Self Existence (Aseity)

What is the aseity of God?

Simply, the aseity of God is His attribute of independent self-existence. God’s aseity means that he is sufficient to himself, independent of anything outside himself. God’s eternality is his aseity with respect to time: Lord of time, existing above and apart from it, but free to enter it to accomplish his purposes.

God is the uncaused Cause, the uncreated Creator. He is the source of all things, the One who originated everything and who sustains everything that exists. The aseity of God means that He is the One in whom all other things find their source, existence, and continuance. He is the ever-present Power that sustains all life. There is no other source of life and none other like Him.

Aseity of God in the Old Testament

God, in the Old Testament, is described as self-existent.

Attribute	Reference	Verse
Self-existent	Exodus 3:14-15	God said to Moses, "I am who I am." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I am has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. The aseity of God is expressed in Exodus 3:14. When Moses asked the Lord about His name, God replied, “I AM WHO I AM.” God is the eternally self-existent Being who always was and always will be. The aseity of God is related to His complete independence. God has no need. He is complete in and of Himself and always has been. God did not create man because He was lonely or because He needed to create. He is and always has been complete and self-sufficient in and of Himself.
Unique	Isaiah 46:9	"For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me".
Eternal	Psalm 90:2	Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. God did not have a beginning. He has always been.
Immutable (Unchanging)	Hebrews 13:8	Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
	Malachi 3:6	"I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed."
	James 1:17	Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Autonomous	Isaiah 46:10	"My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please". God’s aseity assures us that His autonomy is absolute. He alone decides what to do, and nothing can ever thwart His purpose to keep His promises. What He promises to do, He will do. What He predicts will come to pass.
First and the Last	Isaiah 44:6	"This is what the Lord says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.

All of God’s attributes — His love, power, wisdom, etc. — are eternal and unchanging. They are as they have always been and will never be any different.

The Aseity of Jesus

God, in the Old Testament, is described as self-existant. And yet, so is Jesus. Jesus Christ, being God in flesh, shares the aseity of God with the Father.

Attribute	Reference	Verse
Life in Himself	John 5:26	For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
Self-existent	John 8:58	"Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am."
Self-existent	John 18:6	When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. Also, see I Am.
Creator	Colossians 1:16–17	"In him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together". Jesus is not a created being. He came to earth as God in flesh and after His resurrection ascended back into heaven to take His rightful place as Creator of the universe.
First and the Last	Revelation 1:17	When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last."

Because of the aseity of God, we can depend upon Him as the independent One who is able to deliver, protect, and keep us. This knowledge keeps us from the error of thinking that God is finite, that He get tired, or that He will ever be insufficient to meet our needs (Psalm 23:1).