This might seem like a strange thing to talk when considering your growth and your freedom. But I want you to think about this. If God is eternal, and he created you, what are the implications on who you are?
The eternal character of God should give us a solid foundation to base our hope. It means that there is nothing that can surprise God. We cannot catch him off guard. Many atheists would like to ask: “Well, who created God, and who created that thing that created God…” an try to portray an eternal regress of who we call God.
The sad fact is that some Christians get intimidated by this and fall for the trick. What we have is an eternal God, full stop. There is none like Him, there was none before him, there will be any after him. HE IS. We cannot attach time to an eternal God because time does not exist in eternity. He is not “so big” or “so small” because space does not exist in eternity. So if we want to try and explain God, we have to place Him in eternity. We cannot explain God in this temporal created plane and make sense of who He is. All we will end up doing is creating demi-gods such as the Greek God Zeus and His children.
The eternal attribute of God is vitally important for us, because it means what God says to us He says outside of time, and the value of that is that it does not change with time. The Bible says God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Many people misunderstand this concept to only mean if he said it is so, it is so. Although this is very important it also means that who He is, His essence does not change. Once eternal, always eternal.
Now, do you have any idea how amazing this information is to us. Because this eternal God, said that he created us, he specifically formed you and me for his joy. He had a plan in mind when he created you. This means that in eternity, you have purpose, not just temporally. It means this purpose will not change, in eternity God gave you the choice and in your choice he has sealed your purpose in all eternity.
Do you understand the value of serving an eternal God. You are created out of that eternal fibre, and one day you will return to that eternal fibre. Your purpose will not disappear, God did not create you in time, he created you in eternity with an eternal plan in mind, he only placed you in time for a while. You Will return to eternity, to God, where you will be.
Please note I did not say for all time. I only said ‘be.’ Because…there is no time in eternity. Your time here on this earth is is but a fleeting representation of your purpose. If God was not eternal, we would not have had any hope because the temporal has to change. If God could die and be replaced by another stronger God, we would have no purpose but to slave away for the wiles of a superman.
Eternal God means he has everything, nothing can be added to him. He needs nothing, does not need more power to rule, He is, therefore we can rest in this attribute of God. His eternal character solidifies our temporal faith, and it should enlighten our souls to know we have eternal purpose.