The Eternity of God
Gen. 21:33 — “And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.”
13.40:28 — “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.1’
Hab. i: 12 — “Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.”
Ps. 90:2, 4 — “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.”
Ps. 102: 24-27 — “I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: Thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundations of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” (See also Is. 57: 15; Rom. i: 20, Greek; Gen. i: i; John i: i.)
FIRST PROPOSITION: God is eternal. His existence had no beginning and will have no ending. He always was, always is and always will be. (Compare Ex. 3: 14.) He is the I Am — Jehovah.
II. God immutable.
Mai. 3: 6, f. h. — “For I am the LORD, I change not.’* Jas. i: 17 — “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
i Sam. 15: 29 — “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.” (See also Heb. 6: 17; Num. 23:19.)
SE COND PR OPOSITION: God is unchangeable. His counsel
purpose and character are always the same.
OBJECTION: Jonah 3: 10 — “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” It here said God repented.
ANSWER: God remained the same in character, infinitely hating sin, and in His purpose to visit sin with judgment; but as Nineveh changed in its attitude toward sin, God necessarily changed in His attitude toward Nineveh. If God remains the same, if His attitude toward sin and righteousness are unchanging, then must His dealings with men change as they turn from sin to repentance. His character remains ever the same; but His dealings with men change, as they change from a position that is hateful to His unchangeable hatred of sin, to one that is pleasing to his unchangeable love of righteousness.
OBJECTION: Gen. 6:6 — “And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.” Here it not only says that God repented of what He had done in creating man, but u it grieved Him at His heart.”
ANSWER: (1) Man’s wickedness was so great and so abhorrent that his very creation was an object of great grief to God. This does not necessarily imply that God wished, all things considered, that He had not created man, but only just as is said, that He grieved that He had. Many things that we do are a grief to us, and yet, everything considered, we do not wish that we had not done them, (2) By God’s repenting that He had made man is meant (as the context, v. 7, clearly shows) that He turned from His creative dealings with man to His destroying dealings (v. 7). This was necessitated by man’s sin, The unchangeably holy God must destroy man who has become so sunken in sin.
in. God self-existent.
John 5: 26, f. h. — “For as the Father hath life in Himself/
THIRD PROPOSITION’: God has life in Himself. He is self -ex, istent. God not only exists from eternity, but also exists from Himself. (See also Acts 17: 24-28.)