A preamble
Because I am so little qualified, perhaps I should not even pursue that question, let alone be so bold as to actually write about it. How else than am I to determine an answer to such an impossible question?
Like most issues in life I get answers by means of a probing, yet largely uneducated mind that is facilitated through the process of converting findings and thoughts to the written word and, in the end, attempting to make sense of it all in story form.
For Wrights Lane purposes I am ever cognizant of brevity and attention spans of my readers, but in this instance I worry that I will not be able to do justice to the serious subject matter. So bear with me dear reader as I attempt squeeze mega centuries of complicated creation into a three or four thousand word summary. I fully expect that more theologically learned friends will frown on my humble efforts.
I can tell you right now that this undertaking has been several days in the development stage and as I write, it may be another day or two before I arrive at satisfactory completed text.
Recognizing that God is genderless, I will refer to Him, He and His throughout this piece because he is cast as a father-like figure throughout the Scriptures. Otherwise, in lieu of repeating the word God over and over again, I would be at a loss as to what else to call (often two or three times in the same sentence) this supreme energy force that is beyond human description and perception.
So, "Who is God and how did he come to be?" The Biblical answer to that leading question is, God was not created. He is by nature the eternal God. He always was, is, and always will be. He did not work Himself up into a position to be God neither did He inherit the position from His parents, for He had no parents-no mother, no father. He has no beginning and will have no end.
The fact that God is eternal is stressed in the Bible when the psalmist wrote: "Even from everlasting to everlasting you are God"(Psalm 90:2). Moses records God saying: "For I lift my hand to heaven, and say, as I live forever..." (Deuteronomy 32:40).Therefore God is uncaused. This, of course, poses a problem, because we think that every affect has a cause and we assume God must also have a cause.
As a starting point, one must assume a first cause or else no cause whatsoever. If God is denied as always existing, then one must assume that something material has existed from all eternity. This material would have come about without a cause. Therefore our choice is between an intelligent being who is self-existent and lifeless matter.
Some might argue that these statements "beg the question" for they are assuming what they should be proving. They conveniently start with God but do not explain the how or why of His existence. But ultimately we must admit that there had to have been something in the beginning whether it be God or something else.
The starting point, again according to the Bible is God. God was in the beginning and everything stems from Him. This is not inconsistent with what He has revealed about Himself in Scripture nor is it inconsistent with our understanding about the origin of the universe.
While the Bible provides limited information regarding what God did before the creation of the universe, one thing is clear: God existed in perfect community as Father, Son, and Spirit from eternity past. The Bible begins with the words, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Clearly, God the Father existed long before the universe's creation, holding the power and wisdom to create and design all things.
The Holy Spirit also existed from eternity past. Genesis 1:2 is the first mention of the Spirit: "the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." In Acts 5:3-4, Peter referred to the Holy Spirit as God.
As God, the Holy Spirit is clearly eternal, existing from before the time of the universe's creation as well as from eternity past.
Jesus Christ also existed from eternity past as the second Person of the Triune God. John 1:1-3 teaches, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." Colossians 1:16-17 affirms, "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
Philosophically, some have argued that before the creation of the universe, space and time did not exist as we know it. Therefore, it is impossible to discuss what happened "when" there was no universe as time did not exist as we understand it.
However, the Bible does offer some insights regarding God's activities before the creation of the universe. In John 17:24 Jesus said, "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world." Love existed before creation between God the Father and God the Son. They existed along with the Holy Spirit in perfect glory and unity.
In addition, Ephesians 1:4 notes, "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him." God chose those who would believe in Him before the creation of the world. It is amazing to think that God thought of us by name, individually, before anything existed in our universe.
Titus 1:2 (NIV) also shares, "in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time." Eternal life was planned before time began. God knew the end even before the beginning of creation.
While little is known about God's work before creation, it is clear God was active, all-knowing, and perfect in community, love, and glory as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The idea that God created time, along with the physical universe, is not just some wacky modern Christian interpretation of the Bible. Justin Martyr, a second century Christian apologist, in his Hortatory Address to the Greeks, said that Plato got the idea that time was created along with the universe from Moses:
Jesus Christ also existed from eternity past as the second Person of the Triune God. John 1:1-3 teaches, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." Colossians 1:16-17 affirms, "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
Philosophically, some have argued that before the creation of the universe, space and time did not exist as we know it. Therefore, it is impossible to discuss what happened "when" there was no universe as time did not exist as we understand it.
However, the Bible does offer some insights regarding God's activities before the creation of the universe. In John 17:24 Jesus said, "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world." Love existed before creation between God the Father and God the Son. They existed along with the Holy Spirit in perfect glory and unity.
In addition, Ephesians 1:4 notes, "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him." God chose those who would believe in Him before the creation of the world. It is amazing to think that God thought of us by name, individually, before anything existed in our universe.
Titus 1:2 (NIV) also shares, "in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time." Eternal life was planned before time began. God knew the end even before the beginning of creation.
While little is known about God's work before creation, it is clear God was active, all-knowing, and perfect in community, love, and glory as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The idea that God created time, along with the physical universe, is not just some wacky modern Christian interpretation of the Bible. Justin Martyr, a second century Christian apologist, in his Hortatory Address to the Greeks, said that Plato got the idea that time was created along with the universe from Moses:
"And from what source did Plato draw the information that time was created along with the heavens? He wrote thus: 'Time, accordingly, was created along with the heavens; in order that, coming into being together, they might also be together dissolved, if ever their dissolution should take place.' Had he not learned this from the divine history of Moses?"
How then does God, acting before time began, get around the problem of His creation? There are two possible interpretations. One is that God exists outside of time. Since we live in a universe of cause and effect, we naturally assume that this is the only way in which any kind of existence can function. However, the premise is false. Without the dimension of time, there is no cause and effect, and all things that could exist in such a realm would have no need of being caused, but would have always existed.
Therefore, God has no need of being created, but, in fact, created the time dimension of our universe specifically for a reason -- so that cause and effect would exist for us. However, since God created time, cause and effect would never apply to His existence. God exists in multiple dimensions of time, as hard as it is to wrap our minds around the idea.
The second interpretation is that God exists in more than one dimension of time. Things that exist in one dimension of time are restricted to time's arrow and are confined to cause and effect. However, two dimensions of time form a plane of time, which has no beginning and no end and is not restricted to any single direction.
A being that exists in at least two dimensions of time can travel anywhere in time and yet never had a beginning, since a plane of time has no starting point. Either interpretation leads one to the conclusion that God has no need of having been created.
What does science say about time? When Stephen Hawking, George Ellis, and Roger Penrose extended the equations for general relativity to include space and time, the results showed that time has a beginning at the moment of creation.
In fact, if you examine university websites, you will find that many professors make such a claim -- that the universe had a beginning and that this beginning marked the beginning of time. Such assertions support the Bible's claim that time began at the creation of the universe.
CONCLUSION: God had no need to have been created, since He exists either outside time (where cause and effect do not operate) or within multiple dimensions of time (such that there is no beginning of God's plane of time). Hence God is eternal, having never been created.
How then does God, acting before time began, get around the problem of His creation? There are two possible interpretations. One is that God exists outside of time. Since we live in a universe of cause and effect, we naturally assume that this is the only way in which any kind of existence can function. However, the premise is false. Without the dimension of time, there is no cause and effect, and all things that could exist in such a realm would have no need of being caused, but would have always existed.
Therefore, God has no need of being created, but, in fact, created the time dimension of our universe specifically for a reason -- so that cause and effect would exist for us. However, since God created time, cause and effect would never apply to His existence. God exists in multiple dimensions of time, as hard as it is to wrap our minds around the idea.
The second interpretation is that God exists in more than one dimension of time. Things that exist in one dimension of time are restricted to time's arrow and are confined to cause and effect. However, two dimensions of time form a plane of time, which has no beginning and no end and is not restricted to any single direction.
A being that exists in at least two dimensions of time can travel anywhere in time and yet never had a beginning, since a plane of time has no starting point. Either interpretation leads one to the conclusion that God has no need of having been created.
What does science say about time? When Stephen Hawking, George Ellis, and Roger Penrose extended the equations for general relativity to include space and time, the results showed that time has a beginning at the moment of creation.
In fact, if you examine university websites, you will find that many professors make such a claim -- that the universe had a beginning and that this beginning marked the beginning of time. Such assertions support the Bible's claim that time began at the creation of the universe.
CONCLUSION: God had no need to have been created, since He exists either outside time (where cause and effect do not operate) or within multiple dimensions of time (such that there is no beginning of God's plane of time). Hence God is eternal, having never been created.
All the more reason why we should be in awe of this Holy Spirit we call God and pay due homage for the blessings that have been bestowed upon us as appointed custodians of this remarkable world and all that within it is.
And why did he create a world that would become like the one we live in today -- a world that fell into sin, a world that exchanged his glory for the glory of images? Why would he permit and guide and sustain such a world? And we answer: for the praise of the glory of the grace of God displayed supremely in the death of Jesus.
This means that the ultimate reason for all things is the communication of the glory of God’s grace for the happy praise of a redeemed multitude from every people and tongue and tribe and nation. All things are created and guided and sustained for the glory of God, which reaches its apex in the glory of his grace, which shines most brightly in Christ who was sacrificed on the cross so that we might live as forgiven people.
There...That's it. So overwhelming in retrospect.
I consider myself so miniscule. So inadequate. Just a drop in the bucket. Yet, like you my friend, I was born into this world capable of glorifying God, the creator of all things. Sadly, for a lot of us, there is precious little time left for fulfilment of that purpose.
In the end we will be replaced, for better or worse. And the world will continue as it has for untold centuries, for better or worse, according to God's will.
Meantime, I'm glad to have been able to take this small peek at something so miraculous -- and glorious. Oh what a privilege it is...
I leave you with a video by Esther Hicks which says it all. Truly God-inspired in my view. A perfect and complimentary ending for this post. Don't leave without watching it.
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