God Doesn't Need You, and That's Good News

The Doctrine of Divine Aseity

What is divine aseity? Well, to speak of God’s aseity means that He is “a se” or that God exists of Himself. Or, to put it simply, God is self-existent. So, the idea of aseity is that God is completely self-sufficient and in need of nothing as the One who is the source and supplier of all things. As we look at Exodus 3:14 today, we will learn a little more about this doctrine, and hopefully, a little more about our God. Exodus 3:14 reads,

Exodus 3:14 NKJV

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

In this passage we learn of the name of God which is “I AM WHO I AM” which is also pronounced as Yahweh or Jehovah by most of us today. But what does this teach us? What is there for us to learn in this name?

God is Personal

When I say that this passage teaches us that God is personal, I mean that the fact that God gives us a name reveals that He is a personal being. He isn’t a distant or impersonal force, but acts in personal relationships.

God is Defined by No Relationship but Himself

If I were to meet you for the first time, how would you introduce yourself to me? For a lot of us, we not only include our names, but what we feel like is a significant part of our lives. For instance, I might include my name as well as the fact that I’m a pastor, a husband, or a father. We often allow the relationships that we are in to define and shape us as people, but that’s not how God is, is it? Here He makes it clear that He isn’t defined by any relationship, standard, or idea except for Himself. He is totally self-sufficient and all that God is, is what God is. When we say God is love, we don’t mean love in whatever way society wants to define it that day, we mean true, unadulterated love which is only defined from it’s source, which is God Himself.

God is Lord of Past, Present, and Future

Another way to translate, “I AM” here would be to say, “I WILL BE” which suggests continuity throughout time. In essence, what God is communicating is not only is He who He is at that moment when dealing with Moses, but that He would be the same God throughout all time. God is teaching us that He is the Lord of the past, present and future here. This is what we learn in Malachi 3:6 “6 “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

God is independent and In Control

Like we saw earlier, God is defined by nothing outside of Himself. This also means that God is independent as doesn’t rely on anything or anyone else. This is what we call “sovereignty” today. So, as Douglas Kelly writes, “When God says “I AM THAT I AM” He means that He depends on nothing, while everything depends on Him.”

So, God isn’t doing without, He isn’t hoping to get something from us that He doesn’t have, He doesn’t have a debt or an amount that He’s hoping to earn. He’s totally in control, totally satisfied, because He’s totally self-sufficient. His own life doesn’t rely on anything or anyone but Himself according to Jesus in John 5:26

John 5:26 NKJV

26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,

Furthermore, in Romans 11:36 and Colossians 1:16 we read,

Romans 11:36 NKJV

36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Colossians 1:16 NKJV

16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

Now why is this significant? Because it reminds us that God is the uncreated creator, the unsustained sustainer, and the One who holds all things together. If we was created, or needed help from creation, then we couldn’t say that all things are “of Him, through Him, and to Him.”

The Apostle Paul thought that this doctrine was so important that it’s what he leads of with while he’s preaching his evangelistic sermon in Athens in Acts 17:22-26. It reads,

Acts 17:22–26 NKJV

22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,

Notice that Paul wants these pagans who worship so many gods that they created an temple to the unknown god just so whoever he is doesn’t get mad at them. So Paul walks to them and says, “I know who that God is, He’s the only God, and you’ve got nothing to offer Him, but He’s got everything to offer you.” What we’ve seen today is that God is self-sufficient, He doesn’t need anything, He is personal, independent, and in control. So how is this good news for us exactly? Here’s a things this truth about God does in the life of the believer:

It Draws us to Worship

This doctrine develops a heart of worship in us because we come to learn that God didn’t create you and me out of need or boredom, but He, being totally self-satisfied, created us because He is generous and loves to give to us even though He stands to gain nothing from it. How can we not be drawn to worship such a generous, loving and powerful God?

It Demands Humility

It develops a heart of humility and dependence in us that expresses itself through prayerfully seeking God’s guidance as the giver and sustainer of our lives. If God creates and sustains everything and if He needs nothing but is the giver of everything that we need, that should cause us to realize that we really depend on Him.

It Delivers Peace

Finally, this doctrine develops peace in our lives as we remember that God is in control not only of our present, but our future. And if this God created us just to show us His wonderful grace so that we could worship and enjoy Him, then we can have peace in our hearts because we know He is trustworthy and almighty.