Perhaps you've been asked by someone 'who created God?' or maybe you're asking that question for yourself. Are we as Christians imagining a God in attempt to explain what mankind doesn't understand?
In this article I want to explore these thoughts and more. Let's start with defining God and work our way from there.
Creator God
The bible testifies that there is one God (Isaiah 45:5, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 1 Timothy 2:5) and he is the God that created us (Genesis 1:27, Malachi 2:10), and he created all other things (Isaiah 45:12, Hebrews 1:2, Revelation 4:11).
Since we live in a material world created by God, we must conclude that God is immaterial. We reach this conclusion because God's existence cannot depend upon his creation in any way, otherwise he could not exist prior to it.
Time is the observation of our universe as events unfold, therefore God must exist outside of our time and space. The bible claims that God is eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27), to him one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like one day (2 Peter 3:8).
Since God is eternal and always existed, He must also be perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4, Matthew 5:48). If God was not perfect, He would have potential and anything with potential is dependent upon external force to become actual. We observe in our material universe that many things have potential to exist, but nothing spontaneously exists.
If God is perfect, He can be said to be all powerful and all knowledgeable. In other words, God is omnipotent and omniscient. He has power over all things and knows all things. We see both in the Bible as all things are subject to him (Philippians 3:21) and he knows all our needs (Matthew 6:32).
In summary, if God exists he is not bound by existence of the universe. Our scientific understanding, which is an observation of material things, cannot comprehend an immaterial being.
Who Created God
Now that we have defined the attributes of God and his immaterial nature, we are free to deal with the philosophy of the question.
The question assumes that God is not the foundation: something beneath him must exist in order for him to exist. It exploits the logic that all material things with potential need an external force to be actualised.
On the surface, it seems smart. However, it's an illogical question.
The claim of Christianity is that God is not part of the material universe; he doesn't follow our rules, he governs them. It sounds like dodging a question but it's a definitive answer that God must be dependent upon nothing to exist.
It follows in the same error as asking whether God could create a rock so big that he couldn't lift it.
A rock is a material thing, God is an immaterial thing. God doesn't lift things, likewise he has no need to be created. We, as Christians, conclude that if we were created, God was not.
The misunderstanding may arise because God is revealed in terms you and I understand. We refer to God as him because he revealed himself in such a manner, and yet we're not claiming that God is an anatomical man. God is outside the material universe, he has no material form.
However, for many this question is a sly attempt to mislead Christians. The objective is for Christians to agree with an atheistic conclusion because we share a belief that God is not created.
In summary, the question asks Christians to justify a position we don't profess.
If God Just Exists, Why Can't We?
Undoubtedly the question that follows is that if we argue God just exists, why can't the universe and humanity just exist?
The answer is really simple: we observe that nothing around us spontaneously exists. You can imagine a giraffe in your head and no giraffe will appear. Nothing material inexplicably comes into existence and yet atheists believe it all inexplicably exists.
If you take all the material to create a phone and put it into a container and shake it hard, a phone won't suddenly exist. To make a phone we externally act upon the materials in such a way that each component is created and then assembled.
That law is true inside our universe, but our claim is that God exists outside of it. He is the external actor that both created matter and assembled it.
God's name is revealed to Moses as 'I am because I am' (Exodus 3:14). He exists because he exists. He is the bedrock of all existence and nothing exists without him.
How God exists is inexplicable to us, but not because we lack evidence he exists. We categorise the evidence in two ways: general revelation and special revelation.
General Revelation
The first way that God is made known to us is through his creation (Romans 1:20). In theology we call this general revelation.
The diversity and complexity of life and our universe calls us to reflect on how it got here and who made it. Scientists peel back layers of complexity in creation, revealing God's attributes and power as they do.
Physicists help us to understand the expanse of the universe. Our cosmic back drop speaks to the astonishing and awesome power of God. The Bible explains that God can count the stars and knows them by name (Psalm 147:4).
Biologists categorise all the animals on earth and estimate there exists 1 trillion species. Such an incredible diversity of life. As they dig down into DNA, each cell is significantly more complex than modern computers, but is sequenced like code. It reveals God's wisdom which is beyond measure (Psalm 147:4).
If we suspend belief for a moment that the universe exists without God, CERN scientists concluded that the universe shouldn't exist. The existence of matter and antimatter in equal parts at the beginning should have caused destruction. Yet seemingly by pure impossible luck, everything is exactly right at every step of existence.
In summary, God's existence and involvement are evident in his creation.
Special Revelation
The second form of revelation comes from God himself, speaking to us by his prophets and his Son. They speak of past, present, and future truths of God's plan.
As the author for the book of Hebrews writes:
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Hebrews 1:1-2 ESV
When Jesus parted from the world he and the Father sent the Helper (John 14:16), which is the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), who points us towards Jesus (John 15:26). Christians read scripture, which is the word of God breathed out (2 Timothy 3:16).
We believe that the Bible is a single, linear, and unified story that points to Jesus. Having been removed from God's presence after our rebellion against God, we now look forward with hope to a new creation free from sin and in the presence of God.
In summary, God reveals himself to us through his Word.
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