Compelled to Worship: Aseity

Perhaps the most impactful spiritual undertaking I’ve ever encountered was a deep study of God’s attributes. I did not expect how transformative it would be.  After all, we already know God’s love is great, He is eternal, He is powerful, He is merciful, He is just, He is great. But I was wrong about thinking I understood Him.

As I studied these attributes in a more meaningful way – I was compelled to worship God. The music I sang seemed insufficient to give God the praise and glory He deserves. Below, and for the next few posts, I will give you a few of the highlights. However, I highly recommend reading A.W. Pink’s book entitled “The Attributes of God.”  It will walk you through most or all of these in a far better fashion than I can. You can do yourself no greater favor than to study and know God; His attributes in detail will thoroughly overwhelm that process.

Doctrine (truth):

“In the beginning, God…”  Genesis 1:1

“…You [God] are from everlasting.” Ps 93:2

“His [speaking of Christ] goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2

Before creation God already was. He did not ‘come into existence’ because God has no beginning. He is the only ‘uncreated’ One. He is self-existent.  Sometimes this is referred to as the aseity (uh-see-i-tee) of God.

God does not derive life or fulfillment from anything or anyone other than Himself. He is entirely self-sufficient.  Before creation the triune God was satisfied within Himself. He did not have need, want, or lack in any capacity. Any presence of such a thing would necessarily mean that He was incomplete, or still ‘becoming’ which would denote imperfection or incompleteness in God. Rather, His created order does not serve to provide Him value, substance, or purpose. It serves only to give Him glory.

That is a unique thing that cannot be said about anything or anyone else in all of creation.

This is commonly referred to as the first attribute of God though it’s not entirely accurate to think about God in such a linear fashion. He is ‘all at once’, not one at a time.

“For from Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things.” Romans 11:36

He is the source of all things. He is the means of all things. He is the goal of all things. There is nothing, no reality, outside of that statement. He is the author of intelligence, knowledge, and reason. Apart from Him you cannot even know anything for certain. This is what some apologists call “the standard of intelligibility” or the foundation on which all knowable things are built.

He is the self-existent, self-sufficient God. From Whom everything flows, and through Whom everything functions, and for Whom everything exists. It is a staggering statement about God.

This attribute of God goes very deep and pervades literally all of our existence. We live and die within the context of this one attribute of God. The very matter we are made up of only exists within a tiny fraction of this one attribute of God; and we haven’t even scratched the surface…

I wish I had the ability to reach beyond a simple scratch in the surface but I do not. A scratch is likely all I’ll have this side of eternity.

Ethic (practice):

Having only briefly touched the subject, you were probably left to stop and wonder for a moment. That’s what God’s attributes should do. They make your mind stretch, wonder, and through the mind your heart is reached. The heart then expresses, out of its abundance, in worship. It produces humility in us and our spiritual foundation is strengthened.

The happiest person is when he truly contemplates on the truth of God.  Our hearts are restless for God and we cannot become who we are without Him.

Consider these three short verses concerning his sovereignty:

Colossians 1:18 – “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

Acts 17:28 “It is in Him that we live and move and have our being.”

Hebrews 1:3 – “Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power.”

We are to be swallowed and overcome by the greatness and grandeur of a God Who is described in those verses. Overcome by this truth so much so that we can only marvel in such a wonder as God is. Truly, we cannot even comprehend the magnitude of those three short verses, but we should long to look into them until we see Him face to face.

Because He is self-existent, and has no boundaries, He holds all things together and they exist for His glory.

Those words should drive us to our knees in worship. Our words should not be careless or irreverent. Our hearts should be repentant and humble before so great a God. God has made Himself known to us and as Jesus said, the true worshipers worship in spirit and in truth.

When we respond to the true God, we realize that He doesn’t change for us. That would be to say that God is not complete or has need to be something other than Who He is. No, He gives us the privilege to be sanctified so that we can become more like Him. Unlike oppressive masters, He is a good master who loves and cares for His sheep.

The first question that is answered in the fantastic Westminster Catechism of Faith is this:

Q: What is the chief end of man? A: To glorify God (Ps 86) and enjoy Him forever (Ps 16:5-11).

He has made this possible for us through Jesus. Today I’m compelled to worship Him because He is the only uncreated One who has no beginning and no end. That God is worthy of my worship and yours.

Prayer:

God, I desire to know You and to love You. Help me where I fail in this. You are a God worthy of knowing, loving, and surrendering to. Fill my mind with Your truth and protect me from the lies that twist it. As I read Your Word fill my mind with wonder and awe of You; inspire Who You are to change my worship of You; make my heart grow more fond of You so that I desire more of You. For from You, and through You, and to You, are all things. - Amen