Terminology Tuesday: Necessary Being

Necessary Being: A being whose existence is no mere accident or contingent result but whose very nature is to exist necessarily. God has traditionally been understood as a necessary being, and it is this aspect of the concept of God that underlies the ontological argument for God’s existence. A necessary being can be defined (following Gottfried Leibniz) as one that exists in every possible world.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 79.

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Brian Auten is the founder emeritus of Apologetics315. He is also director of Reasonable Faith Belfast. Brian holds a Masters degree in Christian Apologetics and has interviewed over 150 Christian apologists. His background is in missions, media direction, graphic design, and administration. Brian started Apologetics315 in 2007 to be an apologetics hub to equip Christians to defend the faith.

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