God is…Eternal

We humans have a difficult time capturing the concept of eternality. I guess one big reason for that is we not only have finite minds, but minds that have been tainted by the fall of man. But this characteristic of God is so very important to our lives. Why? Because how we think about who God is defines how we choose to live out our lives!

A.W.Tozer, ¹ put it this way, “What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. I believe that there is scarcely an error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics to life that cannot be traced back finally to imperfect thoughts about God. If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is.”

God Is Without Beginning or End

In the very first verse of the Bible, God is shown as eternal. In Genesis 1:1, it says, “In the beginning, God…” Notice what it does not say. It doesn’t say, “In the beginning, man…” Nope. The Bible declares that in the beginning before there were any living creatures, when there was no earth for them to live on – when there was no stars or galaxies or moons or planets, when there was no atoms or molecules or matter of any kind – there was God.

What God is claiming about Himself here in Genesis 1 is that He and He alone is the eternally pre-existent being in the Universe. He is without source. He is without origin. He is without beginning. He is without ending. Everything else in the entire universe has some beginning – and everything will have some ending – but not God. God is eternal. God simply is – He always has been. He always will be.

God Is Not Confined By Space and Time

Moses wrote Psalm 90 and helps us to understand this idea of the eternality of God. Verse two says, “…from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” The idea Moses is trying to convey goes something like this: If we look as far back into the past as is possible for us to imagine – then – look as far into the future as is possible for us to imagine – God is there. God is there at both points simultaneously, plus God is at every point in-between fully, in that moment, simultaneously!

You see God is not confined by time and space. Time and space only confine temporal beings like us. But since God is eternal, He is in every place at all times simultaneously! It’s just more than the human mind can conceive!

God Knows Every Detail

So, why is this important for our lives? Because God sees every detail of your life from beginning to end and in-between. He has orchestrated your past, He is with you right now in your present, and He understands and sees your future. That means we can trust God’s promises.

[quote] And we know that for those who love God all things work together for the good, for those who are called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28 [/quote]

That promise doesn’t say that everything in our lives turns out for our finite, human concept of good. It says everything turns out for the good. Because God is eternal, He promises to followers of Jesus that His good purposes will be woven into the everydayness of our temporal lives, as we live through difficulties, hardships, and blessings. He sees the beginning from the end.

Give thanks to our eternal God!

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1 The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life