The Attributes of God: ‘Being’
God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. God, in the fullness of His being, is completely present in every location […]
God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.
God, in the fullness of His being, is completely present in every location and every time.
The scriptures describe God as being immense or immeasurable in His presence. He does not live in the temple, says Solomon:
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! (1 Kings 8:27)
His presence fills the whole cosmos. But God doesn’t fill the cosmos in the same way air fills a room. It is not that part of God is over here and another part of Him is over there and yet another part of Him is in another place.
The whole of His being, all of His power, the entirety of His essence and all of His attention is right here, and over there and everywhere. He fills the whole earth and He is intimately present in His fullness inside the smallest atom.
“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 139:7-8)
However, the Bible clearly describes God as being especially present in some places while withholding something of His presence from others.
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).
So, God’s omnipresence is a terror to the evil doer as no one can hide from God.
“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).
But God loves and is especially present with and attentive to His people. God’s omnipresence is a great comfort and joy for all those who are in Christ. This is what the Psalmist concludes when he considers God’s omnipresence in Psalm 139:
“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, And your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:9-10).
-Tom Eglinton
