By COGwriter
Throughout the ages people have wondered where things came from. Furthermore, they have wondered where God the Father came from. What about Jesus? The Bible itself gives some insight into this, although everyone will not necessarily be satisfied with the answers that it provides.
Something always has had to exist. Either the physical or the spiritual--for if nothing always existed then we would have nothing now.
Where did God come from?
This article is intended to give a biblical answers to that question. It also intends to provide some insight into why that answer is reasonable.
In The Beginning
Most in Western cultures are familiar with the first book of the Bible and how it begins:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ... 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness ..." (Genesis 1:1,26. NKJV throughout unless otherwise specified).
While that beginning describes the beginning of the physical creation, including humans (and probably the beginning of time as we understand it), it says nothing where God came from, other than the fact that the Godhead already existed before the physical creation--and before time as we know it.
Did you know that another beginning is mentioned in the Bible? Notice the following:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made...14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-3,14).
Notice that the Bible clearly teaches that everything was made through the Word (Jesus) and that otherwise nothing was made and that the Word was in the beginning with God the Father. This is teaching that the Jesus and His Father always existed and were not created.
The Creation is Physical, God is Spirit
While humans have a finite amount of understanding, God's understanding is infinite:
5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. (Psalm 147:5)
Jesus taught:
24 God is Spirit (John 4:24).
Paul was inspired to write that humans have a natural carnal body now, but will have an immortal spiritual body later:
But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:38-53).
Thus, once we are raised in the resurrection, this change will allow us to be like God as God the Father and God the Son are already immortal:
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever (1 Timothy 1:17).
Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power (1 Timothy 6:14-16).
One of the reasons that we human cannot understand the beginning of the Godhead is because we are not yet immortal (a related article of possible interest may be Did Early Christians Believe that Humans Possessed Immortality?).
God Was Around Before the Earth
Before there was an earth, God was as He created it:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
4 ... I laid the foundations of the earth (Job 38:4)
Before there was a universe, there was God.
Notice also that there was Wisdom before the earth:
12 "I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion. 13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. 14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;I am understanding, I have strength. 15 By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. 16 By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth. 17 I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. 18 Riches and honor are with me, Enduring riches and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, And my revenue than choice silver. 20 I traverse the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice, 21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, That I may fill their treasuries. 22 "The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. 23 I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth; 26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primal dust of the world. 27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep, 29 When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight,Rejoicing always before Him, 31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world, And my delight was with the sons of men. (Proverbs 8:12-31)
Notice also:
"In the Beginning-GOD" God had to be there first because He made everything that ever was. (Genesis 1: 1.) Probably one of the first things you wonder about God is where He came from. He didn't come from anywhere. He has always existed.' It is hard for us to understand. We must remember that "the secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever" (Deuteronomy 29:29). God always was and He always will be. (Revelation 1:8.) (Wolverton B. The Bible Story, volume 1. RadioCG, 1961, pp. 2-3)
God always existed.
Jesus
Although groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses and other unitarians teach that Jesus did not exist from eternity, their teachings are in error.
Jesus existed before the earth:
5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. (John 17:5)
9 ... God who created all things through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:9)
11 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." (Revelation 4:11)
John made the eternity of Jesus clear when he wrote:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:1-3).
Also notice what the Apostle Paul wrote:
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist (Colossians 1:15-17).
Thus the Word was God and was with God and from the very beginning. Before anything was made. And the Word, Jesus was God and like God the Father yet became flesh. Notice:
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
Notice that this shows that Jesus was God and that He became flesh. It was not that Jesus was an angel that became human (that happens to be what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach). But it is true, that while on earth, Jesus emptied Himself of His divinity (Philippians 2:7) and became flesh (more on the nature of Christ is contained in the article Jesus is God, But Was Made Man).
The Godhead Inhabits Eternity
The Bible reveals that God is eternal. Notice what God is called:
27 The eternal God (Deuteronomy 33:27).
God also does not change and will be around always:
27 But You are the same, And Your years will have no end. (Psalm 102:27)
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
Notice the further the following:
13 Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:13-14).
Thus, even the name that God identified Himself as "I am who I am" signifies eternity.
The Bible reveals that the eternal power of the Godhead should be obvious:
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).
This does not mean that humans fully understand the eternity of the Godhead, but that there should be enough evidence of His existence that logical people will realize that His eternal attributes are partially understood through what God has made (an article of related interest may be Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God's Existence Logical).
For one example, consider that Uranium and other radioactive elements are believed to disintegrate at a constant rate. Understand that radioactivity points to creation, and hence to a Creator. There must have been a time when radioactive matter began to disintegrate. Also since physical life comes only from other physical life, something else must have started the process (see also Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God's Existence Logical?). This 'something else" was the Godhead (1 Timothy 6:13).
In Isaiah 57:15 it states that God "inhabits eternity." Now eternity is a difficult concept for humans to fully grasp. While most of us seem to have no problem envisioning that we could live forever, the idea of something not having a physical beginning is totally foreign to our lives' experiences.
Notice that God does understand this:
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
26 Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered (Job 36:26).
5 He does great things which we cannot comprehend. (Job 37:5)
8 And to God I would commit my cause—8 Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number (Job 5:8-9).
So we see that God put eternity in human hearts and God is infinite, but that we cannot fully understand even the work that God does from the beginning to the end. It is beyond our ability to grasp at this time. Yet the Bible reveals:
18 Known to God from eternity are all His works (Acts 15:18).
Thus it is clear that God knows all His works from eternity, but that there are some things that humans simply cannot fully understand.
It also seems to be able to be beyond our ability to grasp the entire universe (cf. Jeremiah 31:32). Like God, the dimensions of the universe have no beginning and have no end. And if one concludes that empty space is the end, where does the empty space end?
Of course, it does not.
Thus, just like no one can go to one end or the other of the universe, no one can get to the beginning or the end of the Godhead. So even though the idea of an endless universe can be within our hearts and minds, it is a concept, like the eternity of God, that is difficult for humans to fully understand.
God is Love
Even though God is immortal, how was it possible for God to inhabit eternity? The answer also seems to be found in the Bible.
First read the following:
4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4, KJV).
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
Because the Godhead does not ever sin, the Godhead never has to die and is thus capable of living eternally (Jesus only died because He allowed Himself to do so, see Matthew 26:53). Only a sinless being could exist without a beginning. Do you know that Jesus taught the following?
17 But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17).
17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' So Jesus said to him...19 "You know the commandments" (Mark 10:17,19)
And in Mark's account he then He listed half of the ten commandments (also in Luke 18:19-20). (An article of related interest may be What Did Jesus Teach About the Ten Commandments?, Protestants may also wish to read What Did Paul Actually Teach About the Ten Commandments? and Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differ from most Protestants.)What does the Bible say is the love of God requires of us?
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).
(An article of related possible interest may be Was the Commandment to Love the Only Command?)
Who is God? Notice that God is love:
8 God is love (I John 4:8).
Also notice that there is no fear of judgment in love:
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment (1 John 4:16-18).
The reason that the Godhead was able to exist from eternity is because that the Godhead is love--anything other than love would eventually destruct. There was no fear in love. No fear of destruction nor any adverse judgment. Also:
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor (Romans 13:10).
Notice what what was inspired to write about aspects of love:
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. NKJV (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a).
Because God is love, the Godhead was able to exist from eternity. Because God is love, God has a plan to share His love and offer salvation to all.
Notice:
8...God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:8c-10).
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:16-17).
We humans do not possess perfect love, hence there are still some things we do not fully grasp, but because of the love of God we will have the ability to do so. Because God is love, God has been able to inhabit eternity. (To answer the question "Who Are You?", please see the article What is the Meaning of Life?).
Conclusion
Please understand that there are aspects of God that the Bible reveals are now beyond full understanding of humans. But notice that the Bible teaches that eventually we will know:
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known (1 Corinthians 13:12).
For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light (Luke 8:17).
So while we only see a little now, in the future we will better understand eternity and how the Godhead has always inhabited it.
The answer to the question, "Where did God come from?" should be clear: The Godhead has always existed and did not come from anywhere else. And because God is Spirit, God is sinless, and God is love, the Godhead has been able to exist from eternity.
Only a Godhead based on love could always have existed. But since we humans do not yet have perfect love, we carnal humans still have some difficulties fully understanding that (though we should, to some degree, be able to understand it). But when we are spirit, we will be able to know clearly.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Here is a link to a related sermon: Evolution is NOT the Origin of Life. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
How is God Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient?
What is Your Destiny? Deification? Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God?
What is Your Destiny?
What is the Meaning of Life?
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, and The Mystery of YOU.
Thiel B. Where Did God Come From? www.cogwriter.com/godcomefrom.htm 2007/2008/2010/2011/2013/2015/2016/2020 1010