2023-10-13: The Eternal Existence of God

Objective

1. What is God like
2. The eternal existence of God
3. Heresies regarding Gods eternal existence and how to refute them
4. How does Gods eternal existence affect my life

Key Verse

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

Body

Introduction: What is God's Name?

• The Revelation of God's Name Over Time
  • We read in the beginning of Genesis that Abraham "called on the name of the Lord" (Genesis 13:4)... but what is the name of the Lord? What is God's name?
  • In the beginning, the Lord did not reveal his name. When Jacob wrestled with the Lord, he asked Him and the Lord did not reveal it to him.
    • "Then Jacob asked, saying, 'Tell me Your name, I pray.' And He said, 'Why is it that you ask about My name?' And He blessed him there." (Genesis 32)
  • In the time of Moses, Moses also asked the Lord His name but this time the Lord answered him...
    • "Then Moses said to God, 'Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?' And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:13-14)
    • "And God spoke to Moses and said to him: 'I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.'" (Exodus 6:2-3)
  • In the time of the Judges, Manoah (father of Samson) asked the Lord His name:
    • "Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, 'What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?' And the Angel of the Lord said to him, 'Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?'" (Judges 13:17-18)
  • Isaiah writes that same name, "wonderful" and adds to it:
    • "And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6)
    • "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)
  • When we come to the New Testament in the Gospel of Matthew, he quotes Isaiah and specifies that Immanuel means "God with us" (Matthew 1:23)
  • And we know that God is Trinity: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), Holy Spirit; One God.
• YHWH: The Tettragrammon
  • The principal name in the Old Testament by which God reveals himself is YHWH יהוה which we can pronounce "Yahweh"
  • The oldest Greek manuscripts of the Septuagint actually keep this Hebrew name of God in the midst of Greek
  • In later Greek, it starts to get replaced by ΙΑΩ (pronounced iawe)
  • This is considered by Jews to be "unpronounceable" and in general, they are not permitted to say out loud the name of God. So they replace it sometimes with other words like Adonai which means Lord. Later Greek manuscripts picked up on this word and started to translate it to κύριος which means "Lord"
  • Whenever you see (in the NKJV) the word "Lord" in small caps, you can check the footnote and see what it is being translated from and usually it is YHWH in the Hebrew
  • In the Coptic Bible, Exodus 3:14:
    • ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲡⲉϫⲉ ⲫϯ ̀ⲙⲙⲱ̀ⲩⲥⲏⲥ ϫⲉ ̀ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲡⲉ ⲫⲏ ⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ ϫⲉ ⲡⲁⲓⲣⲏϯ ⲡⲉ ⲉⲧⲉⲕ̀ⲉϫⲟⲥ ̀ⲛⲛⲉⲛϣⲏⲣⲓ ̀ⲙⲡⲓⲥ̅ⲗ ϫⲉ ⲫⲏ ⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ⲡⲉ ⲉⲧⲁϥⲧⲁⲟⲩⲟⲓ ϩⲁⲣⲱⲧⲉⲛ
    • So the Lord is revealing his name to Moses as ⲫⲏ ⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ and then tells him "Tell them ⲫⲏ ⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ sent you"
    • Then when ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ is translated to English it usually comes back as "The BEING"
• What does all of this mean?
  • I AM and THE BEING mean the same thing. Let's see if we can figure out what they mean...
  • AM is the verb "to be" which is conjugated to "am" - "are" - "is" (I am, we are, you are, he is, she is, they are)
  • And what does it mean "to be?" - to exist!
  • The Name of God YHWH, I AM, ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ means "He Who Is" or "He Who Causes to Exist"
    

The Name of God in the Liturgy

• Liturgy of St Basil
  • ⲁⲝⲓⲟⲛ ⲕⲉ ⲇⲓⲕⲉⲟⲛ...
  • ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ⲫⲛⲏⲃ ⲡϭⲟⲓⲥ ⲫⲛⲟⲩϯ ̀ⲛⲧⲉ ϯⲙⲉⲑⲙⲏⲓ - "O You, WHO IS, Master, Lord, God of Truth"
  • ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ϧⲁϫⲱⲟⲩ ̀ⲛⲛⲓ́ⲉⲛⲉϩ: ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲉⲧⲟⲓ ̀ⲛⲟⲩⲣⲟ ϣⲁ ̀ⲉⲛⲉϩ - "WHO IS before the ages and reigning for ever"
  • ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ϧⲉⲛ ⲛⲏⲉⲧϭⲟⲥⲓ: ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲉⲧϫⲟⲩϣⲧ ̀ⲉϫⲉⲛ ⲛⲏⲉⲧⲑⲉⲃⲓⲏⲟⲩⲧ - "WHO IS in the highest, and looks upon the lowly"
• Liturgy of St Gregory
  • ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ⲫⲏⲉⲛⲁϥϣⲟⲡ ⲫⲏⲉⲑⲙⲏⲛ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϣⲁ ⲉⲛⲉϩ: ⲡⲓⲁⲓⲇⲓⲟⲥ...
  • O You, WHO IS, who was and who abides for ever, the Eternal, co-essential, co-enthroned, co-creator with the Father, who for the sake of goodness only brought man into existence out of nonexistence, and put him in the Paradise of joy.
• Liturgy of St Cyril
  • ⲁⲝⲓⲟⲛ ⲕⲉ ⲇⲓⲕⲉⲟⲛ... ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ⲫⲛⲏⲃ ⲡϭⲟⲓⲥ ⲫⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲫⲓⲱⲧ ⲡⲓⲡⲁⲛⲧⲟⲕⲣⲁⲧⲱⲣ...
  • For truly it is fitting and right, and holy and becoming, and profitable to our souls, bodies, and spirits - O You, WHO IS, Master, Lord, God, the Father, the Pantocrator - at all times and in all places of Your dominion, to praise You, hymn You, bless You, serve You, worship You, thank You, and glorify You, and confess to You night and day, with incessant lips, with a heart that keeps not silent, and with unceasing doxologies."
• The Advent Hymn ϥⲉⲙⲡϣⲁ ⲅⲁⲣ
  • ϥⲉⲙⲡϣⲁ ⲅⲁⲣ ϧⲉⲛ ⲟⲩⲙⲉⲑⲙⲏⲓ: ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲟⲩⲇⲓⲕⲉⲟⲛ ⲡⲉ: ⲉⲑⲣⲉⲛϩⲱⲥ ̀ⲉⲫϯ ̀ⲛⲧⲁ̀ⲫⲙⲏⲓ: ⲡϭⲟⲓⲥ ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ϧⲉⲛ ̀ⲧⲫⲉ
    • It is truly worthy: and just that we sing: to the True God: the Lord WHO IS in heaven.
  • Ⲡⲉϥⲣⲁⲛ ϩⲟⲗϫ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ̀ϥ̀ⲥⲙⲁⲣⲱⲟⲩⲧ: ϧⲉⲛ ⲣⲱⲟⲩ ̀ⲛⲛⲏⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ: ̀ⲉⲧⲉ ⲫⲁⲓ ⲡⲉ ⲫϯ ⲫⲓⲱⲧ: ⲛⲉⲙ ⲡϣⲏⲣⲓ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲡⲓⲡⲛⲉⲩⲙⲁ ⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ
    • His name is sweet and blessed: on the mouths of the saints: this is God the Father: the Son and the Holy Spirit
  • The second verse clarifies that we are talking about HIS NAME which is ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ WHO IS. We are confessing that the Lord WHO IS, is the Father Son and Holy Spirit
• Conclusion of the Anaphora:
  • "That as in this, so also in all things, Your great and holy name may be glorified, blessed, and exalted in everything honored and blessed, with Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit." (Liturgy of St Basil, St Cyril)
  • "That as in this, so also in all things, Your great and holy name may be glorified, blessed, and exalted in everything honored and blessed, with Your good Father and the Holy Spirit." (Liturgy of St Gregory)
• The Daily Psalis are all psalis on the NAME of the LORD
  • Monday: "Everyone who says, 'my Lord Jesus', is likened to a sword, casting down the enemy" (2nd verse; other verses explicitly say 'His holy name' or 'Your holy name')
  • Tuesday: "Come unto us today, O Christ our Master, shine upon us, with Your exalted divinity. Send unto us, this great grace, of Your Holy Spirit, the Comforter. So that I may speak, with great honor, about Your Holy, and blessed name." (1st-3rd)
  • Wednesday: "Let them rejoice and be happy, those who seek the Lord, who are constantly, calling upon His holy name" (1st)
  • Thursday: "Let us incessantly, bless the name of Salvation, that is for our Lord Jesus Christ, proclaiming and saying..." (2nd)
  • Friday: "For truly I came eagerly, to a great leader, which is the name of Salvation, of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1st)
  • Saturday: "Remembering Your holy name, brings joy to our souls, O my Lord Jesus Christ, my good Savior." (1st)

The Eternal Existence of God

• s

What can we know about God?

• St John Chrysostom: "On the Incomprehensible Nature of God"

Application

Contemplation

Resources