Comments to the question (v1): I) In the Lagrangian $L(q(t),\dot{q}(t),t)$, one must distinguish between _implicit_ time dependence via the variables $q(t)$ and $\dot{q}(t)$, and _explicit_ time dependence.$^1$ However, the implicit time dependence in the Lagrangian $L$ only makes sense in the context of a fixed (but arbitrary, possibly virtual) path $$\tag{1} [t_i,t_f]~\stackrel{q}{\longrightarrow}~\mathbb{R}^n.$$ The implicit time dependence would typically be different for another path. II) In fact a (possibly virtual) path (1) is technically speaking _not_ the input for a Lagrangian $L$. Rather the Lagrangian $$\tag{2} \mathbb{R}^n\times\mathbb{R}^n\times [t_i,t_f]~\stackrel{L}{\longrightarrow}~\mathbb{R}$$ is a function $$\tag{3} (q,v,t)~\mapsto~ L(q,v,t) $$ (as opposed to a functional) that _only_ depends on 1. an instant $t\in[t_i,t_f]$, 2. an instantaneous position$^2$ $q\in\mathbb{R}^n$, and 3. an instantaneous velocity $v\in\mathbb{R}^n$; not the past, nor the future. Notice that we here use the symbol $v$ rather than the notation $\dot{q}\equiv \frac{dq}{dt}$. This is because the ability to differentiate $\frac{dq}{dt}$ would imply that we know (at least a segment of) a path (1) rather than just information about an instantaneous state $(q,v,t)$ of the system. III) In contrast, the action $$\tag{4} S[q] ~:=~ \int_{t_i}^{t_f}dt \ L(q(t),\dot{q}(t),t)$$ is a functional (as opposed to a function) that depends on a (possibly virtual) path (1). For more details, such as, e.g., an explanation how calculus of variations works, why $q$ and $v$ are independent variables in the Lagrangian (3) but dependent variables in the action (4), etc.; see e.g. [this](http://physics.stackexchange.com/q/885/2451) related Phys.SE post and links therein. -- $^1$ By the way, if the Lagrangian $L(q,v)$ has no explicit time dependence, then the energy $$ \tag{5} h(q,v)~:=~v^i \frac{\partial L(q,v)}{\partial v^i}-L(q,v) $$ is conserved, cf. [Noether's theorem](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noether%27s_theorem). $^2$ Here $q\in\mathbb{R}^n$ denotes an $n$-tuple, as opposed to eq. (1) where $q$ denotes a path/curve.