Understanding God’s Self-Existence
Have you ever stopped to think about how everything around us has a beginning? Trees grow from seeds, rivers flow from springs, and even you and I were born at a specific time. Everything we know has an origin—except for God.
In Chapter 5 of The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer talks about an amazing truth: God has no origin. He is the one who has always existed and who depends on no one. This idea is hard to understand because it’s completely different from how we see the world. But it’s also a truth that can change the way we see God and ourselves.
What Does It Mean That God Has No Origin?
Tozer explains it simply: God didn’t come from anywhere. He has always been. When God told Moses His name was I AM THAT I AM (Exodus 3:14), He was saying, “I exist because I exist.” God doesn’t need a cause or a beginning because He is the cause of everything else.
For us, this is really hard to grasp because everything we know has a starting point. Even a child will ask, “Where did God come from?” because the idea of something that doesn’t come from anywhere is so unfamiliar.
But that’s what makes God so different from us. He isn’t part of creation—He’s the Creator. He isn’t bound by time, space, or anything else. He just is.
Why Does This Matter?
At first, this might sound like an abstract idea—something interesting but not very practical. But the fact that God is self-existent has big implications for our lives:
God Can Be Fully Trusted
Because God depends on no one, He doesn’t change or fail. Everything we depend on—our jobs, our health, even our relationships—can change in an instant. But God’s character and promises remain the same forever.“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
We Depend on Him for Everything
God doesn’t need us, but we need Him for everything. Every breath we take, every moment of our lives, is a gift from Him.“In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
We Can Rest in His Sufficiency
Because God doesn’t rely on anything outside of Himself, He is completely sufficient. That means we can trust Him to meet every need and sustain us in every circumstance.“My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
It Puts Our Lives in Perspective
Understanding God’s self-existence reminds us of how small we are in comparison to Him. This isn’t meant to make us feel insignificant, but to help us worship the One who is greater than anything we can imagine.“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2).
Facing the Problem of Self
Tozer also explains how this truth confronts a problem in all of us: our desire to live as if we are in control. From the very beginning, humanity has struggled with wanting to be independent of God. Adam and Eve’s choice to eat the forbidden fruit was their way of saying, “We want to decide for ourselves.”
Even today, we often act as if we are the center of the universe. We make plans, chase after goals, and live as though we are in control. But the truth is, we depend on God for everything. Trying to live without Him is like a sunbeam trying to shine without the sun—it just doesn’t work.
Why This Truth is Good News
The fact that God is self-existent means that He is everything we are not: unchanging, dependable, and completely sufficient. While this might make us feel small, it also gives us great comfort.
God doesn’t need us, but He loves us deeply.
He invites us to trust Him, not because He needs our trust, but because He knows we need Him.
Even when we fail, He remains faithful and strong.
When we stop trying to live on our own and start depending on God, we find true freedom and peace.
A Closing Thought
Tozer says that many of us go through life without ever really thinking about who God is. We get distracted by the busyness of life and forget to stop and marvel at the One who holds it all together. But when we take the time to reflect on God’s self-existence, we begin to see how big He is—and how much He loves us.
Let’s take a moment today to thank God for being the unchanging, all-sufficient Creator of everything. And let’s remember that the One who needs nothing still chooses to care for us.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we praise You for who You are—the unchanging, self-existent God who holds everything together. Thank You for loving us even though You don’t need us. Guide us to depend on You more and to let go of our illusions of control. May our lives reflect Your greatness and point others to Your glory. Amen.