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Attributes of God: Omnipresence

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The second attribute of God we are discussing is his omnipresence.  When we speak of God’s omnipresence (present everywhere at the same time) we are referring to the infinitude of his being, especially when viewed in relation to his creation.  Wayne Grudem, in his Systematic Theology textbook, defines the omnipresence of God as:

God does not have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being, yet God acts differently in different places.

In essence this means the limitations of space have no reference to God.  All of creation, whether material or spiritual, can be found somewhere.  Only God, in his entire being, is everywhere. In other words his essence, knowledge, and power are everywhere and equally present at all times.  Since this is a part of God’s nature which He does not share with his creation, it would be classified as an incommunicable attribute.

On account of the fact we are bounded by space, it becomes an almost impossible task to try and understand the omnipresence of God.  How can something exist without size or dimensions?  Just think of it, when there was no matter, material or space, He was.  When there was no “here”, “there” or “anywhere” God still existed.  Only at the point when God said, “Let there be” was there any place one could actually be.  If you think on it long enough you will likely end up in the fetal position rocking on the floor with your thumb in your mouth.

Even though God’s omnipresence may be difficult to comprehend, it is also one of the most comforting attributes of our God.  It is exceedingly encouraging and comforting when one understands that God is ever-present and interested in both the great and little things.  He is equally present with all his creatures, at all times, and in all places.  He is not far from any of us.  This truth alone should excite worship in all of us. Here are some scriptures that speak to the omnipresence of God:

Psalm 139:7-12  “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8  If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,10  even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11  If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12  even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”

Prov 15:3   “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

Jer 23:23-24  “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 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.”

Acts 17:24  “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,”

Eph 1:23  “which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

There are a few potential challenges we will face as we establish our understanding of God’s omnipresence.  Next time we will continue our discussion on the omnipresence of God.

 To Be Continued

More In The Series

1) Intro to the Attributes of God

2) Goodness of God

4) Omnipresence of God Part 2

5) Omniscience of God

6) Omnipotence of God

7) Freedom of God

8) Eternality of God

9) Infinite God

Review – Contending: Defending the Faith in a Fallen World

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I am stepping away from the ongoing series about the attributes of God to do a well timed book review.  Well, to be honest it is more of an overdue book review than it is a well timed one.  I had finished the book in question about a month ago, but due to demands on my time and the unfortunate propensity to procrastinate, I hadn’t set fingers to keyboard.  Therefore, in order to remedy this let me dive into the book review proper.

Contend: Defending the Faith in a Fallen World

Aaron Armstrong’s Contending: Defending the Faith in a Fallen World is the latest offering from Cruciform Press.  As you can probably gather from its title, the book is about contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Given that I have just quoted Jude 3 I know it will be almost impossible to avoid assumptions about the contents of this book.  I am not saying Jude 3 is controversial, but depending on your theological bent, or your particular philosophical approach to doing church, you will likely have some preconceived ideas on the necessity and application of contending for the faith.  Let me assure you that regardless of your perspective you will find Contend a balanced and challenging book.

Why Contend


Let me begin by saying there is a definite need for this book.  In a time where postmodern thinking permeates the very air we breath, truth ceases to be absolute and is merely thought of as subjective and relative.  When this type of thinking enters the church you are bound to have casualties, not the least of which being the authority and truthfulness of Scripture.  When the Church entertains the view that the Truth is merely one of many truths, compromise emerges as the word of the day, and our motivation to contend for the faith goes out the window. However, before one can prescribe a solution, one must understand how the malady came to be.

Aaron is keenly aware of this fact, and begins his book by attempting to give a brief historical perspective on the problem at hand.  He does a masterful job identifying some of the key threads running through the tapestry that is culture and church, while never singling out any one particular thread.  No finger pointing here.  Both seeker-sensitive and fundamentalist should read this book and feel they were treated fairly. Although there is genuine value in understanding the  context of the problem, the real strength of Contend are the practical applications mentioned in later chapters.

What I Liked

What I ultimately appreciated about this book was the way in which Aaron acknowledged that contending must be motivated and directed by mercy, grace and love.  To often we contend over the wrong things or for the wrong reasons.  In Aaron’s words:

Contending must be understood and exercised as an act of mercy toward those who doubt and those who have been deceived, regardless of whether they claim faith in Christ.

The other thing I enjoyed about Contend was the fact the practical applications spoke to those both in the pulpit and the pews.  When browsing for books you can pretty much tell the author’s intended audience.  Let’s be honest, some books have a narrower audience than others.  Laity likely have very little interest in books on preaching, while those in the clergy are probably not looking to add a daily devotional to their library.  Contend is unique in that its intended audience is the Bible believing Christian, which includes everyone who is of faith.  If you are the person behind the pulpit or you are the person sitting in the seats you will find a practical application on how to contend for the faith.

Nitpicking

The only issue I potentially had with Contend, was with Aaron’s advice to those who had concerns with a church leader.  This is such a minor concern I wasn’t even going to include it in my review.  However, for the purpose of full disclosure I might as well include it.  Aaron suggested that those who have concerns with a church leader should first discreetly speak with a small number of trusted friends to test their discernment.  This is always a difficult issue to handle.  Because of my position and background I would lean more toward the individual approaching the leader, and in a respectful fashion talk about their concerns.  I am a big proponent on voicing concerns upward instead of sideways.  I think Aaron’s advice is sound if he simply added the clarification that those trusted friends should also be mature in the Lord and well respected in the church.  I am sure that was the unspoken assumption in his advice.  Since Contend is written for the broader Christian audience there is always the chance someone who is young in the Lord could pick up this book and exercise his advice by going to another new believer, potentially resulting in confusion and/or strife.  (Like I said, a very minor detail which I probably didn’t have to include in this review.  I give everyone and anyone permission to omit this section if they choose to repost this review.)

Conclusion

I would recommend this book to any and all believers.  Ultimately if we are to take our faith seriously we will have to contend for (struggle for and on behalf of) the truth.  Contending: Defending the Faith in a Fallen World is a powerful and useful book which will not only provoke you if you need provoking, but it will equip you with practical tools on how to contend in a world that won’t celebrate you when you do take a stand.  You can pick up your own copy here.

 

P.s.  If you are interested in Aaron Armstrong’s blog you can find it here.

Reading Challenge & Resources

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Early Church Fathers Reading Challenge

There are two things I like; free resources and reading challenges. All the better if you can combine the two. If one, or both of these notions appeal to you, then I have the perfect thing for you. It is a website called Read the Fathers. Before I explain the idea behind the Read the Fathers site I have a little confession to make. I have never read the writings of the Apostolic and early church Fathers.

Oh, I know I am not alone here. The truth be told, whether because of ignorance or neglect, the modern church has stayed pretty much illiterate when it comes to the early church Fathers. In fact I am guessing that you would be hard pressed to find anyone who has heard of their writings let alone read them. I think it is about time we fix this.

Read the Fathers provides both the challenge and the resources. When you head on over to their site you will find an online plan to read through the Ante-Nicene, Nicene, and Post-Nicene Church Fathers in seven years. In addition to providing the reading plan they include links to free (such a beautiful word) English translations provided by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Such a sweet deal.

Now don’t let the seven year commitment scare you away. In order to accomplish the task the daily reading has been reduced to a very manageable seven pages. Even if you are type of individual who is scared of commitment (I am talking to you boys out there) you can make good use of the free resources. Whether you want the challenge or the free resources be sure to drop by and check out Read the Fathers. Challenge begins Sunday December 2nd.

Attributes of God: Goodness

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The first attribute of God we will be discussing is His goodness. Why are we starting with the goodness of God? Well, it just so happened to be the first attribute brought up in our young adult’s Bible study. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone. Typically when asked to describe God the first characteristic that comes to mind is either His love or His goodness. Why would the goodness of God be one of the first attributes that come to our mind? Well, it is the one attribute that both leads to repentance (Rom 2:4) and excites praise in those who have experienced it. It is also the one attribute which unbelievers, given the reality of evil and suffering in the world, have the most difficult time accepting. There is nothing more polarizing than walking into a room and yelling out, “God is Good!” I dare you to try it.

The attribute of goodness is one which He shares (a communicable attribute) with us. The thing we need to keep in mind is that in God it exists without measure and without end. In Him, goodness is infinite, eternal, immutable, and functions in perfect harmony with all of His other attributes. To begin our conversation it is probably a good idea to define what we mean when we call God good. Wayne Grudem, in his Systematic Theology textbook, defines the goodness of God as:

The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.

I particularly like this definition because it takes the ball out of our court when it comes to determining what is good. In a postmodern world where everything is relative, and there are no absolutes, it is a wonderful thing to have an absolute standard for something. God IS the gold standard of good (Luke 18:19). In other words we are not free to decide what is worthy of approval and what is not. All that He does is worthy of His acceptance, and by extension ours. Not only is God the standard of what is good, but He is the source of all good (James 1:17, Psalm 145:9).

There are plenty of scriptures which speak directly to the goodness of God, so much so that one would be hard pressed to come to any other conclusion.  Goodness, in the scriptural sense of the term, is intimately linked to God’s benevolence, love, mercy, and grace.  Although these can be classified as separate attributes, they are very much fruits of His goodness.  If you take both the direct verses and those speaking of the fruits you will end up with a mountain of evidence pointing toward a God who is absolute in His capacity for goodness.  I only belabor this fact because in times of trouble we might be tempted to believe otherwise.  The weight of scripture informs our understanding that even in the midst of trouble God is good, and in the end those who love Him and are called by Him will see how He works all things together for their good (Rom 8:28).  Here are some scriptures that speak of God’s goodness.

2 Chron 5:12b “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,”

 

Psalm 25:8  “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.”

 

Psalm 34:8 “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

 

Psalm 84:11 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

 

Psalm 107:1 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”

 

Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

 

Heb 12:10 “For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.”

 

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

 To Be Continued

More In The Series

1) Intro to the Attributes of God

3) Omnipresence of God Part 1

4) Omnipresence of God Part 2

5) Omniscience of God

6) Omnipotence of God

7) Freedom of God

8) Eternality of God

9) Infinite God

Attributes of God

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On a monthly basis I participate in a young adults Bible study hosted by our church. The passion and hunger of the individuals involved make it one of the more exciting events I am privileged to take part in. Typically, in the weeks leading up to each Bible study we issue a request for any suggestions for potential study topics. This time around the suggestion was made that we discuss the character and nature of God (i.e. Theology Proper).

Theology Proper is a pretty hefty topic, one which could never be adequately covered in a single session.  Sure you could fly through the topic touching on all the basics, but you would never appropriately transmit the depth and significance of the subject matter being discussed.  I can’t stress enough the importance of knowing the character of God.  If you don’t have the character and nature of God right, can it really be said you are worshiping the right God? Failure to try and understand what God has revealed about Himself in the Bible can cause us to set up, chase after, and worship false gods.

Therefore, in an attempt to further our discussion, and to increase our understanding, I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts on God’s character and nature.  However, as a prolegomena to our conversation on the attributes of God we must understand:

  1. God has revealed Himself through His creation (Rom 1:18-20) and through His Word (Matt 11:27). Although we can discern aspects of His nature and character from the things He has created, our observations can only be rightly understood if they are interpreted through the filter of His Word (1 Cor 1:21). Even though we can know God we can not fully or completely comprehend Him (Psalm 145:3).
  2. All of God’s attributes work together in perfect harmony. This is vital to our understanding, given the fact our human nature would lead us to ignore the severity of God and only focus on His kinder attributes (Rom 11:22). Sometimes scripture will emphasize different attributes at different times. Even though emphasis might have been given to a particular attribute they all exist and continue to work together in perfect harmony. Therefore, for example, His mercy isn’t trampled upon or ignored when God stands in judgement of sin.
  3. There are some attributes God shares with us and some that He does not.  Traditionally, and respectively, these are referred to as Communicable and Incommunicable attributes.  The incommunicable attributes of God tend to be the ones we have the most difficulty understanding given the fact we have no frame of reference or experience with them (i.e. Eternality or Omnipresence).  The communicable attributes of God are easier for us to grasp given He chooses to share them with us.  Although God shares these attributes with us we need to understand that we do not possess them to the degree God does.  For example we have knowledge, but God is all knowing.

With all of these essentials out of the way we can begin our discussion on the nature and character of God. Let the fun begin.

More In The Series

2) Goodness of God

3) Omnipresence of God Part 1

4) Omnipresence of God Part 2

5) Omniscience of God

6) Omnipotence of God

7) Freedom of God

8) Eternality of God

9) Infinite God