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As a little girl, I hated going out to eat.
There was this one restaurant where my parents frequently took us. We were always a large group: my parents, my brother, me, my grandparents, and usually another couple that were close friends of the family. The wait was unbearable for this little girl with nothing to do but sit there and stare at all the people getting to eat ahead of me.
I remember telling my dad he wasn’t allowed to order steak because that would only make things take longer.
And they were already taking forever!
When we wait for hours at the doctor’s office or stand in line too long at the post office, we like to say things are taking forever! How about when that baby is 9 days late? He’s taking forever to come out!
We all know what we mean when we say this: things are taking longer than we’d like. In reality, we have no way of really wrapping our minds around forever.
Now let’s really blow our minds: I’ve often heard that God has existed “forever” and will exist “forever” and to some extent that’s true. However, God exists outside of space and time, therefore we more accurately describe Him by saying He is eternal.
God’s Eternality
Grudem defines God’s eternality in this way: “God has no beginning, end, or succession of moments in his own being, and he sees all time equally vividly, yet God sees events in time and acts in time” (168).
What a conundrum?! In the first half of the definition, Grudem states that God exists outside of time…he doesn’t exist in “sequence” like our lives do…he sees it all at once equally vividly and yet God also sees events within time and chooses to act within the constraints of time. Oh my. Now THAT is hard to wrap my head around.
Let’s break it down:
1. God is Timeless in His Own Being (169)
Psalm 90:2 reads: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” indicating that God has always existed–with no beginning or end.
In John 8:58 and Exodus 3:14 (hover over or click the references to read them) when Jesus and God (respectively) refer to themselves as “I AM”, they both use a present tense verb which suggests one who is continually in a state of present existence. God does not exist in a state of successive moments as we do. For example, we wake up, brush our teeth, shower, etc. God, however, is always “present” in all time.
I know. I don’t fully get it either. That’s why He’s God!
2. God Sees All Time Equally Vividly (170)
This one I can grasp a little better, and I love the visual Grudem gives us. Think about what you did this morning or perhaps last night. You can remember it pretty vividly, right? Maybe you remember what you were wearing or what you ate for dinner. You can likely recall what the weather was like. Now think back to what you did 4 weeks ago. Not quite as vivid, huh? You may be able to recall the generalities of your day but much of the specifics are lost (unless of course it was a very significant day in your life!).
God is not like us. His knowledge of events doesn’t “fade with time” because He is always “present”. He sees everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) with equal vividness–as if it’s happening right now (which for Him, it is I suppose…).
Consider this quote from Grudem: “in God’s perspective, any extremely long period of time is as if it just happened. And any very short period of time (such as one day) seems to God to last forever: it never ceases to be “present” in his consciousness” (170).
Let’s ponder that a moment. The joy of the moment you came to salvation in Christ–God sees it perfectly as He is present there. The pain of His son dying on the cross for our sins–God sees it perfectly as He is present there. Our thousandth day in heaven–God sees it perfectly as He is present there. Amazing.
3. God Sees Events in Time and Acts in Time (171)
Despite the fact that God exists outside of time and sees everything in the present, He chooses to see events in time and act within the boundaries of time. Gal 4:4 reads “when the time had fully come, God sent forth His son”. God waited until just the right moment in time to send His son. He watched as events in the world unfolded and acted at just the right moment.
I’m so glad God chooses to act in this way. He’s vividly aware of my (and your) circumstances–past, present, and future–and chooses to act within my life accordingly. Why does God choose to act this way? To display His glory. To turn our eyes towards Him.
4. We Will Always Exist in Time (173)
This point is about us and not God, but it’s a point that must be made. God’s gift to us is eternal life with Him. We live with His presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit while here on earth, and we will live forever with Him in heaven after our death or Christ’s return.
However, this does not mean we will hold the same characteristic of eternality once we reach heaven. In heaven, we will live forever, but that existence will still be within the constraints of time. We will continue to experience our eternal lives in successive moments that continue on forever. Rev 22:2 says the tree of life will yield fruit each month which indicates a regular passage of time and events occurring within that time space.
Application
I’ll be honest and say I’m a bit stuck on the application here. I think God’s attribute of eternality is one that simply makes us sit back in wonder at who He is. He is so beyond our comprehension. We can also take comfort in this attribute knowing that He has full knowledge of our circumstances.
What do you think? How has this knowledge of God’s eternality effected you?
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If you are new to t{squared}, I am using Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine
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