The Infinity of God God's transcendence is the fact of Him being greater and above all else. He is different from all else in the way that He exists. His manner of existing can be described in one word - "Infinite". To say that God is infinite means that He is not limited by anything outside himself; There are no restrictions in time, space or knowledge and there is no chance of God making a mistake. This idea cannot be taken for granted. Nearly all thoughts of God outside the Bible are of a limited God who exists along with eternally existing matter. (1 Kings. 18) Because a God who has created all ex nihilo cannot be limited by anything outside of Himself. God is unlimited, infinite in His: Existence, Time, Space, Power, and Knowledge 1. God is Unlimited in His Existence This means that God's being is uncaused. He is the only one like this. God Is, God Always Has Been, God Always Will Be God is not from any other source, He is unlimited in His existence. Every bit of the whole created Universe is dependent on God for its origin and continua tion. It exists because of God's power and w/o God's sustaining power it would all go back to nothing from which it came. It is possible for all else to not exist but it is impossible for God to not exist. Only God is unlimited in His existence. When Moses asked God's name, He said "I AM". He is the one who IS. Rom 1:23 - God is called "incorruptible". 1 Tim 6:16 - He "alone possesses immortality". John 5:26 - He "has life in Himself". The One Who Created All Does Not Need Anything to Survive. All life as we know and experience needs something outside of itself to sustain it. Not so with God. Acts 17:24-25 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. God Does Not Need Anyone to Give Him Anything Since He Already Owns All Job 41:11 Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine. God does Not Need Anyone to Teach Him Anything Romans 11:34 For who has known the mind of the Lord? or who has been his counselor? 1 Corinthians 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?... God Does Not Ask Permission From Anyone to Do Anything Job 34:13 Who gave Him authority over the earth?... If God Determines to Do Something, No One Can Stop Him Isaiah 43:13 Even from eternity I am He; And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it? Only God is completely free. Because God is not limited by any power or being outside of His control, He is free to carry out His purpose without failure. 2. God is Unlimited With Regard to Time Time is a product of Creation. God is not limited by what He created. Gen. 21:33 - Everlasting God. Rom 16:26 - Eternal God 1 Tim. 1:17 - Eternal and Immortal King Time is a concept of a point between a beginning and end. Our place is constantly flowing closer to the end. With God there is no beginning or end. There was no time before creation and no time after the end. Only God exists without beginning or end. He is I AM. Bible References Saying God Has Always Existed Psalms 93:2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. Psalms 9:7 But the Lord shall endure for ever: he has prepared his throne for judgment. Psalms 48:14 For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death. Revelation 4:10, 13 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that lives for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying... 13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen. God Was, God Is, God Always Will Be Only God is immortal by nature. 1 Timothy 6:16 Who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man has seen, nor can see... Human and angel spirits will live forever in the future, but there was a time in the past they did not exist. It is impossible for God to cease to exist. Our immortality is a gift, it is because God wants us to live and not because we have to. God is Unlimited From the Flow of Time In Isaiah 40-48 God makes a challenge to the false gods and idols. His claim to being the only true God is based on His ability to know the past, present and future. Only God is able to do this. 41:21-26, 42:8-9, 44:6-8, 46:9-11 This is how God is able to inspire prophets to know the future. (Dan. 2, 7, 8) In Deut. 31:16-21 God foretold of Israel's apostasy. He does not speak of only what He is going to do, but also the result of Man's freewill choices. (The Bible is the only religious writing with detailed prophecies) God's Foreknowledge Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son... 1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father... Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Psalms 139:16 Thine eyes have see my unformed substance; and in Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. Calvinists teach that God has foreknowledge because he causes everything to happen, but the Bible plainly says we have free-will. To properly understand the problem of foreknowledge and free-will, we must understand our God is not limited by time as we are. God foreknows all choices before they are made because He is the transcendent God who stands above time and knows all things from the beginning to the end. How He does, we may never understand. This is an ability that only God has. None of His creatures have this ability. They can know only if it was told to them first. 3. God is Unlimited With Regard to Space Space, like time, is a product of Creation. Space is what all creatures, physical and spiritual operate in. We are limited because this is the way God created us. Spiritual creatures operate in a different dimension than we do, yet they can only be one place at a time. Dan 10:12f Satan and demons are limited also because they too are creatures. All are spatial beings. They are located in a certain place. Only God the Creator is not a spatial being. (Spatial: relating to, occupying or having the character of space) When trying to think of God, we naturally try to think of how large is He, but because of His nature, He is not subject to measurement. The characteristics of space that we are familiar with do not apply (location, size [height, width, weight]). This is why true worship does not have to be in a certain building or location. There is no place of mecca or pilgrimage for Christians, no "Holy Land". When Jesus told the woman at the well "You worship what you do not know" he was suggesting that the whole concept of God physically located in one place was false. God can be worshipped in Jerusalem or Mt. Gerizim or both places at once. God is not limited by space. Omnipresence = He is present everywhere at the same time. We shouldn't think of physical images of particles of God in every part of the Universe. There is the material dimension of man and spiritual dimension of angels. Throughout it all is the dimension of God. He may make His presence known in one place, but that does not limit His presence to that place. God could make himself known in a million theophanies at the same time and still be present in the rest of His creation at the same time. He can do this not just because He is spirit, but because He is God the Uncreated Spirit. 1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? Jeremiah 23:23-24 Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? 24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. Psalm 139:7-10 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, 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. Acts 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being... Sometimes God's Presence is Used as an Indication of His Favor or Disfavor Those in God's favor are said to be near to God and those in His disfavor are said to be far from God. a. Distance as a Symbol of Disfavor Genesis 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous. b. If We Are In His Favor, We are In His Presence Psalms 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. Gentiles were "Afar off" Acts 2:39 but are now "brought near by the blood of Christ" Eph 2:13 In all cases both of favor and disfavor, God's presence is constant and does not change. But depending on our own attitude toward Him, His presence takes on different meanings for us. 4. God is Unlimited in Power The creation declares God's power. The only power that could have brought it all out of nothing is unlimited power. God is "Omnipotent". Common name for God is El Shaddai or Shaddai = God Almighty, The Almighty. Omnipotence of God means there are no limits to His power, whatever He wants to do He can. Matt. 19:26 Jesus...said...with God all things are possible. Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. Genesis 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Jer. 32:17 Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee. Jer. 32:27 Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? Psalm 115:3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. When we look at the size and complexity of the universe we live in, we need to remember that all came into being from nothing by God's Word. We must not take this for granted. J.O. Buswell A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion There is no other religion or philosophy in all the history of human culture which teaches the omnipotence of God. This must be understood in the light of the fact that there is no other monotheism, and no other doctrine of creation from nothing, than that found in the Judeo-Christian tradition or derived from it... 5. God is Unlimited in Knowledge (Omniscience) 1 Samuel 2:3 ...the Lord is a God of knowledge... 1 John 3:20 God ...knows all things. Psalms 147:5 Great is our Lord ...his understanding is infinite. Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Our knowledge has been learned, God just knows. Who could teach Him? Where could He have gone to school? God Knows All About His Creation Psalm 147:4 He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Matt. 10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Matt. 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. Matthew 12:36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. Many passages speak of God's eyes going throughout the whole earth observing everything. Even what is done in secret is not missed. Every inward thought and every idle word is known. Because of God's Complete Knowledge, Judgment Will be Just (Jer. 32:19, Ecc. 12:14) Psalms 139:1-6 God knew all about David's life :7-12God sees him no matter where he is. :13-16God knew all about him, past, present, future, while he was being formed in his Mother's womb. :17-18Praise! God Knows the Heart 1 Kings 8:39 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men), Luke 16:15 And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." God Knows the Past, Present, and Future How Should This Affect Our Lives? Knowing that God constantly knows every detail in our lives? 1. This is a threat to the wicked 2. It is a comfort to the righteous A Threat We cannot hide anything. He knows all our works and thoughts and bring them all into judgment. The wicked like to pretend that God does not see. Psalm 10:11 He has said in his heart, "God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see." Isaiah 29:15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, And their works are in the dark; They say, "Who sees us?" and, "Who knows us?" Who knows? God knows! Job 34:21 For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps. Jeremiah 16:17 For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes. Jeremiah 23:23-24 "Am I a God near at hand," says the Lord, "And not a God afar off? 24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?" says the Lord; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the Lord. Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Omniscience is God's Guarantee that the Judgment Will Take Into Account Every Deed and Thought. Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. A Promise If we are righteous, we can know that God is watching over us. 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him... Psalms 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. Psalms 34:15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. We need to understand the God we serve. Because He is God the Creator, He is not bound by the limitations of created being. He exists in a totally different way. God is Unlimited in Existence, with Regard to Time and Space, Power, and Knowledge This is the nature of our God. With all that He can do, God still does not always get what He wants. God has voluntarily limited Himself to give us free will. We can choose to cause to happen what God does not want. We can sin and go to Hell if we desire. No one is going to fool God, No on is going to escape judgment. Are we treating our God as the Holy, Almighty God, Worthy of Worship? Wayne Wells wayneliz@twave.net http://users.twave.net/ncc