Many people ask the question, "If God created the world, then what created God?". It seems like a reasonable question, but it has certain assumptions within it. Does everything need a creator? Answering this question can give us insight into the nature of God.

Many people around the world believe in God. They believe in a sentient and powerful God that created the world. The existence of God seems obvious to many, but it's a belief that's been challenged in modern times. There has been a rise in alternative world-views that reject the existence of God.

One of the arguments against the existence of God is that if he exists, then he must have had a creator. This is often framed by the question of "what created God?". If God made us and the world, then something must have created God.

We can continue this line of reasoning by asking whether God created himself. If he created himself then when did he do this? From what did he create himself? Did he come from nothing? If God was created then what created the thing that created God. For some these questions are an easy off ramp from tradtional beliefs.

As annoying as these questions can be, they are a valid line of reasoning for many people. Many people struggle with the concept of God, and question whether God exists. Years ago, I remember asking the question of what created God. It seemed like a good question, though I never got a clear answer. Now I understand that the question of what created God is a non-sequitor.

There are problems with the question of what created God.

The problem with the question is that if God was created then he's not God. The accepted notion of God, as revealed in the scriptures, is that God is primary to everything and everyone that exists. God, by definition, does not have and does not need a creator. If God was created by the universe or some unknown force then he's not God.

Understanding this we see that the question isn't valid, because it presupposes that God needs a creator. If we assume that God needs a creator, we've assumed that there is no God. By asking what's the creator of God, we've ruled out God's existence.

The basic assumption of the question is that everything needs a creator. So when we think about it, the question becomes a simple statement about the impossibility of God. The question implies that God needs a creator, leading us to believe that he doesn't exist. If you asssume that everything is created, then you don't believe in God.

Does everything need a creator?

The question of what created God is often not meant to be a loaded question. For many it seems like a straightforward and reasonable question to ask. The question is based on some simple facts about how the world works.

We observe the world and come to the conclusion that everything, including ourselves, had to come from something else. Nothing creates itself. So why shouldn't we assume the same about the concept of God? If everything has a creator then why do we make an exception for God?

The answer is again obvious. God is not like everything else. God made the universe, but isn't part of it. Thus, if we believe in the concept of God, we believe in a Creator that transcends what we experience in the world around us.

The world operates on cause and effect. God initially created the physical world and the laws that it operates on. If we believe this, then why would we assume that God is subject to the laws and principles that he created? The reasonable assumption is that God is not a product of his creation.

So the question of what created God is a wordly question, and the product of worldly assumptions. It takes worldly principles and tries to apply them to God. It assumes that God is like, or even a part of, what he created. It assumes nothing can transcend the visible cycles and processes of the world. The question is a rejection of God on the assumption that he must be a part of the universe.

Part of the problem is our conceptions are formed by what we see and experience in the world. It's difficult to conceive of something that exists outside of the cause and effect we see around us. For many people its the difficulty of conceiving of God that leads to unbelief.

God is the creator, not the created.

Thinking about the question of what created God, leads us to better understand the nature of God in the bible. He is by his nature miraculous and supernatural, existing in-and-of himself. God simply exists, being transcendent to the laws and processes of the world.

When Moses asks God his name, he gives him an unusual variation that literally translates to "I am", "And God said to Moses, I AM THAT I AM; and He said, You shall say this to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you" (Exodus 3.14 KJV bible).

God reveals himself as being self existent; having always existed without beginning or end. Whereas everything in the world has a beginning, God doesn't. Nothing could create God because he has always existed, from the eternal past to the eternal future.

"Before the mountains were born, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting You are God" (Psalm 90.2 LITV bible).

God swears by nothing greater, thus testifying that he as no creator, "For when God made promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee" (Hebrews 6:13-14 ASV bible).

God has no beginning or end. He is primary to everything that exists, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last" (Revelation 22.13 KJV bible).

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