Was God always God?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

God is eternal, meaning that before time began, God always was (Exodus 3:14). That is, there was never a time before God because time was created by God (Genesis 1:1–5; Hebrews 1:10–12). Before anything was created, all that existed was God (Psalm 90:2; Genesis 1:1; John 1:1).

He is the Creator and source of everything that exists (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16–17). Because all things came into existence through Him, nothing existed before Him or independently of Him.

Since God existed before anything else existed, we refer to Him as a se, meaning self-existent. God has everything within Himself to exist forever, not depending on anything outside of Himself for life or being (Acts 17:24–25).

God is also immutable, meaning He does not change (Psalm 102:25–27; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). Being unchanging means that God did not become God, changing from something else to God, but has always been exactly who He is now.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• When Moses asked God who He was, God responded, “I AM WHO I AM,” telling Moses to tell Israel, “I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). By using what is grammatically known as a “state of being” verb, God was declaring His eternality. He was revealing his aseity (self-existence), saying that He always was, is, and will be (i.e., Isaiah 44:6).
• Eternity precedes time itself. God has existed eternally, meaning nothing was before God, as there was literally nothing before eternity. So, God existed before everything else (Psalm 90:2), and everything that exists only exists because God created it.
• God’s creative act was about more than making things. He also established time markers, such as light and darkness, by which time is calculated (Genesis 1:1–5). So, God created even time, and He created His creation to be within time. We are bound by time, but God, as the Creator of time, is not, having always existed.
• Finally, God is immutable, i.e., His nature is unchanging. He said, “I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:6). God is always the same. He never changed from something to become God, nor will He ever cease being God (Psalm 102:25–27).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• John intentionally echoes the language of Genesis. He reminds readers of God’s eternality, showing that Jesus, as fully God, was also eternal (John 1:1–2) and the source of creation (John 1:3). All creation exists because Jesus created all things (Colossians 1:16–17).
• Because God existed before anything else, He does not require anything else to exist. Paul comments, “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” (Acts 17:24–25). God gives life to everything else, but nothing gives life to God. This is the doctrine of aseity, God’s self-existent nature.
• Because God is eternal and a se, He continues to exist without, as James put it, “variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). God was always God and will always be God. He never changes. This is why He could declare, “I am the Alpha and the Omega … who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).
• Hebrews expresses that God is the eternal, self-existent Creator: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end” (Hebrews 1:10–12).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The only thing that doesn't change is . . . change itself. We are born, get old, and die. One day moves into the next. Animals and plants grow. Even the atmosphere changes. But God never does.  If God changed, in His being or attributes, He wouldn’t really be God.

But the God of the Bible isn’t just some really big being that has muscled out every competitor for the role. Instead, before He created, there was nothing else. Sometimes, people use the word "nothing" as if it were really "something." There was no heaven, no air, no "vacuum" (lack of air). Maybe you picture God floating alone in outer space. But there was no outer space before creation. There was just God. God has always been, and will always be, self-existent.

That should be a comfort to us. No matter how chaotic the world seems, no matter what threat comes along that we've never experienced before. Nothing surprises our self-existent, omniscient, omnipotent Creator. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8)!

UNDERSTAND

• God did not come into existence or become God at some point in the past but has always existed eternally.
• Because God is self-existent, He depends on nothing outside Himself for life or being.
• God’s unchanging nature means He has always been exactly who He is and will always remain the same.

REFLECT

• How does recognizing that God has always existed shape your understanding of His authority, sovereignty, and power?
• In what ways does God’s self-existent nature encourage you to depend on Him rather than on created things, including yourself?
• How might remembering that God never changes help strengthen your trust in Him during uncertain circumstances?

ENGAGE

• What does it mean for our understanding of creation that everything depends on God, but God depends on nothing?
• How does the truth that God has always existed challenge the way we naturally think about beginnings and origins?
• How should God’s unchanging nature shape the way we view His promises, character, and actions throughout Scripture?