The Aseity of God
Notes
Transcript
Genesis 2:4 ESV
4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
Have you ever been hesitant about doing something because you know the great risk involved in doing it? I don’t mean that it is something that you can’t do, but it is something that you know will require not only a great amount of effort, but also, a great amount of caution. And because of that, you move forward very cautiously.
For example, my dad is a roofing contractor. He has been working in this field longer than I have been alive. And not so much now, but years ago he would take on several jobs that were, in laymen’s terms, a pain in the neck. And the reason why is because even though they were a pain in the neck, he still needed to make money, so he would do them anyway.
Ask any professional roofer which jobs are the biggest pains in the neck, and I can just about guarantee you that the vast majority of them will say that steep jobs, steep roofs are the biggest pains in the neck to work on.
I remember as a small child overhearing my dad tell my mom or one of his employees how he was dreading an upcoming job because of how steep the roof is that he was going to be working on.
But after several years of hard work his company had become so established, so well-known and respected that he had so many jobs coming in that he didn’t have to work on those steep jobs anymore if he didn’t want to.
I remember several times as a teenager hearing my dad talk to inquiring customers on the phone and telling them thank you for considering him, but he’ll pass, the roof is too steep for him to want to mess with it.
Now, there a few reasons why roofers don’t enjoy working on steep roofs, but the two main reasons why are because: they are not easy to work on, you can’t move around on a steep roof like you can others, and also, and most importantly, because there is a much higher risk of falling off the roof and being injured when you do a steep job.
So, my dad could do steep jobs when he had to, and when he did, he would proceed forth with great caution.
In a very similar way do I continue in our series of messages this morning with great caution. The reason I say that is because the subject, the doctrine which comes forth from the exposition of the text for this morning is perhaps the weightiest doctrine in all the Bible.
It is for this reason that I proceed with great caution as I desire to give this doctrine the amount of attention that it deserves while also being careful not to misspeak or misrepresent or perhaps to speak amiss about all that is wrapped up within this lofty doctrine.
Many, I’m sure are now wondering, “what may this weighty doctrine be?” Well, I will answer that by asking you some questions.
Have you ever had someone ask you or perhaps have you yourself ever pondered on any of the following questions “Who made God?” “Where did God come from?” or “How long has God been God?”? How in the world do you answer those questions? What do you say? Can any answer to those questions ever be truly satisfactory?
These are those things that have to do with the being and origin of God Himself! Talk about something deep! And today, as we exposit the written text, we will be speaking of things of this nature.
We see first, though, in our reading for today, a summary statement of all that which has taken place thus far in the book of Genesis in the first part of this fourth verse where we read:
Genesis 2:4a ESV
4a These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
This statement sums up and puts finality to the contents of the creation account found in the first chapter of Genesis. Moses, who wrote the book of Genesis says, “these” which is in reference to the creation narrative found in Genesis chapter 1 “are the generations” or, is the officialrecord of God’s creation of the heavens and the earth, which is everything that there is.
There are some people who like to say that God created everything that there is in the first chapter of Genesis, but everything went awry and so now we see God’s re-creation here in the second chapter.
There are also others who say that the female mentioned in Genesis 1:27 is in reference to a woman other than Eve, that some other woman was Adam’s first wife, but she ran away from the Garden of Eden and so then God created Eve…
That’s all a bunch of nonsense; and we have proof that it is all nonsense right here in the text, “these” Moses says, the events recorded in chapter one are the generations, are the official, legitimate record of God’s singular creation of the heavens and earth.
But as we continue on in our reading, it is then that we get into deeper waters as we will see in the second half of this fourth verse, where it says:
Genesis 2:4b ESV
4b in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
We continue here with this summary statement of the creation narrative where it says, “in the day”. Now, as we have already discussed, God willed to create the heavens and the earth in six days, therefore, “the day” that is mentioned here is not in reference to a single day but to the six days wherein the heavens and the earth were created.
But where we get extremely deep here is when the text specifies the name of Who created the heavens and the earth. The text indicates that creation took place “in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens”. Thus, “the Lord God” created them…
Now, that probably doesn’t sound too shocking to any of us, I mean, we all know that it was God Who created the heavens and the earth, but what we are introduced to here for the very first time in the Bible is an official name of the God Who created the heavens and the earth.
If you have your Bibles open, look at the name of God mentioned in this verse, specifically the word “Lord”. Now I’m pretty positive that all of your Bibles, no matter which translation you are using this morning spells the name “Lord” with a large capital L and smaller capital letters ORD.
Those who regularly attend our Bible studies on Wednesday nights know, because I’ve told you countless times that anytime “Lord” is spelled this way in your Bibles, with a large capital L and smaller capital ORD, what it indicates is the name “Yahweh”.
Thus, in this verse we see for the very first time in scripture the use of the official name “Yahweh”.
Now, Yahweh is the personal name for God. What it signifies is the aseity, or the self-existence of God. In a word, it signifies the Godhood of God.
Indeed, it could be said that the best scriptural explanationof this name of God is found in Exodus 3:14 where God says to Moses concerning His name “I AM WHO I AM”.
Now, I remember the first time that I read my Bible and when I had come across that particular verse, Exodus 3:14, and I remember that when I read it, I was very confused. I didn’t get it at all. I thought “I AM WHO I AM? Well, I am who I am. What’s the big deal? What does this even mean?”
And of course, I still don’t fully grasp it, nor will I ever fully grasp it, but the understanding that I have of what God was saying here has come a little bit further than the first time that I read the Bible.
There was a Greek philosopher who lived about 500 years before the birth of Christ named Parmenides, and Parmenides, I’m sure unbeknownst to him uttered what is perhaps the most accurate theological conclusion that there is, when he said, “whatever is is, and what is not cannot be”.
Now, the reason why that statement is so incredibly accurate is because there is ultimately only One Who is. That One of course is the God heaven and earth, the Creator.
Now, the “isness” of God makes Him unique from His creation in that unlike His creation, there never was a “was” for God, there is no “becoming” for God, there is no “will be” for God; for God always and forever “is”.
You see, we call each other human “beings” but in all reality, it would make more sense to call each other human “becomings”. Because you and I, since the moment of our conception have always been becoming, progressing, consistently changing.
For example, I started preaching this sermon however many minutes ago, and in just that short amount of time, I guarantee you that one of the hairs on my head has gotten a little bit grayer, or perhaps I’ve lost one of my hairs since I started preaching this message.
We are always progressing, becoming, all of creation is this way, even the seemingly everlasting rivers and oceans are ever moving and changing, but not so with God, He ever “is”. Thus, God alone is the only One Who is a true Being.
Thus, when we read again the statement, the revelation of God to Moses concerning His name, we see clearly that which God intends to say. “I AM WHO I AM” “I AM because I AM” “God is because God is”.
You see, we all owe our existence to Who? We owe our existence to God. We exist because God wanted us to exist, and He thus caused us to exist. But Who does God owe His existence to? To none but Himself. God is self-existent, God is.
Now, we come to this conclusion, first of all, because the Bible declares it. The name Yahweh in itself testifies of the self-existence, the “isness” of God. The repeated statements and declarations throughout the Bible reveal the self-existence of God. But even basic logic proves it.
For example, I’m sure that we have all heard of and are aware of the simple fact that every effect has a cause. For example, I might make someone really angry, and the person who I make angry gets so mad that he walks up and punches me in the nose, which then in turn leads to a bloody, broken nose.
Thus, the effect in this scenario is a bloody broken nose. But that bloody broken nose didn’t just happen, it had a cause, and that cause was me being punched in the nose.
But you see, even that cause had a cause. The cause for my nose being broken and bloody is that I got punched, but the punch in itself is the result, the effect of getting angry, and getting angry was the effect of me saying something very rude to you, and me saying something very rude to you was the effect of me having a bad day, and me having a bad day was the effect of waking up with a headache. And on and on it goes.
But God, on the other hand, is not an effect. God has no beginning, God is eternal, therefore, God requires no assistance from any outside source to continue to exist, He is not the effect of anything, He has no cause. Instead, He Himself is the ultimate Cause.
We can look at cause and effect also in light of creation. If something has been created, then obviously that something was made by a creator. It is obvious that we all exist because we were created, because we cannot create ourselves. And why can we not create ourselves? Because before we were created, we were nothing, and something cannot come from nothing. The only thing that nothing can do is what its name indicates… nothing!
The obvious conclusion then is that there is an ultimate Something because something cannot come from nothing. This is not only rational, but also necessary.
For there to be something, then all of the somethings had to have come from a Something that has always been something and has never been nothing.
R.C. Sproul says, “Perhaps the oldest and deepest question of all is, why is there something rather than nothing? A necessary answer to at least part of the question is because God exists. God exists in Himself eternally. He is the source and fountainhead of all being. He alone has, within Himself, the power of being.”
Beloved, the next time you ask yourself or someone asks you, “Who made God?” you say, “God was not made, because God is!”.
Too high, too lofty is God to comprehend! And it is this God Who has revealed Himself to us, in the pages of scripture. Yet even the sacred scriptures cannot contain the glory of the aseity, the self-existence of God. All we can say is, “God is!”.
But then we go even further in declaring the reality that the God Who is has chosen to create we who are becoming, and for an elect portion of we who are becoming, He has chosen to experience eternal fellowship with He Who is.
Beloved, what this should stir up within us is adoration, wonder, the deepest gratitude, and the most humble, reverent worship.
Therefore, beloved, humbly worship the God Who is!
Amen?