-Whether God needs a creator
-Whether anything at all can be known as to what is self existing and eternal.
Objection 1:
It seems that God exists not. For the idea of His existence begs the question of His origin, and His originator likewise needs an origin, causing and infinite series of cause and effect, ad infinitum. And since an infinite loop is logically unsound, therefore God exists not.
Objection 2:
It seems as of now, that we cannot know who or what exactly is self existing, for the universe as demonstrated by science is still being discovered all the more. And since future discoveries could uncover perhaps something in nature that is eternal, it would be at the moment premature to rest on the God conclusion as the final answer to what is eternal.
On the contrary, as intellectual as the question may sound, the question as to Gods origin carries with it a false understanding of matters existence and being, still less what it takes to bring something into existence.
Reply to objection 1;
I answer that, possession of the power of existence is the sole requisite to bring anything into existence, as is evident in the clear inability of all of nature and physical things to bring anything at all into existence. For all the creative capabilities of nature, man included, is only sufficient to change the form of something from what it was prior to what it is right now, but not to bring anything at all into existence. The maker of the chair the reader may be seated on did not bring the chair into existence, not even close, but rather, they changed its form from its prior state to what it is right now. And try they may, but non of their efforts would suffice to bring even the least of things into existence.
But the reader just like all men is aware that something exists now as a matter of fact, and the very fact that something exists now means that something or someone else somewhere possesses the power of existence otherwise nothing would be existing now. The author of the universe, properly speaking must possess inherently(in and of themself) the power of existence in order to bring the universe into existence. To possess such a power means that one is self existing, depending on no one and nothing else outside of themself to sustain their very own being and is by the self sufficiency of their own being.
They are independent non-derived self existing and therefore eternal. They would have to be eternal since a beginning would mean they likewise are derived and dependent on another for their own existence and would therefore possess not the power of existence at all. It would be improper therefore to ask where God came from since as argued and by logical necessity it follows that such a one must be self existing and therefore eternal so as to bring the universe into being.
Reply to objection 2;
I argue that, possession of a power of existence is not a power native to created or physical things. It is by all means a supernatural power. For the creative capabilities of nature and anything physical is limited to the start from raw materials. Let the reader be aware that to bring things into existence i.e. from non-being entails creation ex-nihilo i.e. creation from nothing, a power clearly beyond the scope of nature, a task beyond what is considered naturally possible and an attribute beyond what is innate to physical things. But let the reader also notice, that it is not creation from nothing and by nothing, no, it is creation from nothing by that which is. In other words by that which already exists and not by the power of anything external to themself but by the very power of their own self sufficiency, a self existing being. Such a being brings things into existence from nothing by their own power of existence or being, a transcendent being, a being otherwise known as God.
And now my reader I shall bring one more thing to your attention. The possession of a power or attribute inherently (in and of yourself) is not a power or ability that is native to created things. For that which in nature we possess as attributes, we possess by virtue of endowment and participation and not by virtue of our own self sufficiency. The self sufficiency of God allows Him not only to possess all His attributes inherently, but also be able to endow such attributes as the essential first cause to His creation, attributes like existence, life and motion. The creation participates unto such attributes but never possesses such inherently while God inheres such attributes but does not participate in the attributes as creation does, He is the essential first cause of all such attributes, not a participant and without Him, no creaturely participation in this attributes would have been possible. ''In Him we live and move and have our being'' (Acts 17:28) while in Him He leaves and moves and has His being.
Conclusion
Does God have an origin? to which the writer answers, absolutely not, for He is the ancient of days (Daniel 7:9) and is from everlasting to everlasting ”Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. ‘(Psalms 90:2). Is His self existing nature logically sound? To which the writer answers, absolutely Yes, for the conclusion flows freely where the argument is followed to its logical end. Does the question of where God came from render His existence null and void? to which the writer answers absolutely not, for as mentioned earlier, the bearer of such a question has little to no understanding of matters existence less still what it takes to bring things into being. Possession of the power of existence is the alone requisite in order to call things into being, clearly an act of the supernatural, an act of God.
It is necessary that He by whom all things are, should be before all things, and nothing before him. And if nothing be before him, he comes not from any other; and then he always was, and without beginning.
S. Charnock 1485
”Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.”
Psalms 33:8-9
‘‘By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”
Psalms 33:6
”As it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”
Romans 4:17