Imagine asking, “How old is God?” It’s a question that can puzzle even the most devout believer or philosopher. When I first encountered this question as a curious kid, I thought about it the same way I considered the age of the universe or the lifespan of a mountain. Surely, I figured, God must have an age too. But the deeper you dive into religious and philosophical texts, the more you realize that the concept of “age” doesn’t quite apply when it comes to God.
In many of the world’s major religious traditions—Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and beyond—God is described as eternal, existing beyond time itself. It’s not that God is old or young. God simply is.
The Concept of God’s Timelessness
For most people of faith, the question of God’s age is answered by one core belief: God is eternal. This means God didn’t have a beginning and won’t have an end. The idea that God always existed is central to many religious teachings. God isn’t born, doesn’t grow old, and doesn’t die. That’s why you often hear descriptions of God like “the Alpha and the Omega,” a phrase from the Bible meaning “the beginning and the end.”
It’s not that God has been around for a long time—God is outside of time altogether. Time, as we experience it, is something God created. The ticking of a clock, the movement of days, and the passage of years apply to us but not to the divine. God is timeless. You could almost say that God exists in an eternal now. This idea is difficult to grasp because our human experience is deeply tied to the passage of time—we age, our world ages, and everything around us is subject to time’s flow.
What Does Eternity Mean?
To say God is eternal means God exists beyond the past, present, and future. Imagine time as a straight line. Humans live on that line, moving from point A (birth) to point B (death). But God? God is outside the line, seeing all of it at once. God’s existence isn’t limited by beginnings or endings.
In theological terms, this is often referred to as “aseity”, which means self-existence. God isn’t dependent on anything else to exist—unlike humans, who are born from parents and need air, food, and time to grow. God just is, and always has been. From the first spark of creation to the farthest reaches of the future, God’s existence remains constant, unchanging.
Here’s a breakdown of key religious perspectives on God’s timelessness:
| Religion | God’s Timelessness |
|---|---|
| Christianity | God is eternal, without beginning or end. Time was created by God. |
| Judaism | God is everlasting, existing outside the constraints of time. |
| Islam | Allah is eternal, not confined to the limits of time and space. |
| Hinduism | Certain deities are timeless, while the universe itself goes through cycles of time. |
| Buddhism | Not focused on a creator God, but the idea of timelessness appears in spiritual realms. |
How Can Something Be Eternal?
It’s tough for us, as humans, to wrap our heads around the idea of eternity. Everything we know has a beginning and an end: trees grow and die, stars are born and explode, even our planet has a lifespan. The concept of something existing forever seems almost impossible.
But here’s the thing—God isn’t subject to the rules of the physical universe. We measure time with clocks and calendars, but God exists in a realm that doesn’t need clocks. This is often called divine timelessness. God created the universe, including time, so naturally, God isn’t constrained by it. In many religious beliefs, time is a creation, a tool for humans and the universe, not for God.
Philosophical Takes on God’s Age
Even philosophers who don’t tie their beliefs to a particular religion have tried to answer the question of God’s age. For centuries, great thinkers like Plato and Aristotle pondered the nature of God or a “prime mover”—a force that set the universe into motion. They, too, recognized that if a divine being exists, it must be beyond the confines of time as we understand it.
Some modern philosophers argue that God could experience time differently than humans, but they agree that a divine being would not be limited by the same concept of aging. For instance, the philosopher Boethius described God as existing in an “eternal present,” experiencing all moments—past, present, and future—simultaneously.
Other Interpretations
There are also religions and belief systems with different takes on divinity and time. For example, in some interpretations of Hinduism, the gods are part of a cosmic cycle of time. The universe itself undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation, and destruction, and certain deities oversee these cycles. But even in these traditions, the supreme divine powers are considered timeless, existing beyond the cycles of creation and destruction.
In indigenous and polytheistic traditions, gods often have origin stories and are seen as part of a larger cosmic system, where time may play a role. However, in monotheistic religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, God’s timelessness is central to understanding the divine nature.
Why Asking the Age of God Misses the Point
When people ask, “How old is God?” they’re often thinking in human terms, bound by our experience of time. But asking God’s age is a bit like asking what color silence is or how much a thought weighs—it’s simply not a question that fits the nature of God. Time applies to us, not to God.
In the end, it’s about shifting your perspective. Instead of thinking of God as someone who grows old like a person, consider God as the force that created time itself. Time is God’s tool, not a limit. So next time the question comes up, remember that it’s less about age and more about eternal presence.
Key Takeaways:
- God is considered eternal in many religions, meaning without beginning or end.
- God exists outside of time, which makes the question of age irrelevant.
- Philosophically, God is seen as existing in an “eternal now,” perceiving all moments simultaneously.