If God created everything, who created God?

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The question, “If God created everything, who created God?” explores the nature of God and existence itself. Here’s a thoughtful response based on Christian theology and philosophical reasoning.

1. God as the Uncreated, Eternal Being

Christian theology teaches that God is eternal and uncreated. Unlike everything within the universe, which has a beginning and is bound by time and space, God exists outside of these limitations. Psalm 90:2 describes God as “from everlasting to everlasting,” emphasizing that God has no beginning or end. This unique attribute sets God apart as the uncaused cause—the one who exists independently and gives existence to everything else.

Theological Insight: St. Thomas Aquinas, a prominent theologian, argued that all things in the universe require a cause, but there must be an “Unmoved Mover” or “First Cause” that set everything into motion without being caused itself. This “first cause” is understood to be God, the source of all existence.

2. The Principle of Necessary vs. Contingent Beings

In philosophy, beings are classified as either contingent or necessary. Contingent beings depend on something else for their existence (e.g., humans, animals, planets), whereas a necessary being exists by its own nature and doesn’t depend on anything else. In Christian theology, God is considered a necessary being—He exists because His nature is existence itself. This is expressed in God’s name given to Moses in Exodus 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM,” which signifies God’s self-existence and independence from creation.

Apologetic Perspective: Philosopher William Lane Craig explains that asking who created God misunderstands the concept of God. If God is truly the ultimate, self-existing source of all, then He does not require a creator. Instead, He is the foundation upon which everything else depends.

3. Time and Causality Do Not Apply to God

From a Christian perspective, God exists outside time and space, meaning He is not bound by temporal sequences or physical limitations as created beings are. While everything within the universe requires a cause (a beginning point in time), God, as an eternal being, does not exist within time and therefore does not require a cause or a beginning.

Biblical Support: Revelation 1:8 refers to God as “the Alpha and the Omega… who is and who was and who is to come,” implying God’s timeless, eternal nature. Since God is not part of the physical universe, the rules of causation (cause and effect) do not apply to Him as they do to created things.

4. Why This Matters: The Unique Nature of God

The idea of an uncreated Creator helps to distinguish the Christian understanding of God from the created universe. If God were created, then He would simply be another contingent being within the universe, subject to the same limitations. Christianity teaches that God is fundamentally different—a transcendent, self-sustaining being who is not bound by the rules of creation but is the source of them.

Conclusion

In summary, the Christian answer to “Who created God?” is that God, as the uncreated and eternal being, is the ultimate source of existence and does not require a creator. He exists outside of time and causality, sustaining everything else while being self-sustaining. This understanding of God as the uncaused cause and necessary being provides a foundation for the Christian belief in an all-powerful, eternal Creator who is fundamentally different from the created universe.