As we try to learn about God, we must consider His attributes. These are more than just facts about God. These qualities are central to who He is. We could also call them perfections because God is each one with complete perfection. There is no flaw in His holiness, love, or power. He is perfectly perfect.
This fact was evident in last week’s post when we looked at God’s holiness. This attribute sets Him apart from everything else. He is completely other. God’s holiness governs all of His attributes. We see God’s holiness in the fact that He is also eternal. Unlike everything else in existence, God has no beginning and no end. He had no cause or start. God has always been and will always be. As Revelation 4:8 says, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
This attribute reveals that God is not restricted by time or space. This is hard to understand because everything we know and do is in time and space. We can only do something in the present moment. We can reflect on the past or plan for the future, but we can only act in the present. However, God is unlike us. God is in every moment of time at the same time. God doesn’t have a past or future. He is always present.
We see this truth articulated in Psalm 90. The passage says, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God… For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:1-2, 4). This prayer of Moses explains the eternality of God. Before the earth was created, God was already there. A thousand years is a long time for any human to think about, but to God, it’s like yesterday. That’s mind-blowing! One thousand years ago the Byzantine Empire was at its peak, but within four hundred years it had fallen. World empires rise and fall in the span of a few hundred years. We can’t even imagine a thousand years from now, but it’s like yesterday to God. He has already seen it like yesterday’s newspaper. This is because God is eternal. He exists in every moment of time at the same time forever.
God’s identity is linked to this attribute. In Exodus 3, God reveals Himself to Moses in the burning bush. In this encounter, God gives Moses His personal Name- “I AM WHO I AM.” This is the Name Yahweh. It means “the Self-existent One.” God is the Uncreated One. Think about that for a second. What sets God apart from angels, humans, and animals? He is self-existent. Everything else was created by Him, but He is uncreated. He has no source or cause. He is eternal in and of Himself.
The eternality of God is important for us because the primary promise of the Gospel is eternal life. How could God give us something He doesn’t already possess? Scripture says that all who put their faith in Jesus Christ have eternal life. 1 John 5:11-12 says, “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” The amazing truth is you and I can have eternal life with God through Jesus Christ. We can exist forever in the perfect, holy, and beautiful presence of our Creator. This is the hope that we have in Jesus. So turn to Him in faith and receive eternal life.