I have already indicated that this god being we seek to define, if he is in fact utterly independent, must also be complete, which is to say, perfect. There can be nothing such a being needs to obtain or needs to divest himself of. There can be no needs in that being, else he has a dependency on some outside agency to supply the need. Such a one is not sovereign, not absolute in power and independence, and therefore is not a god.
This has huge implications for our understanding of things. As for the nature of god, we conclude from this perfection that such a being is not only eternal, but eternally unchanging. If there is no lack or excess, there is no need for change. We discover in god a being who is constant, consistent.
But, this also has implications for the rest of existence. Such a god has no need of worshipers. He has no need that is supplied by the act of creation, or by anything in the created order. He further has no need for fellowship outside himself, which will prove a significant factor for our understanding of the Christian God as we proceed. But, consider that there was nothing in the nature of God that required the act of creation, nor was there anything supplied God in the act of redemption. That is, admittedly, to get far, far ahead of things, but a bit of foreshadowing never hurt anyone.
This matter of perfection, however, is an aspect of that utmost sovereignty of God that must strongly color one’s perceptions of all existence and all meaning. It has a huge impact on how we understand the relationship between God and man, between God and creation. As such, it must have a huge impact on those doctrinal truths that we pursue in an effort to explore and explain those relationships.
