Who Created God/Where Did God Come From?
Bodie
Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical
Authority Ministries, June 6, 2025 (Donate)
Introduction
I
had the opportunity to speak to some students, where many in the audience were
rather “hostile” to the Bible and God. One student blurted out in a rather
harsh tone:
“Where did God come from? Who created God?”
This
person was clearly not happy with the fact that I trusted the Bible and
believed in God. Normally, those who ask these questions do so in an attempt to
disprove the existence of God or at the very least to make themselves feel like
they have an excuse not to “believe in God”. I immediately responded to their
question with a question and asked:
“On what page of Shakespeare’s book Hamlet
could I find Shakespeare?”
I
can recall the silence in the room--you could hear a pin drop! So I asked
again. The person responded by saying something like:
“Shakespeare’s not confined to his book, he
created it and wasn’t bound to it.”
And
this was indeed a brilliant answer. See, Shakespeare wrote the book and isn’t confined to it – he is not bound to it, he is beyond it. It came about by his creativity. He is not part of the book. So with this, I
responded:
“In the same way, the God of the Bible is also
not bound to His creation, He is beyond it, He created it, He is not limited to
it. Let me explain. When you ask the question who created God or where did God come
from, you are using the action verbs “created” and “come.” This implies that
time is in existence for God to “show up” on the scene at some point after time had begun (to be created or
to come about). This is not the God of the Bible, who created time and is not
bound to it. So in the same way that Shakespeare, being confined to his book,
was essentially an illogical question; so is limiting God to being confined to
His creation as a creation within
time.”
I
remember seeing people sit up and take notice of this short answer. In fact, I
doubt many of these kids ever heard anyone actually try to give a reasoned
answer to that question. But let me re-explain this in more detail and add to
it so you don’t miss it.
The Answer
The
key to the answer is the action verbs “come” and “created”. Using these actions
verbs reveals an assumption on the part of the person asking the question. This
question presupposes that time is
infinite in the past, and that God is bound by time. However, time is finite;
it has a beginning and even scientists recognize this, and those who have read
the Bible have known this for quite some time.
God
is beyond time; He did not come into existence at some point within time.
Instead, He claims that, rather than having a beginning, He is the
Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13). In
light of this, the question is an illogical one. God didn’t come from anywhere
or anyone. God is the source of everything, and He created time. Time is
not absolute; God is absolute. When someone asks “where God came from”
or “who created Him”, they are assuming time is absolute and God
isn’t—but this isn’t the God of the Bible.
Now
apply this to God. God created time. Yet people ask, “who created God” and “where
did God come from?” They are assuming that God is bound by time when asking a
question like this. In other words, they believe that time was first and then
God came onto the scene. From the Bible we learn that time had a beginning
(Genesis 1)—that it was started by God, thus God is not bound by time.
The
misconception lies with the view of time. Either time is infinite and God is
bound by it, or God created time and time is not infinite. This can be
visualized by Figure 1.
Figure
1. Fallacious view that time is infinite and God is bound by it
|
God,
in Job 38, has laid claim that He created time (since time is part of the
physical world, along with the three dimensions of height, width and length),
thus the timeline of history and the future should be viewed as Figure 2.
Figure
2. Proper view of God with respect to time
|
When
someone says that God is bound by time, they are saying that God is bound
inside of what He created. This is a fallacy. Recall that God created
everything physical—including time—because there was a beginning (Genesis 1:1).
God had no beginning, and thus does not have a cause.
Now
that this has been answered, let’s move to some related discussion on the
subject: Which God are we talking about? And the existence of God. Now if there
was a “god” who was created or showed up in the universe after its creation,
that “god” really isn’t the true God is he? In fact, I would join in refuting all
such false “gods” as there is only one God. This answer that we’ve been
discussing is in reference to the God of the Bible, not to a false god, and
hence, Christian theism. And now we turn to a discussion of God’s existence.
Non-Christian Theism
God
opens the Bible with the statement of His existence and there is so much we can
learn from this. Being that He is the ultimate authority on every subject,
including His existence, then there is no reason that He should not be taken at
His Word. Consider Genesis 1:1 (all verses NKJV):
“In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth.”
Elohim is the Hebrew word for
God here. It is one of many names used of God throughout the Old
Testament. As you may have noticed,
names have significance in Hebrew. Jehovah
Jireh means The Lord provides. Elohim is no different. It is often
denoted as a majestic plural of the singular El [which is also a name for God]. So why, of all the names, is
this one used to open the Bible? Because
it reveals a fascinating aspect of God especially when used in conjunction with
the rest of Scripture. This signifies the very power and kingship of the Lord
God.
Unitarian God?
When
Elohim is used of God, it retains singular verbs. This gives hints toward
plurality and yet a single unity. Not that this means multiple gods…by no means. This coupled with the
many passages that Jesus is God and the Holy is God are a confirmation of a
triune God, not a Unitarian “god”. It
means that the God of the Bible is clearly not Unitarian in essence.
As
the Lord reveals more and more through the Scriptures, we find that God is triune in nature. One God (Deuteronomy
6:4 "Hear,
O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!”, see also Romans 3:30, 1
Corinthians 8:4-6, Ephesians 4:6,
etc.), yet three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A table
revealing passages that clearly show the triune nature of God are listed in How
do we know the Bible is True? Volume 1, pp. 76-77.
When
discussing the Trinity, people are often at a loss to understand how something
can be one, and yet three at the same time. The classical view of how to
simplify this is by envisioning an equilateral triangle:
Image by Bodie Hodge
There
is one triangle (think one God) with three identical points and angles (think
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and yet each point is unique and if you follow
the lines of the triangle from each point, they are the lines of the other two points. So, one point is ultimately one with the other points as well. They
are identical in essence with the same line length and angles.
Others
have postulated a way to understand it as envisioning the triple point of
water, where at a particular pressure and temperature, water can be solid,
liquid, and gas at the same time! Now these simple analogies will never fully
be able to dive into the understanding of a triune God, but should be
sufficient to show that such concepts are easily possible. Nor should such
images or concepts be put in place of God, they are merely ways to help
understand the character of God.
The
use of Elohim, with singular verbs is
a great confirmation of the character of God right from the start. And
theologically, it makes sense. Consider John’s statement that “God is love” in 1 John 4:7.
Having
plurality in the Godhead allows love to emanate from one person to another in
perfect synchronicity as love is something that is shared, not withheld
regardless if creation exists or not. An Unitarian god would fall short in this
area. For an absolute Unitarian god could not
be love because love would not exist until something was created to love. A
Unitarian god would be incomplete until creation occurred for love to become a
reality. A triune God could love without the necessity of being bound to the
creation, showing the great majestic power and kingship of God over His
creation – which is what Elohim truly
signifies anyway.
Now,
not all instances of Elohim are in
reference to God in the Old Testament. Although all 26 times it is used in
Genesis 1, it is in reference to God. And most of the uses of Elohim in the Old Testament are in this
form (well over 2,000) and refer to God.
This
same word, Elohim, when used with plural verbs (and plural adjectives) is used when referring to cases where alleged
“gods” or “pagan gods” are being spoken of in Scripture (such as The Ten Commandments where God says: "You shall have no other gods [Elohim] before
Me” Exodus 20:3). This is called a numerical
plural meaning multiplicity as opposed to the numerically singular majestic plural which means God. So the
context determines the meaning, which is common in Hebrew anyway and these are
easily discernible by the language.
But
let’s consider Genesis 1:1 and the rest of Scripture to alleged polytheistic “gods”.
Polytheism?
Since
Elohim is not used with plural verbs or adjectives, it does not mean that God should be plural as in
“gods”. This refutes any idea that the creation was created by multiple “gods”.
Polytheism, which has many gods, is thoroughly debunked by the Bible. Of
course, there are a number of other passages that further interpret Genesis 1,
even by Moses, who also penned Genesis:
Deuteronomy 4:35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD
Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.
Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O
Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
Deuteronomy 32:39 ‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God
besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who
can deliver from My hand.
Some
polytheistic religions such as Mormonism have gods arriving after the fact (i.e., people becoming gods within the creation), but since they are not the Creator of
all things including time and space, then are they really on par with the
Creator-God of the Bible? Absolutely not.
Shinto,
which has multiple gods, have them arriving on the scene after creation as
well. It is a form of ancestor worship, where people become gods. But again, if
they are not the Creator, then they are lesser – i.e., created, and cannot be
equal to the God of all creation and hence are not “gods” at all. Any polytheistic religion (from these…to
Greek Mythology…to Hinduism) is refuted by the Bible, where God is one.
Many
religions that have multiple “gods” has some link to a form of ancestor worship
where great men of the past have been embellished and raised up to “god-like”
status. Besides Shinto, which is obviously ancestor worship, Oden (Woden) for
example is found in the genealogies of Anglo-Saxon and Norse royal genealogies.
Hercules is a Greek embellishment of the account of Samson and so on.
Atheistic Religions?
Obviously,
atheism and variant atheistic religions are refuted by the mere mention of a
God in the Bible. This explains why humanists
(man is seen as the ultimate authority apart from any alleged god(s) – it is a
form of atheism), atheists/non-theists
(who say emphatically that there is no God), agnostics (who say they can’t know if God exists), materialists (another form of atheist
who denies anything beyond a natural world) avoid the Bible if at all possible.
These
atheistic variants can’t get past Genesis 1:1 in the Bible without putting up
their defenses. Hence, they often turn to attack the Bible, which is what we
see in today’s culture and the example we saw at the opening of this chapter.
But God refutes any form of atheism with the first verse in the Bible.
Humanism and Atheism: Refuting atheism is
rather easy logically. To say there is no God would mean that one has looked in
the entire universe at the same time, both in the natural world as well as the
transcendent or spiritual world. This means they are claiming to be omniscient as they are claiming to be all-knowing on the subject of God’s
existence. They would also be claiming to be omnipresent by claiming to be everywhere. So really, an
atheist (or humanist) is claiming to be God and thereby refuting their own
position. And God reveals that atheists really do know that God exists, but
suppress that knowledge (Romans 1:18-20).
Agnosticism: An agnostic claims
there is no way of knowing if God exists or not. But frankly, how does an
agnostic even know that? Without the truth of the Bible and the biblical God,
how can anything be known? Knowledge is predicated on the fact that the
biblical God exists (Colossians 2:3).
Materialism: (See also the
response on atheism above). But further in a materialistic view, any
nonmaterial aspects are denied – i.e., the spiritual realm, abstract realm,
etc. But, if this were the case, then
other nonmaterial entities must also be denied. So in a materialistic worldview
logic, truth, knowledge, and other abstract concepts must also be denied. If
this is the case, nothing could make sense!
Existence Of God
Take
note of an important fact here. God does not take the time to build a logical
or scientific case for His existence, but merely presupposes it. We live in
a culture that tries to demand that things be proved things using science
through empirical means (our senses) and/or by logical analysis. And yet God
begins with a declaration of His Existence.
Many people instantly get “up in arms” because God didn’t try to “prove”
Himself first on man’s fallible basis. So they assume that the existence of God
cannot be proven but merely assumed on blind faith. But consider if God had set
out to prove His existence to fallible sinful human beings just to please us.
In such an attempt, God would have to appeal to something greater Himself in
order to prove His existence.
For
example, if God tried to use scientific means to prove His existence, then God
would be lesser than science and forfeiting His claims to be the greatest thing
in existence. If God tried to use a logical argument, then logic would be
raised up to be greater than God; and again, God would be reduced to something
lesser. But God, being all-knowing (Colossians 2:3),
knew better.
Hebrews 6:13 “For
when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater,
He swore by Himself.”
God
is the ultimate authority on His existence and therefore, His statement is of
the greatest authority and proof. In fact, such things as logic and uniformity
in nature (basis for science) stem from or are founded on God and His power.
Logic is the extension of the way God thinks. Laws of science are merely
studying the way that God upholds the universe.
These are tools that stem from God and His Word being that ultimate
authority.
But
consider the converse. What authority are these non-Christians really appealing
to when they say that logical analysis or empirical (senses) are the ultimate
authority? Themselves! They are claiming that they are the absolute authority,
which is arbitrary where God who is the ultimate authority on the subject of
authority is not arbitrary! A question
to ask to reveal this fallacy is, “what ultimate authority should God, who is
the ultimate authority, have appealed to prove He is the ultimate authority?”
He could only appeal to Himself if He
is what He claims to be.
This
hasn’t stopped people, particularly Christians, from trying to use logical or
scientific means to prove the existence of God. For example, some have tried
using arguments such as:
- First cause
- Design in nature
- Cosmological
- Ontological
- Mind/Body
separation
- etc.
However,
these arguments each have short comings. They assume a neutral position and
then try to deduce that God exists by agreeing that logic is the ultimate
authority over God instead of recognizing that logic and reason are the natural
outworking’s of a God and is predicated on the truth of the Bible. In a consistent manner, Christ affirms,
though, that there is no such thing as neutrality, so falling into that trap
means Christians are giving up the authority of the Word of God for an
arbitrary humanistic view as their starting point:
Luke 11:23 "He
who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”
If
they start with an alleged neutral starting point, they have already lost the
battle by giving up God’s Word for human reason that is apart from God.
Image by Dan Lietha/AiG
These
arguments also have another problem that is predicated on this. They assume
logic exists in a neutral worldview, then proceed to make arguments. But why
would logic exist in a non-Christian worldview (or if Christians try to arrive
at this conclusion without the Bible)? Logic, being a reflection of the way God
thinks, means the arguer is already assuming the existence of God, while
claiming not to, before they even begin to make the argument. So they are
forced to start with the presupposition that God exists, just to try to argue
against it. They have no basis outside of Scripture for logic to exist.
To
avoid a viscous circle, we must start with the self-attesting God and His Word,
which is not arbitrary, and then we will have a basis for logic, truth,
knowledge, morality, science, and so on – these are Christian presuppositions.
In other words, don’t start from an arbitrary starting point (such as
neutrality), but start with God and His Word and see where it goes. God explains
the aspects of the world coherently. The non-Christian has difficulty with a
starting point because they have no basis for such things – so they must borrow from Christian
presuppositions.
Some
have objected and said “you can’t start with God and His Word because that is
what you are trying to prove!” However, a person can stand on a hill to defend a hill. In the same way a person has
the right to get on the witness stand and defend himself. God has a right to
defend Himself. And by starting with God’s Word, that is how this is done.
Laws
of logic, for example, require the biblical God. Yet to prove anything they are
required, so the only way to begin is with God and His Word. So, if God did not
exist, reasoning would be impossible.
Some
may object and say they “don’t believe in God and yet they can reason”, but it
is not a matter of whether they believe
or not, but a matter of the truth of God and His Word – whether you believe it
or not is irrelevant. So, even the non-Christian is borrowing from a biblical
worldview when they even try to make an argument, thus verifying the truth of
God and His Word! Only the biblical God can account for the laws of logic (as
well as morality and uniformity of nature). This doesn’t mean that non-Christians
don’t believe in these things, but they have no basis for it apart from the biblical God.
Image by Dan Lietha/AiG
In
essence, this is a brief uttering of the transcendental argument for the
existence of God as espoused by great philosophers such as Drs. Cornelius Van
Til and Greg Bahnsen of the 20th century, by recognizing the way
biblical authors and ultimately God Himself approached the subject – in a
presuppositional fashion. All other arguments for the existence of God rest
upon this one, which starts with God and His Word and show that only the
biblical worldview makes sense of the world. Others will ultimately lead to
absurdity. So by the impossibility of the contrary, God must exist.
Image by Dan Lietha/AiG
Sadly,
when non-Christians try to attack the biblical God or His Word, they are
ultimately attacking the very basis of their own borrowed presuppositions – often
times unknowingly. Christians need to help non-Christians realize they are
standing on borrowed ground, before it is too late.
Conclusion
When
it comes to the issue of who created God or where did He come from, these are
illogical questions that assume that God is “bound to” or “was created” within
His creation. This is not the God of the Bible who is beyond time and beyond
His creation. He is not limited to it. He is the uncreated Creator of all
existence and existence is not possible without Him.
This
God is the God of the Bible, not some other false god such as unitarianism or
polytheism would have us believe. And by the Word of God itself we can know
that God exists and those who deny such things are really suppressing that
knowledge, all the while borrowing from the truth of the Bible in an effort to
deny and argue against God and His Word.
