A professor in a Bible college was teaching his students about the existence of God using the Kalam Cosmological argument: (i) Everything that begins to exist has a cause, (ii) The universe began to exist, and (iii) Therefore, the universe has a cause for its existence. He concluded that since the universe needs a cause, there must be a God. An intrigued student asked, “But then, wouldn’t God need a cause for His existence?” This question—Who created God?—has been asked in many forums. In this article, I attempt to provide an answer scientifically and philosophically.
Our Universe is not eternal: Bertrand Russell argued that the universe is eternal, meaning it has no beginning and will never end. Albert Einstein, who believed in an eternal universe, was shocked when he found that our universe is expanding based on his General Theory of Relativity. He added a fudge factor to stop the expansion, refusing to believe this finding. However, Father Georges Lemaitre and Edwin Hubble confirmed that the universe was expanding. This marked a huge turning point in the history of science, leading to the question: If the universe is expanding, what happens if you reverse the expansion and go backward in time? Would it mean that the universe originated at a specific point in time and space? Today, this idea is known as the Big Bang, and scientists have found much evidence for it, such as the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation—the oldest and most distant light that started soon after the Big Bang.
Infinite regress of past events is not possible: Many scientists were unhappy with the idea that the universe had a beginning because it seemed to imply the existence of a supernatural being who created it. They proposed that the Big Bang might not be the origin of the universe but simply a violent transition from acceleration to deceleration, suggesting we live in an oscillating universe undergoing endless cycles. However, this model violates the second law of thermodynamics. If the universe never had a one-time beginning, it implies an infinite history of past events, which is absurd in the real world.
Universe out of Nothing: The beginning of our orderly universe from nothing presents insuperable difficulties to atheistic scientists unless we view it as frankly supernatural. Some proposed that our universe came into existence due to random quantum fluctuations triggered by an external field like gravity. Harvard theoretical physicist Avi Loeb suggested that our universe was made by aliens in a lab using ‘quantum tunneling,’ implying it was intentionally created by a more advanced lifeform. Many theories, like string theory and the multiverse, face the same old question: “Who created gravity, the laboratory, and the designer?” They are more suited for science fiction since they lack hard evidence.
The Case for an Eternal God: Before this huge universe came into existence, something eternal must have pre-existed outside the physical universe. An absolute nothing could not bring this carefully designed universe into existence. That something must have had the power and wisdom to create the universe from nothing and must exist without depending on anything else. It must have been the efficient cause capable of bringing the universe into existence without any material cause and had to be supernatural. The best reasoning is that an uncreated entity outside of space and time created everything in our universe, fitting the definition of the Judeo-Christian God. Psalm 90:2 says, ” Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God,” meaning God is eternally existent and does not need a cause. Since the God of the Bible is eternal, He does not have a cause, and time doesn’t apply to Him. He created time and space and offers everlasting life through Jesus Christ. This is not a God of the gaps argument, but a conclusion based on the design of the universe and life, pointing to a Designer rather than chance. Hence, we conclude that there must be a supreme intelligent creator who does not have a cause and who brought this beautiful universe out of nothing, as the Bible says in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..”
Dr Latha Christie
She is a scientist based in Bengaluru and serving the Government of India for around 37 years. After graduating from GCE, Tamil Nadu with Honours, she completed her Master’s and PhD in Aerospace Engg. Department from IISc, Bangalore. She has completed her MDiv and is currently pursuing her PhD in Theology. She is a regular speaker at conferences and Churches.
Latha has authored two books, one of them being Beyond the Boundaries of Science.
