1.21.2015

The Ever Present God

God is Lord of space as well as of time.
He is both outside of space, a spatial, or immense (a term theologians like), and omnipresent in space.

Immensity
The heavens cannot contain God (1 Kings 8:27).
Israel was tempted to think God was bound to help them, by His promised presence, regardless of their sin (Jer 7:2-7)
All of God is present everywhere.  He isn't divided into parts.
He isn't limited like we are spatially.
He is everywhere (Psalm 139:7-10).
Scripture also speaks of His presence more localized, in the burning bush, the tem,ple, heaven, etc.
Scripture also has an ethical or covenant sense of God's presence.  He is with, or near to, the righteous, but far from the wicked.

Incorporeal
No Bible verse directly states this, but it's a legitimate inference from many verses.
John 4:24 is not speaking mainly of His immateriality.  [This may be, but it's still a rather direct statement!]
God is not identified with any created thing.  The world is not part of Him, He is not the world.
But He is present IN the world.

God shows Himself visibly to us a few times, know as theophanies.
The Incarnation is like a theophany, but permanent, He grew over time, suffered, etc.  But God is not defined as a physical being.  Even the Incarnate Son was sovereign over space and time.  He isn't bound to space or time, but can enter it

God is invisible (Rom 1:20; 1 Tim 1:17).  He can show Himself,  and does.  He tells Moses that no one can see His face, but Jacob sees His face.  No one has seen God, but He who has seen Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:9).  Moses saw Him who is invisible (Heb 11:27).  How does this all fit together?
God is invisible like He's atemporal and aspatial.  He can be visible, but is Lord of matter and light.
We cannot see God unless He reveals Himself.
The new covenant is strikingly different in this.  Moses and Israel saw no form; Jesus is God visible.
In the consummation, we will see God (Matt 5:8; 1 Cor 13:12; 1 John 3:2).

The Glory of God
This is related to God's visibility, and also to His honor.
It is light shining in the glory cloud in the desert over Israel (Ex 16:6-10).
Jesus shares Gods glory (John 17:5), He is the Lord of glory (1 Cor 2:8), and His death showed Gods glory (John 12:23).
Creation shows His glory (Ps 19:1) and so does mankind (Ps 8:5).
Our sin messes up Gods glory (Rom 3:23) but redemption restores it (2 Cor 3:18).
We are meant to give glory to God in praise and obedience (1 Cor 10:31).
The three Persons of the Trinity glorify one another.

God as Spirit
This can mean His spirituality as opposed to physicality, but also refers to how God acts in the world by His wind and breath - the Holy Spirit.
Power.  He is a God of power (Micah 3:8) who gives power (Judges 13:25).
Authority.  He appoints prophets, speaks through them, and gives gifts for the church.
Presence.  The Spirit's presence blesses His people.  God breathed into Adam.
The Spirit's presence comes especially at Pentecost (Acts 2) and in our worship of the Son by the Spirit (John 4:24).

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