Scripture Introduction
Thomas Boston pastored from 1699–1731. A biographer wrote of his ministry: “If Scotland had been searched during the early part of the eighteenth century there was not a minister of Christ within its bounds who, both in personal character and in the discharge of his
pastoral functions, approached nearer the apostolic model than did this man of God.”
When Boston sought to explain the nature of God in his commentary on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, he began with a story: “Simonides, a heathen poet, asked by Hiero king of Syracuse, ‘What is God?’ desired a day to think upon it. When that day was at an end, he wanted two days; and when these were past, he asked four [more]. Thus he continued to double the number of days in which he desired to think of God, ere he would give an answer. Upon which the king, expressing his surprise at his behavior, asked him what he meant by this. To which the poet answered, ‘The more I think of God, he is still the more dark and unknown to me.’
Boston comments on Simonides’ response: “Indeed no wonder that he made such an answer; for he that would tell what God is, in a measure suitable to his excellency and glory, had need to know God even as he is known of him, which is not competent to any man upon earth.”
As Boston rightly observes, that which is incomprehensible cannot be perfectly known. Yet God does reveals himself sufficiently in the Scriptures so that we can know of him and believe in him to the saving of our souls. This morning then, by the grace of God, we seek to say something of his being and nature and glory. Our texts are three; please give your attention to this reading of God’s word.
[Read Genesis 1.1-2; Exodus 3.14-15; Colossians 1.15-17. Pray.]
Introduction
German Philosopher Martin Heidegger said that the most basic question of all is: why is there something and not nothing? (Sinclair Ferguson, “Forward,” in John Blanchard, Does God Believe in Atheists?, 9).
In 1952, Mortimer Adler co-edited a series of philosophy essays for Encyclopedia Britannica. When asked why the article on “God” was the longest, he said: “More consequences for thought and action follow from the affirmation or denial of God than from answering any other question.”
Isaiah Berlin, philosopher, Oxford professor, president of the Aristotelian Society, founder and first president of the Wolfson College, Oxford, knighted in 1957, awarded the Order of Merit in 1971, and president of the British Academy, said, “The world of a man who believes that God created him for a specific purpose, that he has an immortal soul, that there is an afterlife in which his sins will be visited upon him, is radically different from the world of a man who believes in none of these things; and the reasons for action, the moral codes, the political beliefs, the tastes, the personal relationships of the former will deeply and systematically differ from those of the latter” (Concepts and Categories, quoted in Blanchard, 13).
Stephen Evans (professor of philosophy at Calvin College) points out, believing in God is not like believing in the Loch Ness monster: “The Loch Ness monster is merely ‘one more thing’…. God, however, is not merely ‘one more thing’…. The person who believes in God and the person who does not believe in God do not merely disagree about God. They disagree about
the very character of the universe” (The Quest for Faith, quoted in Blanchard, 14).
Because belief in God so shapes our thoughts and actions, theologians work hard proving God’s existence. Four great philosophical arguments are often made.
The ontological argument, or proof from being, is traced to the 11th century theologian, Anselm, who said that God is something of which nothing greater can be conceived. The laws of logic dictate that there must be an end to thoughts of perfection, and that end is the God who exists. There is a logical necessity to the perfection of being.
The cosmological, or first cause argument, observes that since the universe exists, there must be a God who created it. Sometimes called the unmoved mover, God is that which is outside of all and set thime and matter into motion.
The third proof is the teleological argument, sometimes called the argument from design. Just as the complexity of a watch demands an watchmaker, so the marvel of the universe necessitates an intelligent designer whom we name God.
Fourth is the moral argument, based on universal standards of ethics which transcend cultures and times. Every human believes in right and wrong; thus there must be a transcendent moral being, in other words, God.
[Because this is a somewhat technical introduction, let me review what we have covered so far. A) Quotes from a variety of perspectives all noting the significance of belief in God for the behaviors of people. B) Traditional philosophical proofs for God’s existence.]
Given those two ideas, we might expect the Bible to offer proofs of its own, maybe even on the first pages. Instead the opening words are, “In the beginning God created….” No evidence of his existence is given, and no plea for faith is made. Instead the bare and bold assertion: God exists and made all that is. Based on this and other texts, many Christians conclude that the philosophical proofs are relatively unimportant. Three reasons are often given:
First, proofs of God’s existence, even if they are true and valid, do not say enough. The knowledge of God necessary for salvation is available only through special revelation. The wisdom of the world, even deep philosophy, cannot reach a true knowledge of God; that he reserves for the preaching of Jesus Christ and him crucified (1Corinthians 1.21). Only the Scriptures can bring a soul to saving faith. Philosophical proofs do not say enough.
Second, proofs of God’s existence, even though they are logically satisfying and affirm the truth, are less convincing than what God already supplies. He gives us empirical evidence, as the Westminster Confession (§1.1) notes: “The light of nature and the works of creation and providence manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God.” In addition to this empirical evidence, we also have intuitional evidence, eternity in our hearts, that God-shaped void which remains restless until it rests in him. John Calvin called it the “seed of religion”: “The final goal of the blessed life rests in the knowledge of God. Lest anyone, then, be excluded from access to happiness, he not only sowed in men’s minds that seed of religion, but revealed himself and daily discloses himself in the whole workmanship of the universe. As a consequence, men cannot open their eyes without being compelled to see him” (Institutes, §1.5.1, LCC, 51-52). Philosophical proofs persuade less than what God has already given.
Third, proofs of God’s existence, even though they encourage our confidence in the Bible, can neither convince nor convict as the Scriptures alone can. God’s writings carry their own seal of authenticity – the same Spirit who authored the Word of God also works in the people of God to convince them of the truth. John Blanchard cleverly entitled his book defending the faith: Does God Believe in Atheists? Professing atheists doubt God’s existence, but the Bible insists that God plainly proves his presence. His power and nature are everywhere evident, so that all are without excuse. Though all know of God, sinners suppress the truth so as not to obey it. In other words, God says, “I don’t believe in atheists!” Instead, the Bible takes the seed of religion planted in the soul of every image-bearer, then nurtures the growth of faith with the water and fertilizer of the revelation of God’s being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. As a result, those who meet God in the Bible find living for his glory indispensable for satisfaction of their souls and the fullness of joy. So how does the truth about God lead us to worship and adore him? Note three reasons:
1. We Do All For the Glory of God Because He Is Eternal
Genesis 1.1: “In the beginning God….” Something must be eternal; something must have been there before everything else, or we would have nothing, rather than something. Even materialistic theories of life need eternal matter to make sense. Before the “Big Bang,” we are told, there were many universes which collapsed into one another. In fact, this week I heard a quote from a scientist trying to explain how there could have been nothing before there was something. He knew the Big Bang theory depended on pre-existing matter and energy, so he said, “For something to come into existence out of nothing requires a great deal of time.” In other words, before our universe began, there was something, but if we can imagine a time long enough ago, we can pretend there was nothing.
The Bible has a better answer: before time and space and matter there was God. R. C. Sproul, in his speech, “Before the Beginning: The Aseity of God,” called these first words of Genesis “The most fundamental assertion of historic Christianity and the single most bombarded target by secular philosophy and by neo-paganism in our day. Every pagan knows that if you can get rid of creation you are rid of God, and if you get rid of God, you can live how you want” (2004 Ligonier National Conference).
But not so if God is the one who is and was and will forever be. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90.2). He is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose
name is Holy” (Isaiah 57.15).
Nor is the eternity of God a merely dry and intellectual truth! Here is great comfort and blessing for your soul. Yes, there are times when we feel weak and defenseless, but the eternal God is our dwelling place, and underneath are his everlasting arms. Yes, we are a battle for our lives now, but the King will conquer and we will reign with him forever and ever. Yes, life wearies us and we just want to rest, but he who lives forever guarantees that will run and not grow weary, and his eternal power ensure that there will be no tears, no sin, no sorrow, and no suffering throughout all the ages. His kingdom will never end and his people will delight in his rule forever. The eternal God is not fickle and does not change; he is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore he who loves you does so with an everlasting love. The comforter will be stand with his own forever and ever. He will never leave nor forsake his saints for they are
preserved forever.
An eternal God is an unchangeable God. A. W. Pink, The Attributes of God (41): “Here then is a rock on which we may fix our feet, while the mighty torrent is sweeping away everything around us. The permanence of God’s character guarantees the fulfillment of his promises.”
This is how Jeremiah lived with joy in the midst of trouble. Lamentations 3.22-24: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’”
The eternity of God promises us that the covenant of salvation which the Father made with the Son through his atoning death will never lose effectiveness nor be changed. That is why Hebrews call the sacrifice of Christ the “blood of the eternal covenant.” Those who have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved throughout eternity – because in the beginning, God….
2. We Do All For the Glory of God Because He Is Self-
Existing and Self-Sufficient
Exodus 3.14-15: God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM…. Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’…. This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”
Theologians coined a word to convey the truths taught in this and similar verses. “Aseity” means that God has life and being in himself; he simply exists, needing nothing from anything. He does not depend on created things in any way.
The Westminster Confession (§ 2.2): “God has all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness in and of himself. He alone is all-sufficient, in and to himself, not standing in need of any creatures which he has made, nor deriving any glory from them, but rather manifesting his own glory in, by, to, and on them. He alone is the fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things.”
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!… For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever” (Romans 11.33,36).
Matthew Henry: “The greatest and best man in the world must say, ‘By the grace of God I am what I am’; but God says absolutely – and it is more than any creature, man, or angel can say – ‘I am who I am.’”
The apostle Paul preached the aseity of God to the philosophers in Athens: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything…. ‘In him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17.24-26,28).
R. C. Sproul called that last sentence “probably the most intense, unfathomable, profound statement in the whole Bible” (“Before the Beginning: The Aseity of God”). Contemplating God’s self-existence stretches our thoughts and vocabulary beyond their ability to comply. Yet aseity provides great comfort also. Here is the ground for your faith that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Here is assurance that he can wipe away every tear. Here is confidence that God is big enough to bring all things to the pinnacle of his glory and your joy. We have faith that love and mercy and grace and compassion sustain God’s people throughout eternity because these attributes come from within God! They are not outside of him, things which he may or may not subscribe to. They are the overflow of his being, so that we can trust him forever.
Even the works we do, whether worship or prayer or evangelism or changing the baby, are empowered by God’s aseity. If we must add something to God for him to be glorified, then our failures constitute a cosmic blight. But an all sufficient-God enables us to serve him, not because he lacks, but because he is fullness itself! He works all things according to the counsel of his will, for his good pleasure, to the praise of his glorious grace!
This is what Eric Liddel explained to his sister about running in the Olympics in the film Chariots of Fire: “Jenny, Jenny. God made me for China. But he also made me fast. And when I run, I can feel his pleasure.”
You feel his pleasure when you do his will because he is self-existing and self-sufficient.
3. We Do All For the Glory of God Because He Is Personal and Relational
Colossians 1.15-17: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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.”
I chose this text to remind you that God the Son was with God the Father and God the Spirit when they together sang creation into existence. Some religions and pagan philosophies posit a deity who is an impersonal power or unfeeling spirit. But Colossians reminds us that God has always existed in relationship. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are of one substance, power, and eternity, while also three in personal attributes: the Father is of none; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. The three person in one God mean that love is comprises the very nature and core of the being of God.
Jonathan Edwards, Essay on Trinity, 79: “That in John “God is love” shows that there are more persons than one in the deity, for it shows love to be essential and necessary to the deity, so that his nature consists in it, and this supposes that there is an eternal and necessary object, because all love respects another that is the beloved.
A god that is self-existing or eternal “may be cold, indifferent, or even unconscious” (Hodge). The God of the Bible, however, loves as well as knows and acts. Thus you can count on the promise of Psalm 103.13: “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD
shows compassion to those who fear him.” Because God is love; he created in the relationship of the trinity. God knows what he means when he reveals himself as “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…” (Exodus 34.6).
1John 4.9-10: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
4. Conclusion
The Bible does not tell us everything about God, nor (of course) does this short message attempt any such thing. But we are shown here how we were made to know and love God. The very things we long for in life, things like eternal security, certainty of life and joy, love and relationship – we want them because they are in the nature of God and in him we live and move and have our being.
The Bible describes the God who is. God is who he is, regardless of how we respond to him. But because God has made us in his image, and because we derive all life and meaning from him, when we delight ourselves in the Lord and seek to glorify him in all things, then we find that for which our souls were made and that which gives eternal happiness. As the Psalmist
sang: “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16.11). May knowing him be your joy this week and forever and ever. Amen.
