Why the WORRYING Christian Should Understand the ASEITY of God

The Aseity of God is Foundational

The Aseity of God is a foundational truth which every Christian must understand about His Creator, Father, and Saviour. Coming from the Latin word which means "from Himself", aseity is God's unique attribute that means He exists OF and FROM Himself.

What the Aseity of God Means

God doesn't depend on any outside cause or reason for His existence, purpose, realization, and continuance. He has within Himself His own cause, reason of existence, and ability to exist.

God is self-originating. He is self derived. He has absolute self-sufficiency, independence, and autonomy.

He does not draw from any other energy. He is not a product of another's creation. He is sufficient in and of Himself. He is independent of anything outside of His being.

Our God was NEVER created. And the Creator is self-powering. He doesn't need to be plugged in to something or someone else to continue to exist or fulfil His purposes.

He has no need for anyone or anything to maintain and sustain His existence. He is self-powered.

He doesn't lack. He has no need of outside source to fulfil or fill any need because He is complete in and of Himself. There is nothing we can provide to add to His worth or happiness.

He is the truest demonstration and definition of perfection, completeness, and sufficiency.

The Aseity of God is What Makes Him God. He is and He has always been, He will always be.

For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me” (Isaiah 46:9). In Exodus, God declares himself as "I am who I am."

“In him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16–17).

He has sufficient resources within himself for all that He is and does.

Acts 17

He “is not served by human hands as if he needed anything,4 because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.

The Challenge in Understanding the Aseity of God

As created and fallen beings, it's hard to fully grasp that someone or something can exist on their own.

Without air, we can't breathe, we can't live.

Without food and water, we can't go on, we will die.

We are dependent creatures. We are needy.

We get to the end of our limits from time to time. We become spent.

Never does HE.

Without purpose or reason, our existence will be meaningless and pointless.

The creation of man, his salvation, and the worship of God does not meet any need in God. He has no need of His creation. He does not need our validation or acknowledgment. He does not need to prove Himself to anyone. Nor does He need to explain Himself. When He acts, He doesn't owe us anything.

He did not create because He needed creation. He doesn't need our worship. He is not obligated to save us from our problems. Yet He does.

Understanding the Aseity of God is Key to Knowing Him More

When we understand the Aseity of God, we get a deeper understanding of all His other attributes. For example, God is love, means He is the author and source of love. And He loves perfectly.

So when He expresses in the Bible that He loves us, that is love without flaws, without self-intentions or self-motivations. That is pure, unadulterated love, motivated by no other fact that He is love and He loves. That is who He is and that is what He does completely and perfectly. He loves because He wants us to enjoy the kind of love that He is and does. There is no aspiration or hope that we would love Him back. Whether we reciprocate or not, He remains to be love and will still love.

Understanding the Aseity of God is Key to Confidence and Security

When we understand the aseity of God, we get a deeper appreciation of 2 Cor 12:9 and Philippians 4:13.

Humans and created beings can never accomplish anything on our own. We depend on something to do and be. God is not like us. And He is the best person to help and enable us.

The all-sufficient, all-powerful, self-sustaining and self-powered One, is our unfailing strength. His grace is sufficient for us. While we remain in this world, there will be energy, capacity, confidence, and security to our existence. And we know that, when our purpose has been fully completed, there is a next step, a next life, awaiting us. A new adventure will begin. Life won't end, we will just be living it somewhere else.

Acts chapter 17 says: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”

When humans get a whole understanding and appreciate the truthfulness and reality of God's aseity, we find our hope, purpose, cause, sustenance (continuance), resilience, and joy for living.

When life takes a turn for the worst, we can still experience full joy and security. We are steadied, whether we're up in the clouds or down in the pits of trials.

The Christian knows that in God, all are safe. We are secure even though the future remains uncertain.

We start to understand what Paul means in 2 Corinthians 4: 7ff

"7 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

8 We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair;

9 we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed,"

As God's beloved children who are in a relationship with Him, how do we process this truth? How do we respond? How does this truth change our understanding, mindset, and very lives?

Respond to God's Aseity by Worshipping

Our Father is no small god. He is awesome, magnificent, powerful, and so much more. IN EVERY WAY. Give Him your humble worship.

Thank. Praise. Be amazed and enjoy your God. Because The Great I AM wants us to call Him, "Abba, Father."

Respond to God's Aseity by Trusting

It's always hard to trust when things are not going smoothly. When you don't know what lies ahead. When money is tight. When your body is weak and old. When relationships are disconnected by conflicts and misunderstandings. When goals are not panning out as planned.

But God remains faithful. And He is always out for our ultimate best. There is never a guarantee that we will have all that we want and covet in this world. But He did promise Himself, His presence, His guidance, His strength.

He promised joy, completeness, spiritual abundance, and the greatest experiences and possessions in the coming Kingdom.

And He also promised that He will never leave us. And that in the end, He will work everything out for good.

So in every sweet blessing and success, thank and praise. In every setback, trust and work hard.

And at all times, be content.

Be patient when God's response and rescue is slow.

Trust even when you don't understand.

You may not know everything. You may not understand everything that's happening or what God seems to be doing. But you can know and trust God, and find your answer in the understanding of who He is.

Above all, desire to please and make Him proud of the way you live, because as Acts 17:28 clearly puts,

 "..In Him we live and move and have our being...We are His offspring."

Be Intimate with God

Be Intimate With God. It's harder and harder to spend exclusive time with God. But more than ever, the Christian needs to talk with God every chance we get. He is never away. He is ever present. So welcome Him in your presence. Acknowledge that He is there, for He is. Speak to Him. and Listen to Him by reading and meditating on your Bible. That's where you find everything He wants you to know about life and about Him.

Now if you're here, reading and not really connecting with God, unsure of who He is in your life, unsure if He is real and if He is interested is you. Know that He loves you. He is for you. He is waiting for you to place your faith in Him for salvation from the judgment of hell over our sin. The bible says that John 3:16. We are all dead in sin, yet God wants to rescue us and make us alive through faith in the finished work of Christ. If we understand our need for the Saviour and put our faith in the finished work of Christ, the Bible says we will be saved. Eph 2:8,9.

So place your faith in Christ today. Ask Him to save you and He will.

photo credit: jplenio