The principle of sufficient reason states that everything must have a reason or cause for its existence. This philosophical principle was formulated by German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz in the 18th century. It asserts that nothing happens or exists without a sufficient reason explaining why it exists or happens. In other words, everything that exists has an explanation for its existence.
The principle of sufficient reason has significant implications for philosophical arguments related to cosmology, theology, and metaphysics. Here is an overview of what the Bible says about the principle of sufficient reason and how it relates to God and the created world:
God Himself is the Ultimate Sufficient Reason
The Bible presents God as self-existent – He is the eternal, necessary, and uncaused being who Himself requires no cause or explanation for His existence (Exodus 3:14). God is not contingent on anything else; rather He is the foundation for all else. As Creator of all things, He alone is the ultimate sufficient reason for all that exists. The apostle Paul declares this truth in Acts 17:24-25:
“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.”
God’s eternal power and divine nature mean He inherently contains within Himself the sufficient reason for His own existence, needing nothing outside Himself. The principle of sufficient reason finds its termination in God who alone is self-existent.
God’s Creation Requires His Sustaining Power
While God alone exists independently, everything else that exists does so contingently based on God’s creative power. Colossians 1:16-17 expresses this truth:
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Not only were all things made by God, but their continued existence rests on His sustaining power. The author of Hebrews says God upholds the universe “by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). Apart from God’s conservation, the universe would cease to exist. The sufficient reason for the universe’s existence is thus the creative act of God and His continuous preservation of all things.
God Has Wise Reasons for All He Does
While God alone is the self-existent and eternal one, He has ordained His will and actions to always have good reasons behind them. God works all things in the world “according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). There are rational motivations for why God acts in certain ways. Isaiah declares, “The Lord of hosts has sworn: As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand” (Isaiah 14:24).
Even when God’s reasons may be beyond human comprehension, we can trust He is never arbitrary or capricious. “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” (Psalm 104:24). God’s sovereign decrees have wise and sufficient reasons behind them even when not revealed to us.
Mystery Remains in God’s Divine Plan
While asserting God has purposes for all He does, the Bible also affirms a level of mystery in God’s ways that humans cannot fully grasp. Deuteronomy 29:29 states, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God.” We only know what God has chosen to reveal of His divine plan. The means by which God interacts with the world and accomplishes His will often transcends human understanding.
The prophet Isaiah highlighted this mystery after God promised to bring good from Judah’s captivity in Babylon: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). We must accept our inability to fully comprehend all God’s actions.
God’s Ultimate Purpose is to Glorify Himself
While specific reasons for each of God’s acts may not be revealed, the overarching motivation behind everything God does is to glorify Himself. Romans 11:36 summarizes this: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Revelation 4:11 further states: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.”
God’s plans to glorify Himself provide the foundational purpose to all His acts in providence and redemption. His self-exaltation gives meaning to everything in the universe. This overarching motivation is the ultimate sufficient reason behind all that God ordains.
We Must Trust God’s Wisdom in What He Reveals and Conceals
Given the limits of human reason, we must rely on God’s revelation to gain understanding about His ways and trust His wisdom when full explanations are not given. Deuteronomy 29:29 balances revealing “the things that are revealed” and accepting “the secret things” that belong to God alone. Humility and faith are required.
We can take confidence that God has wise purposes in all His actions, even when details are not disclosed. “As for God, his way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30); He needs no counsel or instruction on how to govern the universe. Our responsibility is to believe what God has revealed in Scripture and trust His perfect knowledge, wisdom, and righteous motivations beyond what is revealed.
Key Principles
In summary, here are some key biblical teachings about the principle of sufficient reason as it relates to God and creation:
- God alone is the self-existent, eternal, and uncaused Being who is His own sufficient reason for existing.
- All creation depends on God’s sustaining power and finds its sufficient reason for existence in Him.
- While there is mystery in God’s ways, He has wise purposes and motives for all His acts.
- God’s overarching purpose is to glorify Himself through all His works.
- Humans are limited in understanding and must trust God’s wisdom in what He chooses to reveal.
The principle of sufficient reason ultimately directs us to find the explanations for all things in the eternal God who created and sustains the universe according to His good purposes. This philosophical principle accords with and finds its resolution in the God of the Bible who alone is the sufficient reason for all that exists.