Who Is God? (Part 4): He Is Self-Sufficient

A.W. Tozer has written, “Whatever God is, and all that God is, He is in Himself. All life is in and from God, whether it be the lowest form of unconscious life or the highly self-conscious, intelligent life of a seraph. No creature has life in itself; all life is a gift from God” (The Knowledge of the Holy, pg. 32).

Huh? What in the world does it mean that God in in Himself? It means He is self-sufficient. Yes, but what does that even mean?

It means that God does not need. We need. We are dependent. In fact, everything and everyone in creation is dependent on something or someone else for sustaining. That is not the case with God!

We cannot live without oxygen and water; God has no such limitations. Animals cannot live without food; God has no such limitations. Plants need sunlight; God has no such limitations.

Tozer adds, “He is what He is in Himself without regard to any other. To believe in Him adds nothing to His perfections; to doubt Him takes nothing away” (pg. 33).

God doesn’t need our support or our validation. He doesn’t need defenders. He would still be holy even if no creature ever acknowledged His holiness. He is not great because we acknowledge His greatness. He is great despite our failures to acknowledge Him as King of the universe. He doesn’t need our help.

And yet, God chooses to use us. He allows prayer to move His muscles of omnipotence, as Charles Spurgeon said. He comes to save those who call upon Him for salvation (John 6:37). In fact, He uses us imperfect people (II Corinthians 4:7) who don’t always fulfill His will in the way in which He desires.

The self-sufficient God uses the finite for His glorious purposes. The perfect uses the sinful for His glory. He will use anyone who is a willing servant of His.