The Eternal Active God

How old is God? The word of God says God is eternal. What does that mean?

When my son Christopher was about four years old, he asked a very funny question, “Mommy, is Pop Pop older than God?” I had a little giggle and answered, “No, son, God is older than everything, even Pop Pop! Christopher, God is eternal”! How do you explain eternity to a four-year-old?  Christopher’s length of days was not even a blip on the timeline of history! Almost everything was older than him!

Under all that sweet and cute innocence was a very profound question, one that has been asked throughout the ages. Just how long has God existed?

God Is Eternal

We know, from many verses in the Scriptures, that God is eternal. Easy to say but vastly complex to understand!

The Hebrew Ancients had an easier and more concrete way to describe God’s eternal nature.

They used words like forever and ever and from generation to generation, or they called God the Ancient Of Days, my personal favorite. And here’s another way of expressing God’s eternal nature that my little son could better understand before the mountains were born.

God has always been. He is now. And He will always be. What a big thought. God was before He created time, and He will be there at the end of time and after time, as well.

Not only did God think up the concept of time and create time, but He is also outside and other than time. He is the master of time!

 What a comforting thought. Our great God, who loves us more than we can comprehend, holds time, all time, in HIS nail-pierced hands!

The Great I Am

We get a glimpse of God’s eternal nature in the story of the burning bush.

God appears to Moses in a bush that is burning but not being destroyed. As Moses approaches this odd burning bush, God tells him to take off his sandals, for he is standing on holy ground. Then God tells Moses that he will lead his people out of slavery to Egypt. And Moses says…

“Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His Name?’ What should I say to them?”

“God answered Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” Then He said, “You are to say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM’ has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses: “You are to say to the sons of Israel, Adonai (YHWH) the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and the Name by which I should be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3:13-15)

God tells Moses that He is “I am”! The self-existent one. God’s answer shows that He is beyond any category. God is the definition of existence!

The Present One

But what God is also saying to Moses is “I am” the present one has sent you, in Exodus 3:15. This indicates that the Eternal God was actively present in the lives of Moses and his people. And He is the same today to us! He is present and active. He is self-existent, and because of His great love for us, He is with us.

God’s Other Eternal Attributes

God is eternal and eternally active. What a thought! He acts in line with His eternal natural attributes. Those things He intrinsically is:

Omniscient: Knows all (Job 37:16, Ps 139:1-6)

Omnipotent: All-powerful (Gen 18:14, Job:42:2, Jere 32:27)

Omnipresent: Present everywhere (Pro 15:3, Jere 23:23-24)

Eternal or Infinite: No beginning and no end and outside of time (Deut 32:40, Is 57:15)

Immutable: His nature will never change (Ps 102:25-27, Mal 3:5, Heb 6:17-18)

Incomprehensible: Beyond our understanding-this attribute gives me comfort (Job 11:7, Rom 11:33)

Self-Existant: Depends on nothing to exist beyond Himself (Ex 3:14, Jn 5:26)

Self- Sufficient: Needs no assistance (Acts 17: 24-25)

Infinite: No boundaries, unlimited- (Ps 145:3)

Transcendent: Exists apart from creation (Is 145:3)

Sovereign: In complete control (Dan 4:35)

He is also eternal and active according to His moral attributes. The way He relates to man.

Holy– perfect, set apart from all His creation, “other than” (Is 47:4)

Righteous– always right (Deut 32:4)

Just– always fair (Num 14:18, Num 23:19)

Merciful– compassionate (Ps 89:14)

Long Suffering– holding back what we really deserve-this is a covenant word- (Num 14:18)

Wise: wisdom in all things (Is 40:28)

Loving: God IS love (Rom 5:8)

Good: freely gives (Ps 106:1)

Wrathful: hates sin (2Cor 19:2)

Truthful: speaks reality (Titus 1:2)

Faithful: Always true (Deut 7:9)J

Jealous: Unwilling to share His glory (Ex 34:14)

I only listed a couple of Bible references for each attribute. However, the Bible is full of references to God’s character and His eternal attributes.

God Eternally Works On Our Behalf

The true God, the God of the Bible, is eternally and actively working on our behalf.

Reading Scripture And Getting To Know God

The book of Psalms is a good place to learn who God is and how his eternal and moral attributes work in our lives. Why not commit to reading a Psalm a day? Ask the question, “What did this reading tell me about who God is?” Don’t get frustrated if you can’t understand things. Ask God to show you who He is through the scriptures you are reading. Then, write down what He reveals about Himself right in your Bible, along with the date.

When you have read through the book of Psalms, read it again. Make reading the Psalms a daily habit. It will change your life!

Knowing God Through The Book Of Psalms is an easy read that will help you understand this ancient, God-inspired book better.

“I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA”, SAYS THE LORD, “WHO WAS, AND IS, AND IS TO COME”!  Rev 1:8

Other Sunday Scripture Posts To Read

Practical Wisdom In A Foolish World– Book of Psalms

Forgiving Others And Living In Peace

The Surrounding Favor Of The Lord

What Is Saving Faith

Happy Sunday, friends!