Is God the first cause?
The question of whether God is the first cause is a philosophical and theological question that has been debated for centuries. The Bible does not explicitly state that God is the “first cause” in philosophical terms, but it does clearly present God as the creator of all things who himself is uncreated. Here is an overview of some key biblical principles relating to God’s role as creator and first cause:
1. God created all things. Multiple verses affirm that God created everything in heaven and on earth (Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 42:5, Revelation 4:11). As creator of all things visible and invisible, God is the source and originator of all that exists.
2. God is self-existent. God reveals himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14), indicating that his being and existence depend on nothing outside of himself. He is not contingent on anything else for his existence. This attribute of self-existence or aseity is unique to God.
3. God is eternal. God has no beginning or end, but simply exists eternally (Psalm 90:2). He created time itself and stands outside of time as its creator.
4. God is uncaused. Since God is self-existent and eternal, there is no need for any cause outside of himself to bring him into being. He simply exists eternally without any external cause.
5. God created freely. Scripture presents God’s act of creation as a free and sovereign act, not out of necessity (Revelation 4:11). God was not compelled by any necessity outside of himself to create the universe.
6. God created out of nothing. God did not form the universe out of any pre-existing material, but simply spoke it into existence out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3). He did not require any raw materials to fashion creation.
7. God transcends creation. As the transcendent creator, God is distinct from his creation (Isaiah 55:8-9) and not dependent on it for his own existence. Creation relies completely on him, not vice versa.
In summary, the Bible presents a clear picture of God as the transcendent, self-existent creator who freely brought all of creation into being out of nothing by the power of his word. He himself has no prior cause, but simply exists eternally. In this sense, philosophical concepts of a “first cause” being eternal, uncaused, and giving rise to all contingent reality align with the biblical portrayal of God as creator.
Various philosophical arguments have been mounted through history to demonstrate rationally that there must be an eternal, necessary first cause as the source of all contingent being. These include Aristotle’s argument from motion, the kalam cosmological argument, Leibniz’s sufficient reason argument, and Aquinas’s five ways based on motion, causation, contingency, gradation, and teleology. While these philosophical arguments do not in themselves prove the existence of the biblical God as first cause, they attempt to show the rational necessity of an eternal, uncaused cause at the root of all existence.
For those who accept God’s self-revelation in Scripture, he is known not merely as an impersonal first cause, but as the self-existent creator who acts out of love to form an intimate relationship with humankind. However, even for those who do not begin with Scripture, philosophical arguments try to demonstrate that logic and reason point to a first uncaused cause or originator of all that exists. Thus, the case can be made that belief in God as first cause is reasonable not only based on divine revelation, but also logical deduction.
This does not mean there are no objections to the conclusion that God is the first cause. Philosophers such as David Hume and Bertrand Russell have criticized versions of the cosmological argument, claiming that it is not legitimate to infer from the existence of the universe that there must be a single, necessary first cause. They argue this conclusion goes beyond what logic and evidence can support.
Others object that even if a rational case can be made for a first cause, it provides no basis for inferring that this cause is the biblical God who acts with purpose and intelligence rather than an impersonal force. So there are critiques to the types of philosophical arguments that are used to deduce a first cause. However, there are many reputable philosophers, past and present, who contend that the existence of a first uncaused cause can be rationally demonstrated through logical reasoning applied to the observable realities of the universe.
In the end, Christians do not claim that belief in God as the uncaused first cause is arrived at through human reason alone apart from divine revelation. Scripture testifies that God created all things and that his eternal power is made plain in creation (Romans 1:20). However, philosophical arguments can serve to demonstrate that holding this belief is rational and not contrary to logic or evidence. Belief in God as the first cause of all contingent reality remains philosophically respectable and logically plausible based on reason applied to the observable world.
At the same time, according to the Bible, people will not recognize God properly simply through logic and reason without God’s self-revelation in Christ and the illumination of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 1:21, Ephesians 1:17-18). Christian faith affirms that God has made himself known not only through creation, but through his word, the incarnation of Christ, and inward work of the Spirit that opens the heart to receive God’s self-disclosure. Through these means, God grants knowledge of himself as eternal creator and loving redeemer that goes beyond the conclusions of reason alone.
In summary, the concept of God as the uncaused first cause of all contingent being is consistent with and supported by the teaching of the Bible that God eternally existed as the creator of all things. Christian faith accepts God as first cause based on his self-revelation in Scripture. However, philosophical arguments also demonstrate that belief in an eternal, necessary first cause is reasonable and rationally justified based on deduction from the observable realities of the contingent universe. Belief in God as first cause therefore has a strong philosophical basis, while also being firmly grounded in divine revelation for those who accept the Bible’s testimony. This belief in God as the uncaused source and originator of all that exists has profound implications for understanding meaning, purpose, and ethics in human life.