Divine Transcendence and Immanence
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
Acts 17:24-25
“Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill heaven and earth”? declares the Lord
Jeremiah 23:24
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
Psalm 139: 1-2; 4-5; 7-8
A while back, as I read the commentary of a passage of scripture I’d just read, I came across a phrase that I had never heard before. It fascinated me so much that I wrote the phrase down in the Notes app on my phone or iPad. I have apparently deleted since as I can’t find it anywhere. I’ve Googled the concept of what this phrase was trying to convey, and I still cannot find the exact terminology. I recall thinking that I’d never forget what it was and yet here I am (there’s a meme I’ve seen on Facebook that describes me justly: the biggest lie I tell myself is “I don’t need to write that down—I’ll remember it!”). Give me your grace though, please, and stroll with me a little bit.
I do recall that I had been ruminating on the dichotomy between the vastness and majesty of God the Creator and the sweet personal nature of His Son’s life-giving salvation, the promise of which dwells in me in the form of my Paraclete, the Holy Spirit. It is mind boggling to me to entertain the thought that the Creator of the universe—God Almighty, my heavenly Father, maker of the heavens and the earth and the limitlessness of the universe, whose enormity none of us is able to fathom—deigns to commune with me in those times of prayer and Bible reading. Like a superhero—no, THE penultimate superhero--who makes time to share a conversation over coffee with an adoring yet gawky fan—the One whose traits include omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence not only meets me in that holy time of prayer, but is also a part of the prayers themselves, where He as the Holy Spirit “intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words,” as Paul tells us in Romans 8. I am gob smacked, to be honest, each time I think about the unfathomable experience that I get to have each and every time I need to! Not only does my heavenly Father meet me in prayer—He wants to meet me in prayer and wants the same of me! Utterly boggles the mind, I tell you!
Alas, none of the concepts and terms that displayed in the search results as I sought to name this ring the proverbial bell for me. There were two, however, that came close—divine transcendence and divine immanence. The first term describes the fact that God that is distant and above His creation—that He transcends us. He is distinct and set apart, wholly sovereign and holy. His thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are His ways our ways, as we read in Isaiah 55. He alone is God, and we are most certainly not.
The second term immanence describes the concept of God being near us, fully active and involved in His creation and their lives. He is intimately a part of our lives, dwelling with His people. The quintessential example of this is seen in John 1:14—"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The second Person of the Godhead stepped out of heaven and “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Jesus walked among us, fully human yet fully divine. Emmanuel—God with us—indeed!
Friends, it is our God who embodies both contrasting concepts—His pure holiness (transcendence) intersects with His relationship to us as our Father (immanence); His omnipotence is juxtaposed with His offer of rest for all who are weary and burdened; the Shekinah Glory of the Lord that led the Israelites in the desert is contrasted with Jesus being called the bright morning star and the light of the world. These seemingly oxymoronic concepts are all wrapped up in the very one Who created us, gave us the breath of life, and Who redeemed us. How wonderful it is to explore these great and mysterious concepts, presented to us by a loving God!
Prayer Requests
· For Steve Kale and his heart valve surgery—for quick healing during his convalescence
· For families stressed by the demands of work and online schooling
· For relief for those impacted by natural disasters: the California wildfires and hurricanes Marco and Laura
· For us to be the church that Jesus calls us to be in the midst of what is going on in this world
I continue to be amazed at what the Lord shows me on my spiritual journey. I pray that you are as well, and that He continues to reveal abundantly more as we seek Him with a hunger and passion to know Him more.
Quotes (both by A.W. Tozer)
“We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts”.
“God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. What a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.