Aseity (Self-Existence)
God exists from himself, depending on nothing — "I AM WHO I AM." He is the source of all being, never caused or sustained by another.
Overview
God is self-existent — he depends on nothing and no one for his being. "I AM WHO I AM" (Exod 3:14): he simply is, the uncaused source of all that exists, needing nothing added to himself. This is aseity (from the Latin a se, "from himself").
Far from an abstract idea, this is deeply freeing. God did not create us because he was lonely or incomplete — he was already full, the eternal fellowship of Father, Son, and Spirit. So his love for you is entirely gift, not need: he gains nothing he lacked by saving you, which means his love cannot be a strategy to get something from you. "The God who made the world... is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything" (Acts 17:24-25). The self-sufficient God loves freely.
Where it appears
- Exodus 3:14
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Resources, by level
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