Students: God is Self-Existent and Self-Sufficient

“In the beginning . . . “ The first words of Genesis establishes that God has always existed, even before He called our world into creation, and will, therefore, always exist. He has no beginning and no end––He is self-existent. And because He existed throughout all time, He is also self-sufficient. He does not need anything, He has never needed anything, and He will never need anything.

Self-Existent
God existed before the creation event recorded in Genesis 1. Therefore, God is self-existent, and is the first Being who owes His existence to no other being.

Genesis 1:1 The Hebrew title of Genesis, bereshith, is the phrase translated “In the beginning.” The English name “Genesis” derives from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. While Genesis 1 describes the beginning of time, it does not describe the beginning of God’s activity. God existed before beginning the creation of the heavens and the earth. Here, God is referred to by a generic Hebrew term for deity, Elohim. Jewish rabbis understand Elohim to be a reference to God’s nature as creator, sustainer, and provider of all life on earth. According to the text, this already existing God “Created the heavens and the earth.” In contrast to later Greek cosmology that posited matter being eternal, the Genesis account of creation contends that an eternal God created matter at a specific time. God is the genesis of all matter. Without Him nothing would have existed (Utley).

God’s creative activity results in “the heavens and the earth.” “The heavens” can convey a wide range of meaning in Hebrew, encompassing everything from the earth’s atmosphere, to the entire cosmos, to all things visible or invisible. Some biblical commentators argue that Genesis 1 is a distinct literary unit from Genesis 2-4 and conclude that Genesis 1 refers to God’s act of cosmic creation with the specifics of His creative action on earth beginning in verse 2 (Utley). This interpretation appears unlikely given that much of Genesis 1 is concerned with God’s creative activity on earth, beginning with verse 9. However, the flow of the narrative does suggest that God began with the universe before moving on to address His specific creative action on earth.

Genesis 1:2 Some have attempted to render the Hebrew verb translated “was” as “became” in order to argue for a “two falls” theory of God’s creative action. While the verb utilized in the text can sometimes be translated “became,” such translation is very rare and highly contextual. There is no warrant for such a translation in this account (Utley).

The earth that God created is said to have been “formless and void.” These two words are coupled in both the Sumerian and Babylonian creation accounts but both are highly mythological and not understood to describe actual occurrences or realities. The only other instance of these terms being used together within the Bible is found in Jeremiah 4:23. Their use here seems to indicate that God utilized a developmental process to make the earth inhabitable for human life. The earth is “formless and void” in that it could not sustain life at this point in its development (Utley).

Further underscoring this point is the author’s description of “the darkness” being “over the surface of the deep.” Here, “the darkness” does not represent evil. Such an interpretation would personify evil and make it either an original creation of God or a force that is co-eternal with God. Instead, “the darkness” describes the original chaos of the earth that God subdues and shapes into an inhabitable world for humanity. “The deep” is another reference to water, a literarily crucial aspect of God’s creative action (Gen. 1:2,6-7). Its use here in conjunction with “the darkness” implies that it is another chaotic force that had be subdued and restrained in order to make the earth habitable (Utley).

“The Spirit” is the Hebrew word ruach which can mean “spirit,” “breath,” or “wind.” While the Old Testament does not specify the Spirit’s relationship with God, the Spirit is widely associated with God’s work in creation (Job 26:13; Ps. 104:29-30; 147:14-18). The NASB describes the Spirit’s action as “moving over the surface of the waters.” Other translations describe the Spirit’s action as “hovering,” “swept,” or “sweeping.” The Hebrew term can convey the idea of “brooding,” similar to a mother bird hatching an egg. This image creates a picture of God’s parental care in creation (Utley).

Genesis 1:3 “God said” is the origination of the theological concept of God creating by His spoken word typically described with the Latin word fiat. While this has typically been understood to reference God’s creative power of bringing light out of nothing (ex nihilo), it is possible that at this point in the creation account God sets about the task of organizing already created materials. God’s recorded speech, “Let there be light,” introduces a formula by which God will operate throughout the Genesis 1 account (Utley).

Genesis 1:4 After creating light, God “saw that the light was good.” This is another formulaic statement used by the author as a way of summarizing God’s activity. God is said to create something and once it is created God observes that it is good. In fact, all of God’s creation is said to be “good” at each stage of God’s activity, including at its completion (Gen. 1:31). Evil was not present in God’s original creation and thus cannot be said to be an eternal, co-existent force or person alongside God. The Hebrew word translated “good” more than likely means “fits its purpose” or “without flaw.” After creating light, God “separated” it from darkness. Separating is characteristic of God’s creative activity in the Genesis account. God creates, then divides and separates (Utley).  

Genesis 1:5 God’s action of naming the light and the dark as “day” and “night” demonstrates His ownership and control over His creation. The specification that “there was evening and there was morning” could be a reference to the fact that darkness existed before light. Later, rabbis would take this verse to teach that the evening was a beginning of time. This interpretation is evidenced by the fact that the Sabbath begins in the evening and stretches into the next day. Yom, the Hebrew word for “day” typically refers to a 24-hour period, but it can also refer to an unspecified period of time.

Self-Sufficient
Because God is self-sufficient, He needs nothing from humanity, but instead gives life, and breath, and all things to all people.

Acts 17:22 After touring Athens, Paul became distressed at the numerous idols throughout the city. He set about “reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present” (17:17). Having been heard by a group of philosophers as he preached, Paul was invited to the Areopagus to instruct a group of inquisitive people more carefully on the message he proclaimed.

Paul began his discourse by acknowledging that the people of Athens were “very religious,” a phrase that literally means “fear the gods.” When translated, this phrase can carry the negative connotation of “superstitious” but it can also carry a positive connotation of “very precise in the practice of religious detail.” This particular group of philosophers that had gathered at the Areopagus was intellectually curious about religious matters and sought to understand Paul’s new teaching in accordance with their traditions. Paul further acknowledged that his hearers were “religious in all respects.” Through the end of chapter 17 when Paul completed his discussion with the Athenian philosophers, Paul utilized the term “all” eleven times to emphasize his point that God loves and cares for all of His creation in a variety of ways (Utley).

Acts 17:23 As Paul traversed the city, he encountered a variety of images dedicated to various individuals in the Greek pantheon of deities. One particular monument that caught his attention was dedicated to “an unknown god.” In their desire to cover all of their spiritual bases, the Greeks had set aside a monument honoring a god that may be been forgotten in the particulars of their mythologies and rituals. This was a regular practice within Greek cities and demonstrates the Greeks fear of the spiritual realm. They were so concerned about offending a deity that they didn’t know existed that they desired to honor him/her in some form or fashion in order to avoid any offense that could incur this deity’s wrath (Utley).

The Greek words translated “unknown” (agnōetō) and “ignorance” (agnoountes) sound similar and represent an attempt at word-play by Paul. Since the god that the Greeks sought to worship was “unknown,” they must worship Him in ignorance, since they know nothing about Him. This is a fine example of Paul utilizing a common practice and belief of his audience in order to present the truth of the Gospel. Paul knew the true God of the universe and set forth to tell his audience about Him (Utley)

Acts 17:24 The first truth about the true God that Paul proclaimed to the Athenians was that He was the creator of “the world and all things in it.” In contrast with the prevailing Greek thought that spirit, what deities were made of, and matter were co-eternal, Paul argued that the true God had existed before everything else and had personally been involved in its coming to existence. This creator God was both personal and purposeful in His creation: He created everything by the power of His Word as He called everything into existence. Because this God is responsible for the existence of all things, “He is Lord of heaven and earth.” This creator God, through His personal and purposeful act of creation, is the rightful Lord of everything and all things are subject to Him (Utley).

Since this creator God is the genesis of everything that exists, it follows that He “does not dwell in temples made with hands.” Utilizing this phrase was a stroke of genius by Paul. While a re-statement of an Old Testament attestation about God (1 Kings 8:27; Isa. 66:1-2), it was also a reference to the writings of Greek philosophers, particularly Euripides. Once again, Paul utilized familiar cultural and religious elements to make His case for the Gospel (Utley).

Acts 17:25 Since it is logically foolish to think that this creator God does not live in a temple because He created the entire universe, it follows to think it equally ridiculous that this God needed to receive anything from humanity. While staunchly rooted in the Old Testament (Ps. 50:9-12), Paul again acknowledged ideas found in Greek philosophy (such as Euripides, Aristobulus, and Plato). Since Greek temples were believed to be the places where gods were fed and cared for, this statement makes a sharp distinction between this “unknown God” as Paul knew Him and the gods of the Greek pantheon (Utley).

Paul’s statement that the God he proclaimed “gives to all people life and breath and all things” may be an allusion to Isaiah 42:5 and was Paul’s way of demonstrating God’s love and provision for all people. Paul emphatically made this point with the phrasing “He Himself.” The God whom Paul proclaimed had personally seen to the care and provision of His entire creation even when His creation did not acknowledge Him out of either rebellion or ignorance (Utley)!

Acts 17:26 Paul again beautifully played both Old Testament teachings and the teachings of his religious hearers off of one another by emphasizing that this God had created all people from one man. The Old Testament taught that all of humanity descended from Adam. Paul’s religious hearers would have understood him to be referencing the unity of humanity, a common Greek philosophical teaching. Paul reinforced this teaching and developed it further by emphasizing that the common bond of all humanity is that they are made in the image of God. Now, Paul made another theological point. Having demonstrated that God is the creator and elaborated on what that means, he asserted that God directs and orchestrates all things. While humans may think that they are masters of their domains, it is actually God that appoints their times and bounds their activities (Utley).

Acts 17:27 “That they would seek God” may be a reference to another Greek poet, Aratus. The following phrase, “if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him,” is a fourth class conditional sentence in the Greek, meaning it is assumed to be the least likely scenario. The word translated “grope” conveys the idea of groping because of darkness or confusion. Humanity may look for God but it is difficult to find Him as He truly is. While the Greeks attempted to honor God by worshipping Him as “unknown,” He had actually made Himself known. Honoring Him would now entail an abandonment of the incomplete nature of the Greeks worship up to this point in their history because “He is not far from us” in the coming of Christ (Utley).

Acts 17:28 Paul again referenced the Greek poet Aratus when he said, “For we also are His children.” This previously unknown God, whom Paul labored to demonstrate was the uncaused creator of all things and thus all of humanity’s rightful Lord, was also near enough to humanity that He could be known personally and worshipped truthfully (Utley).

“In the beginning God . . . “ These first words in Genesis, and for the entire Bible, introduce two irrefutable truths about God. First, “in the beginning,” God was already there. He existed then, He has always existed, and He will always exist. He is not a created Being, but is self-existent. Second, “in the beginning,” God was self-sufficient. He needed nothing then, He has never needed anything from us, and He will never need anything. And yet, He created our world and then He created us to be in relationship with Him.

These divine characteristics of God––self-existent and self-sufficient––can be difficult to explain to adults, so the challege is even greater with students. The great Greek philosophers spent centuries wrestling with the thought that God has always existed. Be supportive of your students as they wrestle with these characteristics. Encourage them to ask the difficult questions they have. Be prepared to share that you don’t always truly understand the specifics of God’s nature. God understands our limitations and our questions.