Leading Christian apologists Ravi Zacharias and Norman Geisler, in their book Who Made God? And Answers to over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith (Zondervan 2003), address that title question the following way…
Who Made God?
“No one did,” write Geisler and Zacharias. “He was not made. He has always existed” (p. 23).
But, wait! Is this credible? If the universe has a beginning (and modern science has concluded that it indeed DID have a beginning), then wouldn’t God need a beginning as well?
According to Geisler and Zacharias, “Only things that had a beginning – like the world – need a maker. God had no beginning, so God did not need to be made” (p. 23)
Sounds a little like a cop-out, doesn’t it? Not so, say the authors. Here is more of their answer:
“Traditionally, most atheists who deny the existence of God believe that the universe was not made; it was just “there” forever. They appeal to the first law of thermodynamics for support: “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed,” they insist. Several things must be observed in response.
“First, this way of stating the first law is not scientific; rather, it is a philosophical assertion. Science is based on observation, and there is no observational evidence that can support the dogmatic “can” and “cannot” implicit in this statement. It should read, “[As far as we have observed,] the amount of actual energy in the universe remains constant.” That is, no one had observed any actual new energy either coming into existence or going out of existence. Once the first law is understood properly, it says nothing about the universe being eternal or having no beginning” (p. 24, emphasis added).
In other words, the first law of thermodynamics does not require a cause or creator for God.
Moreover, if God IS, then He is a supernatural force. And the very definition of “supernatural” means that He stands OUTSIDE of nature. If God is God, then God needs no Creator.
As Zacharias and Geisler explain: “It is absurd to ask ‘Who made God?’ It is a category mistake to ask, ‘Who made the Unmade?’ or ‘Who created the Uncreated?'” (p. 24)
Atheists counter that this is a cop-out or that it’s illogical, but they say this ONLY because they either misunderstand the issue or they are deliberately shifting the boundaries and definitions of the discussion to suit them. If God is God, then God is eternal. That’s the nature of God. If God is eternal, then God needs no creator or cause.
The key is to determine whether the universe is eternal. “If the universe is running down [second law of thermodynamics], it cannot be eternal,” write Zacharias and Geisler (p. 25).ย Since it is running down, “the universe had a beginning. And whatever had a beginning must have had a beginner. Therefore, the universe must have had a beginner (God)” (p. 25).
Does this make sense?
