We live in, among other things, a time dimension where one event follows another. Time passes. Everything ages. Throughout our lives, we learn that effects always have causes. We would be confused if they didn’t. Therefore, it is hard to imagine the first cause, and even harder to imagine what, if anything, preceded “The First Cause.”
Just as God created the universe and everything in it, God also created time. There was a beginning of everything, including space and time. Consequently, God is outside of space and time as well as in them. God is unchanging (I Sam 15:29, Mal 3:6, Heb 6:17, James 1:17). He had no beginning and has no ending; He sees the beginning and the end (Rev 1:8, 21: 6, 22:13).
Asking who made God before time began reflects a lack of understanding—though most of us at one time have pondered the question. No one made God; He is infinite and outside of time, and He existed before time began.
Many years ago, one of my children asked me this question as I tucked him into bed. While I can’t remember my answer, I am sure it was inadequate. Having years to think about his question has helped me reconcile the logic of the preceding two paragraphs with what is hard to imagine.
Seeing things from God’s infinite perspective is probably as difficult for us as it is for a dog or cat to understand what is on this printed page. If God is infinite and we are His finite creations, our limited understanding and perspective should not surprise us.
How else do we know that time began? The Bible is the most widely read book of all time. Within it, the most read page is probably the first page of Genesis. The first three words on that page
In the beginning ...
are probably the best-known group of three words of all time—the single, most widely proclaimed idea. By reading the fourth word—God—one sees that He was there at the beginning.
Another key insight comes from John 1:1.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Again, there was a beginning; we are also told Who was there when time began. Verses 1:2, 3, and 14 clarify these profound events even more.
For scientifically compelling reasons, there was a beginning. [See Items 53 and 55 on page 31.] Alternatively, you can save time and effort by reading again the first four words of the Bible—and believing them.
In the beginning, God ...