The Omnipresent.

神崎ロン。
Jul 25, 2017 · 8 min read

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Psalms 139:7-12 (KJV)

The verses of the Psalms above are usually used as one of the foundations in the teaching of the omnipresence of God. It is said that God is Omnipresent, meaning God is always present everywhere. Even so, we must be careful to define God’s omnipresence being, because there is a doctrine that looks similar but not the same which is known as pantheism. The Bible teaches the omnipresence of God, but we’re not the pantheism.
Pantheism teaches that God is in everywhere, even in every object, God does exist. While the omnipresence that we believe to be the one of God’s glorious beings, is God’s ability to be in different places at the same time according to His will. This means that God is not only able to be in anywhere, but also capable to be nowhere at the same time. By that understanding, then we can say that God is in the hearts of believers, but God is not in the hearts of the unbelievers. God is in the midst of the assembly of the righteous, but God is not in the midst of the assembly of the wicked. (Matthew 18:20, Psalm 1: 1-6).

Transcendent God.

People say, "Yes, God is everywhere, but it feels like God is so far away, for He dwells in heaven." This is a contradictory statement. Isn’t that so? “God is everywhere” that means God is here, but if we feel that God seems so far away because he dwells in heaven, then, which one is right?
Easily this contradiction can be solved because “God is everywhere”, it means that God is far away there up in heaven and also God is here among us. Such simple descriptions are true and we can read them in John 14: 15-16 and those conclude as is often taught in dogmatics: God is above us (Father), God is with us (Son), and God is in us (Holy Spirit).
But the problem is not that simple because it involves our feelings. Then the zealous servants of God immediately closed the question of this feeling with the general proposition, taught in Christian student groups that faith is not a feeling. "If you are faithful, don’t follow your feelings. The reason is that faith remains the same, on the other hand feelings are changing." Once again this reason is true, but the problem remains there unfolded. Why is that? Because feelings are a real part of human life including believers. That is why the counseling services are now one of the most important elements of Christian service and the main aspect of the counseling service is the client’s feelings, as well as the views, attitudes, and behaviors that shape the whole personality as a human being.
Concerning the subject that is being discussed, we recognize the ideology that teaches that God is transcendent, meaning that the Holy and Supreme God is far from where people are and the Divine things are hard to understand. If people want to contact Him, they must perform special rituals and if necessary using mediums such as priests or prophets in Judaism or sorcerers in the world of animism. Is God’s doctrine transcendent in the Bible? The answer is, "Yes!" Especially when associated with sinners (Genesis 3: 8,24, Isaiah 59: 1-2)
But the psalmist, as quoted above, actually feels his own happiness with the knowledge of God’s omnipresence. He said, "... Even there shall Thy hand lead me: and Thy right hand shall hold me." Does the psalmist not know that God is transcendent? Surely he does. But it is more evident in those who deserve to be shunned by God, who are sinners or more firmly called, "those who wallow in sin." Adam and Eve felt and experienced it. David, when he had sinned, he also experienced the same thing. What about us? Can we easily give thanks to God when we fall into sin? Indeed what we thank isn’t​because of our fall on commiting sin, but our sanctification once for all by the blood of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 1: 12,14, Hebrews 10:10). But once again deep within your heart there is no joy, no peace, no fellowship with the presence of God, when you fall and keep living in sin. At that moment the transcendent of God’s​ being becomes real, that it feels like God is far away from you, and when you desire to receive the blessings of His graceful hand, you feel the need to shout, not just to speak as a child does to his Father. This is what many verses describe in the Psalms of David concerning his mood before God. Therefore, never mess with sin.
Sanctification by the blood of Jesus is not a green light for believers to fall into sin. The thanksgiving for that redemption is not an automatic healing of the emotional wounds caused by the fall in sin. Our place in heaven is not disturbed by our sins, but the fellowships​ with God and among fellow believers are really disturbed. You feel distant, aloof, or away from the presence of God and from your fellowship. Is there anybody wants​ to repeat this bad experience? I say "repeat" because I firmly believe that none of us has ever escaped this bitter experience. Maybe after someone comes to Jesus, he no longer has this bad experience, but before someone becomes the newborn in Christ, he certainly experienced it. Oh, we are talking about the newborn and someone who hasn’t become the newborn yet. Yes, because there are people who think that the Bible verses that say about the consequences of sin in the Bible are only for the people who haven’t become the newborns in Christ. It’s ​definitely a big mistake. Even I can boldly say that this kind of mistake is a tactic which the Devil, the “Father of the Liars” always uses. Indeed, there is a result of sin that applies only to those who don’t believe which is the second death in the lake of fire. It will not be experienced by someone who has been born again in Christ, and for that we should be grateful.
But the consequences of the other sins must still be remembered and considered before you and I are deceived by Satan and the lust of the flesh to sin. It has been reminded above that when you fall into sin, the distance between you and God will be very far and you will feel like you’re cast away.
You will feel how God turns His face from you. You can even feel the desire to hide from the presence of God. Here’s what Adam and Eve feel, also David and Peter when they fall into sin, which is also your feeling. What is it? It’s shame and fear. Does it need to be explained further?
What is the result of the other sins? A sin can cause harm to both the sinner and the other as a victim. Just look at the sins of stealing, murder, adultery and what else can be mentioned further? There are even sins that bring physical death to the person involved such as traffic violations, drunkenness, drugs, and so on. Therefore, don’t use the verse Hebrews 10:10 to remove Isaiah 59: 1-2 or Romans 6:13. Remember, the Bible remains consistent when it comes about the sin, "God forbid" (Romans 6: 1-2).

God is immanent.

There is an impression that the "Old Testament" teaches a transcendent God, while the "New Testament" teaches the immanent God that God is with us. This impression is not true. Both sections of the Bible teach both impressions​. In the Old Testament theology and New Testament theology, God is known to be transcendent (1 Kings 8:12, 1 Timothy 6:16 ↝ These two ​verses are seemingly contradictory ones). Also, the Old Testament theology and the New Testament theology teach the immanent God (Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23). Some think that Isaiah 7:14 is a prophecy fulfilled in the New Testament, thus the Old Testament still places God as a transcendent figure, and later in the presence of Jesus it becomes known that it’s the immanent God. Of course, no one forbids such interpretations, but the fact remains the same that the Old Testament (Isaiah 7:14 for example) teaches the immanent God. What about the above quotation of Psalm 139? Doesn’t the omnipresence of God show the immanent nature that the psalmist in the Old Testament realizes?
There is a time between the Old Testament and the New Testament which is approximately 400 years old. At that time transcendental ideas received public recognition as common among Israelis. There is, of course, a reason for that, for the Israelites long awaited the Savior. They have been colonized by Egypt and then released. Then slumped back under the slavery of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. The promise of salvation has not yet arrived. The silence of 400 years (without the Word of God directly) is quite tense. In short, in that period God “dwells in the thick darkness​” as Solomon says in his prayer or “dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto” as Paul says in his letter to Timothy.
The influence of the ideology continues to carry over into the New Testament times, even church organizations absorb it too much. Its evident in the hymns, the ecclesiastical ceremonies, and the prayer sentences that are applied. Once again it is in the Bible, so it is not entirely wrong to see God in His transcendental nature. But it would be wrong to think that God is only transcendent, because he is also immanent. Immanent as God, the Father of His people as witnessed by the writers of the Old Testament, immanent as the Son of God as recorded in the four Gospels, and immanent as the Holy Spirit who is the Comforter. That is why for us God’s people in the dispensation of Grace, our proximity to God is so real that no medium is required, no special ceremonies are necessary to draw closer to God, and our hymns and prayers can be only natural sequences of words , Or a string of languages ​​that contain high literary arts, but they show that for us God is close to us and He lives inside us. Also of course we believe that God is up above us so we need to exalt Him, praise Him and worship Him. In Isaiah 57:15, we can read the following words, "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15 (KJV)

continued

神崎ロン。

Written by

Geopolitic researcher, seismic activity geek, sushi devourer, Bible decoder. Here to improve my Engurishyu. 宜しく〜!

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