The Self-existence of God

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God has no origin.  He was neither created nor did He come into being by any source.  This very fact separates God from everything else – everything else that He created. 

People who deny God as creator must explain the unexplainable.  Even if a Big Bang and evolution were to be accepted, they still need to be the result of cosmic elements that mixed together in the right fashion at the right time.  But this begs the question, “Where did the elements originate from?”

Faith must be used in even trying to understand God as self-existent because our minds can only process cause and effect.  Everything we do has an effect and everything we see must have a cause.  But God by His very nature and definition has no cause.  If God were created, then He wouldn’t truly be God but rather whoever created Him. 

I AM

We learn much about God by His names.  His nature is revealed to us by what He calls Himself.  In Exodus 3:14 we’re introduced to this title.  “God said to Moses, "~I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: '~I am has sent me to you.'" “  We know this name as Jehovah or Yahweh.  Because the name was held in such high reverence by the Jews, it was not even uttered except by the high priest on the day of atonement.  Hebrew writers simply wrote Adonai, which just means Lord.  In your Bibles, when this name is used, it is written in capitals as LORD.

This name literally means “the unchanging, eternal, self-existent God.”  It is this nature that Jesus declares in John 8:58 when he says "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

Jesus, as God, was greater than Abraham because He was Abraham’s creator.  This teachers of the law did not understand this and accused Jesus of blasphemy for equating Himself with God. (see verse 59)  This name is used in John 18:5-6 and the people fall to the ground at the sound of God’s name.  (Note: this should be translated simply “I am” rather than “I am he.”)

How is this attribute applicable to the Christian life?

As we study the attributes of God, we’ll look for what these attributes mean to us.  While we want to know God better, we should pay special attention to how these things affect us.

God needed no creator.  He created us.  You’ll recall in the book of Job how Job wanted answers for all that was happening to him.  God’s response was basically, “Who are you to question your creator?”

God does not need any advice from us.  No matter how old or wise we become, it is God who created us with a purpose and a plan.  And if that plan should not work out the way we wanted or expected it to, what right do we have to question the one who needed no creator? 

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