Why You Should Care That God Is “Eternal”
Humor me for a moment… I’d like to begin with a brief memory exercise.
Begin by scrolling back in your mind through the events of your life. Then, work backward through the significant milestone moments; past your wedding day (if married), all the way past high school graduation, your first day of middle school, learning to ride a bike, as far as you can remember. Make it as close as you possibly can to your beginning. Does it seem like a long time ago?
Now, keep going. Think back to a time before you. Make your way through history beyond the Reformation, past the Middle Ages, before the early church, the apostles, and Jesus’ earthly ministry. Easy enough, right?
Let’s travel even further back, through the Old Testament, to that seminal moment in the opening chapter of Scripture, the point of creation that was “in the beginning” (Gen. 1:1).
Alright, here’s where things get challenging. Go back even further.
Can you?
It’s difficult to comprehend a time before “God created.” But that’s precisely the point. There was no time because Genesis 1:1 is the beginning of time itself. The only One in existence before that was the Author of time Himself. And herein lies one, among an infinite number, of the differences between God and man. We, creatures, are bound by time, whereas God is untethered. This incomprehensible freedom from the limitations of time is referred to as God’s eternality.
I’m aware that I’m asking you to consider the unfathomable. But, then again, isn’t this the case anytime we ponder the Living God? Indeed, some attributes are a bit easier to wrap our minds around. For example, God’s love, holiness, and righteousness can be understood more clearly and experientially. However, concepts like God’s self-existence, infinitude, and eternality tend to be more abstract.
Nevertheless, all of God’s attributes extend past the scope of our comprehension, but by no means should this discourage you. Instead, let it uplift your eyes and heart to exalt Him even more highly as you realize that our God is beyond our wildest imagination! To this end, allow me to address four facets of God’s eternality that will elevate your sense of awe as you think upon such a marvelous God.
The Essence of God’s Eternality
As we think about the concepts of time and eternity, it doesn’t take long to realize that we’re dealing with complex subjects. Things only become more complicated when we think of them in relation to God. When considering God’s eternality, it helps to know that it is directly related to another attribute: His infinitude, which means that He has no physical bounds or limitations regarding time and space. His eternality is a subset of His infinitude, specifically that He is entirely outside the bounds of time. Scripture attests to this, saying, “Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; the number of His years is unsearchable” (Job 36:26). While it’s been said that a man’s life consists of a birth date, a death date, and a dash in the middle–that dash representing the span of his life from beginning to end–no such claim can be made about God, who is timelessly eternal, existing from “everlasting to everlasting” (Ps. 90:2; 93:2).
In essence, you can summarize God’s eternality in that He is (1) without beginning, (2) without end, and (3) without succession of time.
A.W. Tozer described God as “One who dwells in eternity, with time dwelling in Him.” This doesn’t mean that eternity is like some sort of box, distinct from God that contains Him. Stephen Charnock explains, “If eternity were anything distinct from God, and not of the essence of God, then there would be something which was not God, necessary to perfect God.” Instead, eternity finds its substance and fulfillment in God.
Since God is without the succession of time, He is outside the sequential flow of moments. As humans, we live in what could be understood as a momentary present. We can reminisce on the past events and look forward to a future not yet realized as we move through the present moments of our lives sequentially–one after another–through time. God is different, existing within a perpetual present, standing immutably (unchangingly) in and beyond all moments. This is why the Psalmist can declare, “with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day” (2 Pet. 3:8; cf. Ps. 90:4). As Bavinck eloquently elaborates, “God pervades time and every moment of time with His eternity. Every second throbs the heartbeat of eternity.” Reader, as you contemplate the essence of God’s eternity, is your heart yet filled with a spiritual exhilaration? Are you brought to a greater realization of your creaturely limitations and invigorated to rejoice in the transcendence of such a magnificent Being? I hope so, as Scripture presents the eternality of God from cover to cover.
The Evidence of God’s Eternality
Should you assume that this is just my personal opinion or some artificial doctrine, let’s review what Scripture has to say:
He existed before creation (Gen. 1:1; John. 1:1; 17:5, 24)
He endures forever (Ps. 102:26–27)
He lives forever (Deut. 32:40; Rev. 10:6; 15:7)
He is a source of security and rest for His people (Deut. 33:27)
He is the timeless Lord and “the Everlasting God” (Isa. 40:28)
He is the One who “inhabits eternity” (Isa. 57:15 ESV).
He is the One “Who has performed and accomplished it, calling forth the generations from the beginning’ ‘I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He’” (Isa. 41:4).
He is the “King eternal” (1 Tim. 1:17), with an eternal nature and power (Rom. 1:20), whose purposes are eternal (Eph. 3:11; cf. 2 Tim. 1:9).
Our comprehension of such truths falls drastically short, but Scripture’s witness is clear. And if so clearly delivered by the chosen men “moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet. 1:21), who can deny it? The evidence presented in Scripture is decisive. God exists as the ever-existent Sovereign Creator of all things.
The Essentiality of God’s Eternality
Have you ever done a study on the attributes of God? Have you noticed how each attribute is inextricable from all the others? We see this clearly with the eternality of God and how it is essential to His other attributes. Take, for example, His omniscience: God is knowledgeable of all things. He is intimately aware of all reality at once. What an incredible thought, isn’t it? Or what about His omnipresence? For God to be present in all points of time and space, He must be eternal, outside of moments in time, or else He’d be like us–fixed within a specific moment in space and time. Consider also His aseity, or His radical independence from all creation.
Both God’s eternality and aseity are clearly seen in Moses’ encounter with God through the burning bush. In response to Moses’ inquiry about His identity, God responds, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). Notice He didn’t say, “I AM who I was,” nor “I AM who I will be.” No, He reveals that He simply is–all aspects of “being” are entirely within Himself. He is self-existent (Ex. 3:14; cf. Ps. 90:2), self-sufficient (cf. John 5:26), self-satisfying (cf. Matt. 3:17), self-governing (Ps. 115:3; Dan. 4:35), and self-glorifying (cf. Ps. 23:1–3; 25:11; 31:3; 79:9). Lastly, think about His immutability. Only because He is eternally unchanging can we have confidence that God has been, is, and will always be who He is, free of variation and shifting shadow (Jas. 1:17).
Has the importance of God’s eternality hit home yet? Just consider the implications if His eternality wasn’t true. We’d have no confidence that God would exist tomorrow, let alone be the same as He is today? Matthew Barrett says, “If God is not eternal, time-free, then His essence is vulnerable to all types of change.” The partnership between these attributes allows us to confidently hold to God’s declaration that “I, the LORD, do not change” (Mal. 3:6). His eternality is intrinsically woven into each of His other attributes; without it, the God we know and worship couldn’t exist.
The Exclusivity of God’s Eternality
By now, it should be clear that God is one-of-a-kind. He is the only eternal being. Though all creation must submit to the God-designed framework of time, the Almighty is free from such limitations. Though the souls of man (along with angels) stand out from the rest of creation as having a beginning and no end, they are still incomparable to God, who is without beginning and end. This fact led George Swinnock to declare, “eternity, which has no beginning, succession, or end, belongs only to God.” There are none like the Lord. All His attributes, including eternality, are experienced exclusively and expressed flawlessly to their fullest measure.
Pause now and ponder the weighty words of our Lord Himself: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me” (Isa. 46:9). Who else can utter such a grandiose claim? Who else can declare, “I am the Alpha and the Omega… who is and who was and who is to come” (Rev. 1:8; cf. 21:6; 22:13)? Such a statement is reserved only for the one true, Living God. Of course, much more could be said, but this point can be summed up with the words uttered in the prayer of King David: “You are great, O Lord GOD; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You” (2 Sam 7:22).
So, What Now?
This is usually the point where we sit back and ponder the sheer magnificence of God… for about five minutes before carrying on with the rest of our day. And if we’re being honest, we move on entirely unchanged by what we’ve read. I know you know what I’m talking about. Well, let’s try and do things differently this time.
Let’s get to the heart of the matter; the big question: Why should you care that God is eternal? Besides stretching your mind, is there any reason you should contemplate this attribute? Furthermore, how should this attribute affect the way that you live today? Far be it from us that we’d be content with simply adding more information to the mental catalog. Though God’s eternality is a concept that soars far above our ability to comprehend, there are still a few practical implications that should come from dwelling upon this phenomenal truth.
Grow in the fear of the Lord. God is not like you and me. May your heart move downward in humility, melting in sincere reverence and awe as you contemplate our spectacular God.
Engage in fervent worship. It’s been said, “the higher your theology, the higher your doxology.” The more you discover about God, the more reasons you have to praise Him. That your worship would soar today on the wings of such a profound doctrine would be a tremendous grace.
Forsake worldly pleasures. Sin promises temporary gratification but requires a heavy cost–never-ending torment in hell. This world and its offerings cannot compare to the riches of eternity with God. Therefore, the fleeting temptations of this life should become bitter in view of eternity and the sweet promise of everlasting life in heaven!
Rejoice in the gospel. Your salvation is not merely a rescue from eternal judgment but the gift of everlasting life. Your sins are not unfolding sequentially before God. No offenses catch him off guard. Instead, each sin has already been accounted for and paid in full by the One who stepped into time to die for, ensuring eternal forgiveness.
Fix your eyes on the eternal joy to come. In His presence, there is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). What comfort it is to know that the present toil is temporary, but the future prize is forever.
My friend, I hope these encouragements spur you on as you advance in faithful service of the King eternal, knowing that soon we will see Him face to face. Set your mind on the things above, serve hard, and suffer well, for we are but a short way off from enjoying eternity with Him.
[This post is adapted from an article entitled, “Intrinsically Timeless: The Eternality of God,” originally published in the May/June 2022 volume of VOICE Magazine. For more information, visit ifca.org.]
