How does the teaching of God’s self-existence teach us about sin? It might be thought that this has nothing or little to do with sin, but this might surprise some. The image of God has been divided by theologians into two types. There is the image of God which man cannot copy, such as infinity and self-existence, but there is also the moral image of God. The image of God in all men is found in man’s ability to reason, have affections, and make choices. The moral image found only in believers as seen in holiness, truth, and love has been devastated by the fall and is only renewed in regeneration. The serpent promised Eve that she would be like God if she ate the apple. Ever since the fall man has tried to be like God in the wrong ways because man has fallen from the moral image of God. Now fallen man does not have the moral image of God (holiness, truth, love for God) and tries to act like God in living according to his own wisdom and independency. But only the self-existent God is really independent and has need of nothing.
How does the teaching of God’s self-existence teach us about sin? It might be thought that this has nothing or little to do with sin, but this might surprise some. The image of God has been divided by theologians into two types. There is the image of God which man cannot copy, such as infinity and self-existence, but there is also the moral image of God. The image of God in all men is found in man’s ability to reason, have affections, and make choices. The moral image found only in believers as seen in holiness, truth, and love has been devastated by the fall and is only renewed in regeneration. The serpent promised Eve that she would be like God if she ate the apple. Ever since the fall man has tried to be like God in the wrong ways because man has fallen from the moral image of God. Now fallen man does not have the moral image of God (holiness, truth, love for God) and tries to act like God in living according to his own wisdom and independency. But only the self-existent God is really independent and has no need of nothing.
Let us look at Daniel 5:22-23 to help us see sin: “Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, 23 but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your ways, you have not glorified.” Here we see Belshazzar trying to live an independent way of life. He exalted himself against God as indeed all pride does. He praised idols because of what they did for him, but this is what man does in trusting in money and material possessions. He thought his life consisted of material things instead of being dependant on God for his very life-breath. He thought his ways were for his own choosing and so he chose to go his own way. He did not live for the glory of God; he lived for pleasure and the exaltation of self. What do we see in the life of Belshazzar? We see a very proud man trying to be something like God in His self-existence. He did not want others telling him what to do; he could do things his own way. He lived for himself as indeed only God has the right to do. He exalted himself as only God has the right to do. He used the things of God as if they were his, but only God has the right to do those things. He praised and trusted in created things, not the God who created them. He lived for his own glory and not the glory of God. In each sin there is actually the root of man trying to copy God in His self-existent nature to some degree.
What is man’s independent spirit but a desire to be free of all restraints and dependant on no one but himself? Only God is self-sufficient and without need of anyone or anything. What is pride but man exalting himself to where he is proud of himself as if he created himself and gives himself breath? What is pride but man being proud of what he has done as if God did not make all things and give man the wisdom to do what he is doing? What is murder but one person taking the life of another which is the prerogative of God alone? God is the One who upholds life and no one has the right to take a life but God. What is greed but the desire for more and more material possessions or for the fulfillment of some lust without regard for the God who created them and who upholds all other beings? What is greed but the desire to have many things for the ease and honor of self or the desire to have these things to be independent? What is stealing but a desire to obtain something that God has given to someone else without regard for anything but self? Stealing, then, is the desire to rule over property for selfish purposes rather than to bow before the self-existent God from whom all things come.
In reality, if a person has faith in God as the self-existent One from whom all things come, this should lead to a quiet faith even in times of need. The believer should know that God owns all things in reality and all things are sustained by Him and Him alone. Sin is simply a desire to be self-existent or, as the serpent promised, to be like God in His self-existence. The humble, on the other hand, desire to be low before God and receive all things from His hand. The humble know that all things are really the gifts of God. The humble desire for self no more than what God desires for them. If only people could see the hideous reality behind each sin which is in trying to be like God which is to be god to ourselves. This brings new and fresh meaning to what David meant when he said that his sin was against God and against Him alone (Psa 51:4). True humility is to be low before God because that is the proper position of a creature before its Creator who upholds each creature and its life-breath as He pleases.
God Loves... Himself 
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