Self-Sufficient God
Self-Sufficient God – The DefinitionGod, being identified and defined as self-sufficient, means He possesses within Himself every quality, ability, and supernatural command with never-ending measure. Every attribute or mighty and wonderful power is His endlessly. God wants for nothing and lacks nothing; He is complete.
There are many names for God in the Bible. Each name is actually a word that describes His nature and attributes. For instance, in the original Hebrew text, “El-Shaddai” was first used in Genesis 17. It is used throughout the Bible and is still an accepted name for God today among Christians and Jews. “The most simple translation is ‘God’ (‘el), THE ALL-MIGHTY ONE (shadday), to clearly differentiate the One true God from other ‘gods, as ‘el’ was a common term for any god at that time, age and area. It is significant that it is THE Name that God uses in reference to Himself as He begins to set aside a people for Himself, to be uniquely His as a possession, and to be uniquely His as His representatives on this planet. It was at this point that God revealed Himself as ‘THE ALMIGHTY GOD’, or
- the omnipotent,
omnipresent,
omniscient One.”1
Why did Self-Sufficient God Create Us?
Many wonder why a self-sufficient God would need to create the human race and this world. Well, He didn’t need to; He was not lonely. First, He wasn’t alone (Genesis 1:26, John 1:1). Secondly, He created us out of His supernatural, divine love. We are an expression of God’s love, made in His own image, and He breathed His very breath of life into us.
The Lord God is the ultimate, original artist of the ultimate, original masterpiece—all of creation. We might say He made us because He loves to create. He made the world and all it contains, saying “It is good,” before He made mankind and after which He said “It is very good.” Unlike a human artist, He did not have to go back and ‘redo’ a brushstroke of clouds in a vibrant blue sky, a majestic mountain, or a clear and pure babbling stream. All was perfect. He then blessed man and gave him dominion over all the earth (Genesis 1:27-31).
One source states, “...particularly in relation to his people, the answer is this: though he doesn’t need us, he loves us, and his purpose in creating and redeeming us [after the fall] is not that we might fill up some lack in him, but that he might fill us up with himself. He made us empty to be filled with his fullness, thirsty to drink the water of life, weak to receive his strength, foolish to be instructed and corrected by his wisdom. In his love, he longs to give, to share the bounty. He wants us to experience in finite measure the fullness of joy and blessing that he knows infinitely—all to rebound to the praise and glory of his name, the Giver and Provider of all the good we enjoy.”2
How has the Self-Sufficient God revealed Himself to man?
The self-sufficient El Shaddai, The Almighty, has shown Himself to man completely in the New Testament and by the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—God with us, come in the flesh, to be All-in-All.
Colossians 1:15-20 says this about Jesus: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: the things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers of rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church, he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy, For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.”
To some, these quotations and Scriptures may be mere words. However, through a personal acceptance of and relationship with Jesus, we can truly know and experience the only self-sufficient God. “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal to him. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:27-28
We had our sportsfest in the seminary last week. Our second year batch played basketball against the freshmen. It was a good game although we lost by two points. The sad thing is, I didn’t play. I was sick that day. I did not play because I know my wife will be mad at me. I want to help my team win the game. I think they need me. I thought, “If I was there playing, we might possibly win.” We had another game last Thursday. I played. We lost. They need me on the team. I did all that I can do. We still lost the game. My effort was not enough. It was not sufficient.
We like the feeling of being needed. We want to be important. We like to hear someone say that they would be happier if we attended the party. We like the feeling if someone missed our presence or expressed their desire for us to help them because only we can help them. We cannot be this way in our relationship with God. We must not think that God needs us. He does not need us. We cannot contribute something to him. He is sufficient. This is clear in the message of Paul to the Athenians:
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything (Acts 17:24-25 ESV).A Sufficient God
Our God is a sufficient God. He does not need anything from us. He already have everything. If we don’t get what Paul is communicating here to the pagans, how can we say that we really know the God whom we worship?
There is a great need in the church to know God for who he really is. Paul was in Athens. He was distressed to see that the city was full of idols (v. 16). This moved him to talk with them about the true God. He discussed with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers (v. 18). The Epicureans believed that man live for pleasure and happiness. If gods existed, they are above human events. The Stoics, on the other hand, believed that they must align themselves with the “Purpose” directing history. There are some good results with that belief but it also leads to pride and self-sufficiency. Paul’s message will appeal to the line of thinking of these men. They were religious people (v. 22). But that is not enough. To know God is the goal of life not to be religious. Paul found an altar with the inscription: “to the unknown God” (v. 23). The Athenians feared that they might overlook some “god” that they need to worship but they know nothing about. Obviously, they were trying to serve all gods. They think they need something that can be fulfilled by their worship and sacrifices. They were wrong. Then he said beginning verse 24:
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything (Acts 17:24-25).We also need to hear this. It is distressing if we are not really worshipping the true God. It is distressing if there were banners in our churches that read like “to the unknown God” because of the way we relate to him, the way we pray, sing, give, and serve in the ministry. This text teaches the sufficiency of God. He lacks nothing that his creation can satisfy, nothing that our worship or service to him can satisfy. Nothing! In our relationship with him, we need to remember two things in light of the absolute sufficiency of God.
1. We do not serve God’s needs because he doesn’t have any (25a).
We do not serve God. God is not “served by human hands…” This would go straight in the face of those who believe that they can do something for God. What does it mean that God is not “served” by human hands? There is nothing that our hands can do for him. We cannot help God do his work. We cannot give advice to God. “Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding” (Isaiah 40:13-14)? He is not lonely that we can entertain him by our songs. He is not sad that he created us to make him happy. He does not lack worshipers that he redeemed us to be his people. We do not serve God! Brothers and sisters, the message is this: Do not serve God! I know there are now some questions in your mind but hold it first and we’ll get there and answer some of your questions.
Why can’t we serve God? Because he does not need anything from us. God is not “served by human hands as though he needed anything…” We do not serve God because he does not need our service. He already has everything. All the world is his. Verse 24, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man.” He doesn’t need a house to live in. He doesn’t need anything!
Sometimes people think that God is lonely that is why he needs to create man and the universe to make him happy. But don’t we realize that he is not really lonely. He is completely happy with the fellowship within the three persons of the Trinity. The Father is with the Son and with the Holy Spirit even before the beginning of time. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). So, he does not need us. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:34-36).
Our attitude must be the same as that of David in his prayer, “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you” (1 Chronicles 29:14). The doctrine of God’s sufficiency is bad news for those who do not share the attitude in David’s prayer. If you feel strong and so important, this is bad news. The truth is, you are weak and God does not need you and your service. That is why you cannot bargain or negotiate with God.We cannot say, “Lord, I will give 20% of my income if you will give me this job.” You know what God will say, “I don’t need your money. I own the universe.” You cannot bribe God.
God wants to teach us a lesson on his sufficiency. Sometimes he will take away riches, strength, or wisdom so that we will learn that we cannot give something to God that is not already his or do something without the strength that he provides.
I was in Candelaria, Quezon last November 16 to preach in a small church pastored by our missionary friend Pastor Rudy. I had a flu the day before. Although that day I felt better, I still feel dizzy. I had colds and cough. I don’t think I had the strength enough to preach. I said to God something like this, “I will preach today. There is no one who prepared to preach in my place. Why don’t you restore my strength? You have done that before so why don’t you do it now? And besides, I am doing this for you.” I preached and was still sick the whole day. But what did I learn? I learned that I really can’t do something for God. He taught me that I really do not have something to contribute to him. I cannot bargain with him or bribe him of anything. Everything I had still came from him – the strength, the wisdom, and the voice to preach. It is all his. God taught me not to serve him as if he needed me in that church.
Why did the Bible then ask us to “serve the Lord” if he does not need our service? “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:11). “Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2)! “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11). We cannot serve God because he does not have any need. But we must serve him because he wants us to. So in our service we must not think that we are needed. But in our service, we can truly bring joy and glory and honor to God.
That’s the answer to the question, How can our existence and everything we do have any significance if God does not need anything from us? Although he does not need anything, he chose to create us for his own glory. “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:6-7). He redeemed us for his own glory. “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:11-12). That is our significance. That we can bring true joy and glory to God although he does not need it because he chose it to be that way.
So do not serve him because he does not need anything from you. But serve him because he wants us to so that he might be glorified and honored and be delighted. And if you don’t want to worship or pray or serve, remember that God will still be God. He has nothing to lose
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