The Self-Existence (Aseity) Of God Lesson

Posted on January 12, 2018

Scripture

Various Verses

Memory Verse

“24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things.” Acts 17:24

Objective Of The Lesson

The study of the self-existence of God brings tremendous implications. In correctly understanding the immense nature of God we see a clearer picture of the insignificance of man. Understanding the self-sufficiency of God drives us to humility before Him.

Teacher Exhortation

• Be faithful in teaching all of God’s attributes.
• I will be including many reference verses for each lesson on the attributes of God. It is not necessary that you go over all of them. Use only as many verses as time will allow you to cover.
• This attribute might present certain challenges. Your youngest children might have a hard time understanding this attribute. If so, let them know that it is ok. No man can completely understand God in His entirety. This only helps to show how vast God is.

Introduction

There is no subject more humbling than the study of God’s self-existence (aseity).

• Our children grow up in a culture that values the glorification and praise for man.
• In studying this attribute we will learn the correct and Biblical perspective that we should hold of man.

God Is Self-Existent

Self-existent means that God is not dependent on anyone or anything outside of Himself for His very existence and continual existence.

• He is self-sufficient.

Unlike human beings, God does not have a time or place of origin.

• God existed before the foundation of the world.
• He is eternal.

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2

“Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” Psalm 90:2

“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.” Isaiah 43:10

God is the uncreated Creator.

He is the ONLY being who is truly self-existent.

• We are ENTIRELY dependent on Him.

God is the source of our very existence.

• Our physical life, spiritual life, and eternal life.

“For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.” Acts 17:28

• Our next breath is in God’s hand.
• Every beat of our heart.
• Every blink of an eye.
• Every time one of our cells divides.
• Our very existence… they all come from God.

Our very salvation has God as its source.

“And these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:30

• Notice the repetition of the word HE.
• The action is all done by God.
• We play no role. We are passive.

“So that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:29-30

“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Because God is completely self-existent, He is not dependent upon anything outside Himself.

• There is nothing that God needs from us.

In Psalm 50 God rebukes the Israelites for their sinful attitude in their sacrifices.

• He makes it very clear that He has no need for their sacrifices.

Even IF, and I want to stress IF, God had a need, He would still not depend on us because everything in existence already belongs to Him.

 “9 I won’t accept bulls from your house or goats from your corrals 10 because every forest animal already belongs to me, as do the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every mountain bird; even the insects in the fields are mine. 12 Even if I were hungry, I wouldn’t tell you because the whole world and everything in it already belong to me. 13 Do I eat bulls’ meat? Do I drink goats’ blood?” Psalm 50:9-13

God is not dependent upon anything or anyone outside Himself.

• (Constantly repeat this phrase so that the idea of self-existence can begin to engrave itself in the minds of your kids.)
• He doesn’t need anything that we can give Him as we can see in Acts 17:24-25.

“24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.

God does not dwell in temples made with hands.

• God cannot be contained in shrines and temples.

“25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things.”

God is not served by human hands.

• God does not require anything that men can offer Him.

God does not need anything, as though He needed anything.

• God is not dependent on anything He has created.

Before creation, the Trinity existed eternally without anything or anyone else in the universe.

• The three persons of the Trinity enjoyed perfect satisfaction, fellowship, and delight in one another.

God did not create our universe because He was lonely.

• God did not lack anything when He was alone, and He was not under any constraint or obligation to bring anything else into existence.
• God’s act of creation therefore displays His love, majesty and His glory.

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” Colossians 1:16

“everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Psalm 43:7

“God was under no constraint, no obligation, no necessity to create. That He chose to do so was purely a sovereign act on His part caused by nothing outside of Himself, determined by nothing but His own mere good pleasure.”     —A.W. Pink

He is the living God and source of life.

• Our eternal life comes from Him, but He is self existent life.

“For with You is the fountain of life…” Psalm 36:9a

“For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself.” John 5:26

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.” John 11:25

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6

“for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.” Acts 17:28

“who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:16

Application

Every attribute of God should elicit a response.

What should be our response to knowing that God is self-existent?

• Humility
• Gratitude

Humility

God is self-dependent.

• God does not need the creation He has made, either in whole or any part.
• That includes human beings.

God did not create our universe because He was lonely or because of necessity, but for His own glory.

“Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” Isaiah 43:7

God has created us and He did it for a purpose, for His glory.

• This should drive man to humility before God.
• We should not glorify in ourselves because we are unworthy of it.

Gratitude

God is self-sufficient, but we depend on Him for EVERYTHING.

Every good and perfect gift is from God and Him alone.

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” James 1:17

Every spiritual gift, all the wisdom we possess, every ability we have, every possession we claim and our very existence is from God.

• We owe Him for all that we have and enjoy.
• This should lead us to thank Him for all that we have.

Review

Go over the main point of the lesson: Self-existent means that God is not dependent on anyone or anything outside of Himself for His very existence and continual existence.

Review Questions

• What does it mean that Gos is self-existent?
• Does God have an origin?
• How dependent are we on God?
• What does He give us?
• What does God need from us?
• Are we to humble ourselves before God or glorify in ourselves?
• Are you truly grateful for all that you have?
• Are you going to continue to complain about what you don’t have?
• Imagine if God asked you to pay for everything that He gives you for free? Would you be able to pay Him?

Take some time to memorize the memory verse at the end of the lesson.