Day 4: The Self-existence of God

“Origin” is a word that can apply only to things created: forks, umbrellas, Covid. Umbrellas, for example, date back to 2400 BC in modern-day China and Egypt. Umbrellas signified social status. In these cultures, royalty desired shade as they traveled around. So someone considered the need, then designed and built the prototype of an umbrella. Over time, northern Europe began to use an umbrella to deflect rain, and the umbrella became more associated with the average person and not royalty. Someone created an umbrella with a purpose. “When we think of anything with origin, we do not think of God. God is self-existent, while all created things necessarily originated somewhere at some time and for a purpose. Aside from God, nothing is self-caused.” 

We know God has no origin; therefore, He was not created. Our God is self-existent, standing outside of time and space, unlimited in both regards, with no beginning and no end. In other words, He is eternal and immortal (1 Tim 6:16). He alone possesses eternal life.

Our lives also have origins, from family history to locations to human reproduction. We know the science behind human reproduction by which a father and a mother produce human life. And yet, there is still a biological mystery at conception, where a person emerges from a sperm and an egg. And though a mystery, we understand some (not all) of the biological angle of human life. But where does life come from?

Our self-existent God. 

In his self-existent eternality, He is life; therefore, He is the only one able to create life. In Genesis 1-2, God created all life, including human life. John 5:26 says, “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.”  The created/creature must depend on the self-existent Creator. Similar to all inventions that have origins and were designed with a specific purpose, you have design and purpose that comes from our self-existent God.

Prayer:

Lord of all being! Thou alone canst affirm I AM THAT I AM; yet we who are made in Thine image may each one repeat “I am,” so confessing that we derive from Thee and that our words are but an echo of Thine own. We acknowledge Thee to be the great Original of which we through Thy goodness are grateful if imperfect copies. We worship Thee, O Father Everlasting. Amen.   – A.W. Tozer

Response:

Reflect: Thank our self-existent God using the words of Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Act: What “good work” will you depend on God for today?