Does God Change His Mind? Repentance, Divine Emotion & the Meaning of “God Relented”

In this clip from Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright explores one of the most challenging themes in the Old Testament: the idea that God “repents” or “changes his mind.” Jeremy asks how to reconcile passages where God is said to relent, regret, or change course (such as Genesis 6 and Exodus 32) with texts like 1 Samuel 15 that declare God does not “have regret.” Tom unpacks the Hebrew background and the tension between divine immutability and relational responsiveness. The conversation moves into deep theological reflection on whether biblical language about God is metaphorical, and how Christians should understand God’s emotions, grief, and apparent change in response to human actions. Drawing on the story of Abraham, the prophets, and ultimately Jesus himself, Tom argues that Scripture presents a living, relational God who is genuinely engaged with his creation. At the heart of the discussion is the claim that God must be at least as “like Jesus” as Christians believe - and that the incarnation reshapes how we read even the most difficult passages about divine character. 📺 To watch the full show, head to    / premierunbelievable   Support & Subscribe 👉 Support thought-provoking conversations and help keep the show going at www.premierunbelievable.com/geolink/donate💡 ❓Got a question for Tom? Go to askntwright.com 👉 Refer a friend to become a subscriber → They can get 10% off by clicking here Follow us Instagram:   / premierunbelievable   Facebook:   / premierunbelievable   Tik Tok:   / premier.unbelievable   X: https://x.com/UnbelievableFE