards of the Presbyterian church. In Chapter III of this Statement of Faith, we are told that God’s counsel is wise, holy, eternal, immutable, and unsearchable (Art. 3, 5, and 7).
God’s Purposes in the Creation
The eternal counsel was revealed in the creation order, where God created the universe according to His own wisdom. In such an event, the divine plan developed in such a way that Scripture tells us that God issued a value judgment about His handiwork: “And God saw all he had made, and it was good” (Gen. 1:31a). This goodness shows us that God did not act arbitrarily in the creation, but orchestrated everything according to His established and unchanging purposes.
God also revealed His desire to develop an intimate relationship with our first parents, and by extension, the whole of humanity. Such a desire was also part of God’s eternal purposes, as the New Testament shows.
John 1:14 (NIV) – “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 15:15 (NIV) – “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”
In both God’s act of creation and the divine desire of establishing a relationship with humanity, we note that God’s eternal purposes were fulfilled.
God’s Purposes in the Salvific Plan
Despite what evil did to the created order by introducing sin, God did not abandon or change His established plans with His people, as Paul affirms in Romans 11:2.
Romans 11:2a (NIV) – “God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.”
Instead, God provided the solution–Christ’s sacrifice–according to divine counsel. God had previously established that Christ was the Servant of the Lord who would take our place in order to overcome the power of evil. Christ’s death was not something that humans did to him, but a gift Christ prepared for us before the foundation of the world. Despite God’s right to send us to hell, He instead sent His Son to save His people who were enslaved by sin but waiting for liberation.
Isaias 53:10-11 (NIV) – “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied, by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.”
As noted in Scripture, evil could not destroy or thwart God’s eternal purposes for humanity, despite its fierce opposition.
God’s Purposes in Christ
Another area where we appreciate the fulfillment of God’s unchanging purposes was Christ’s ascension into heaven and his priestly work on behalf of His people. In His wisdom, God gave us a better high priest who only needed to offer himself once as a single sacrifice.
Hebrews 4:14 (NIV) – “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
We observed that Christ is in a unique position, satisfying God’s demands for justice and understanding the human need for compassion and salvation. Compared to the old sacrificial system, the New Covenant has brought improvements and new benefits to believers. Although the consummation of the revealed God’s purposes needs to be completed yet–the new heaven and the new earth, we now enjoy the benefits of our redemption in Christ.
Preparing Our Hearts
The Advent season reminds us that God’s unchanging plan of salvation was fulfilled through Christ. It also calls us to remain expectant about the time when Christ returns and restores all things. Advent is a season when we are waiting for our redemption. So, let us set our hope high since the God who created the universe and ordained our salvation also has the power to sustain us. God’s unchangeable character gives us the assurance that all His eternal counsel will carry on to completion.
The doctrine of God’s unchanging purposes is also useful for our daily lives. While watching the History Channel the other day, I learned that on July 1st, 2025, the ATLAS telescope in Chile discovered the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. I heard that there have been a couple of hypotheses about whether this object can be a real comet. After learning more about these hypotheses, I must admit I became worried. However, as I reflected on the divine purposes while I was writing this short essay, I realized I should not worry because there’s nothing that can thwart God’s purposes and separate us from Him. God’s unchanging purposes can strengthen our faith when we are challenged.
*Originally published in Kerux. Calvin Theological Seminary. 12/02/2025. https://kerux.calvinseminary.edu/advent-season-and-gods-unchanging-purposes-getting-our-hope-set-high/. All rights reserved by the publisher. Used by permission.