(Continued-Chapter III-The God of Revelation)


III. TRANSCENDENCE AND IMMANENCE OF GOD

In the preceding section, we have examined some brief statements regarding the Almighty given by Moses, King Jehoshaphat, Jeremiah, and Nahum. Because of lack of time and space we were unable to stand before the life-size portrait of the Son of God who is seen in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. But my earnest desire is that each of my readers, as requested above, should gaze upon this fourfold portrait of our Lord manifested in human form.

A. The Transcendence Of God

As we shall see in Chapter VI, there was a time when God alone existed. During those ages of the past there was not, so far as our record goes, any physical universe. The time came, however, when He put forth the creative act which brought into existence the various systems that constitute our present material order.

As we have seen in the discussion of the existence of God, mind is higher than matter and superior to it. Since there is absolute and positive evidence throughout the entire universe of the existence of intelligence, we logically concluded that this supreme, intelligent Being was and is above all nature--He transcends the material universe, He was, and is, and will continue to be independent of it. He is not in the least conditioned by it. He existed with all of His perfections, as we shall see, prior to His calling the universe into being.

In his dedicatory prayer, Solomon, under the influence of the Spirit of God, declared: "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have builded!" (II Chron. 6:18). This statement is an affirmation that the Almighty transcends all material things. In keeping with this utterance is one by the Prophet Isaiah: "Thus saith Jehovah, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: what manner of house will ye build unto me? and what place shall be my rest? For all these hath my hand made, and so all these things came to be, saith Jehovah ..." (Isa. 66:1,2). Once again, the transcendence of God is set forth in that majestic hymn of praise--Psalm 148. In the first six verses the inspired writer, looking toward heaven called upon all things throughout the material universe and urged them to render the proper kind of praise that is due the Creator. Then, looking toward the earth, verses 7-14, he called upon everything, in like manner, to render praise and adoration to the Lord. The transcendence of God is also seen in the majestic utterance of Isaiah in chapter 40.

Turning to the New Testament we see the same teaching. For instance, in Ephesians 4:6 we are told that there is one God and Father of all, who is over all. Once again, we see the same thoughts expressed in the following quotation: "Now unto the King eternal [of the ages], immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Tim. 1:17). This Eternal God is sovereign throughout all ages--both in the eternity of the past, during time, and throughout the ages of the ages of the future. To speak then of God's being the King of the ages is to exalt Him above the material universe which continues, as we shall see in Chapter VI, only during that part of eternity which is called "time." These passages, however, are sufficient to show that the inspired men of God recognized the transcendence of the Almighty.

B. The Immanence Of God

In the section preceding we glanced at the doctrine of the transcendence of God. We have learned that He is not conditioned by either space or time. He is free and transcends all limitations. In speaking of the divine immanence, one is thinking of God's indwelling both time and space. For instance, Isaiah spoke of God, "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy ..." (Isa. 57:15). But, in Psalm 139, David presented God as being immanent in all parts of the universe. Here he declared that if he ascended into heaven, he would find God there; if he went to Sheol--in the center of the earth--there he would be face to face with Him; if he made a sea voyage to regions beyond, the Lord would likewise be there. It is therefore impossible for anyone to go to a place in the universe where the Almighty is not to be found.

The immanence of God in nature, who, having created it, is preserving it and bearing it on toward a great consummation in the future, is set forth in Psalm 104. In fact, this hymn might be called the ode of creation and of reconstruction. The Almighty is the one who called the earth into existence and who, after it had been wrecked, as set forth in Geneses 1:2, labored through six days in repairing the damage that had been wrought. The work of three of the six days (third, fourth, and sixth) mentioned in Genesis, chapter 1, is here elaborated upon. One also sees the Almighty as being immanent in nature, causing vegetation to grow to maturity and sustaining the life of both man and animals upon the earth. Thus the immanence of God in nature as well as in history is set forth in a most beautiful and powerful way in this majestic ode.

Again, we find the teaching of God's transcendence above and of His immanence in nature in Psalm 146. In this passage, however, we see Him in history more than in nature, but both are recognized. Moreover, as we have seen in Nahum 1:2-8, God is immanent in nature and is working through it His purposes of redemption and of punishment. In the great "Sermon on the Mount" the Lord Jesus declared that the Creator sends the rain upon the just and upon the unjust and likewise causes the sun to shine upon all. The Apostle Paul spoke of God who is working all things according to the purpose of His will (Eph. 1:11). We also see His working in nature in the expression "one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all "(Eph. 4:6). Once again we see the immanence of God in this sentence: "and he is before all things, and in him all things consist [hold together]" (Col. 1:17). What we call nature and the laws of nature are simply the working of God through nature in His regular, orderly, systematic method of providing food, sustenance, and all things needful for His creatures--"for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust" (Matt. 5:45). "Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them ... But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is , and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" (Matt. 6:26-30). The Apostle Paul declared that he had planted, Apollos had watered, but that God gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:6). From the context we see that Paul was speaking of spiritual matters. Nevertheless he used a fact in the physical world to illustrate the spiritual truth which he had in mind. It is God who gives us our daily food and all things richly to enjoy. As a concluding reference on this point I wish to call attention to Psalm 104:24-30:

  1. O Jehovah, how manifold are thy works!
    In wisdom hast thou made them all:
    The earth is full of thy riches.

  2. Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
    Wherein are things creeping innumerable,
    Both small and great beasts.

  3. There go the ships;
    There is leviathan, whom thou hast formed to play therein.

  4. These wait all for thee,
    That thou mayest give them their food in due season.

  5. Thou givest unto them, they gather;
    Thou openest thy hand, they are satisfied with good.

  6. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled;
    Thou takest away their breath, they die,
    And return to their dust.

  7. Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created;
    And thou renewest the face of the ground.


In this passage we see the wonderful works of God as He provides food and sustenance for all His creatures.

All the beauties of nature which man observes are the result of the orderly, systematic workings of the Almighty.


IV. AN ANALYSIS OF THE PERSON AND ATTRIBUTES OF THE DIVINE BEING²

Certain of God's attributes may be called absolute or immanent, that is inherent in His nature. These are thus designated because they are a part of His nature, independent of time and conditions. In other words, these attributes are descriptive of Him prior to the creation of the universe. On the other hand, there are other attributes that are properly called relative or transitive. These deal with the Almighty in His relations to the universe and His creatures during time and in space.

A. The Absolute And Immanent Attributes

Under this heading we shall study the spirituality of God, as manifest in His life and His personality; His infinity in relation to His self-existence, His immutability, and His unity; and His perfection, as involved in truth, love, and holiness.

1. The Spirituality of God

By the term spirituality I mean to connote the idea that God is a Spirit. That this is true is clear from such statements as Isaiah 31:3: "Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh and not spirit ..." In this statement the Egyptians, who were men, are contrasted with God; in the parallel clause, horses that were flesh are contrasted with spirit. In this parallel we have an affirmation that God is pure Spirit without physical, bodily parts. This idea is affirmed in John 4:23,24 where the Lord Jesus said that God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. Again the spiritual character of God is emphasized in Romans 1:18-20. Here the Apostle Paul spoke of the invisible things of God, "even his everlasting power and divinity," that are manifested by those things which He has created. Thus the material world constitutes a screen as it were, behind which the spirituality of God is veiled. Once again, the apostle in I Timothy 1:17 spoke of God as being "eternal, immortal, invisible." These adjectives connote the spirituality of the Eternal One. In the Colossian letter the Apostle Paul spoke of Christ who is the image of "the invisible God." From these and many other passages we see that God is a Spirit.

Being a Spirit, God has life within Himself. In denunciation of idols and his presenting Jehovah, the God of Israel, as the one and only Supreme Being, Jeremiah declared, "But Jehovah is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King: at his wrath the earth trembleth, and the nations are not able to abide his indignation" (Jer. 10:10). In writing to the Thessalonian brethren, the Apostle Paul, speaking of their conversion, declared that they had turned from idols to serve the true and living God. In referring to God the Father, the Lord Jesus also declared, "For as the Father hath life in himself, even so gave he to the Son also to have life in himself" (John 5:26). These and numerous other passages either state or imply that the Eternal God is the source of all life.

The doctrine of the spirituality of God implies personality. The Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush, giving him a commission to go and deliver the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage. Israel's great leader asked the Almighty who he should say sent him when he should be asked regarding his authority. The Lord's reply was that Moses should declare that "I AM THAT I AM ... hath sent me unto you." Here personality stands out most prominently in this truly unique name, by which the Almighty designated Himself. Throughout the writings of Moses and the prophets the God of Israel spoke in such a manner as to imply that He is a person, possessing all the marks and attributes of personality. The same conception we find throughout the writings of the apostles of the New Testament. For instance, in I Corinthians 2:11 we read; "For who among men knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God." This passage has every earmark of personality. In Ephesians 1 the Apostle Paul spoke of the mystery of the will of God who is working "all things after the counsel of his will" (Eph. 1:9-11).

All statements throughout the Scriptures presuppose the personality of the Almighty. For example, the Lord Jesus said, "My Father worketh even until now, and I work" (John 5:17). Hundreds of passages could be brought forward that emphasize the same truth, but these suffice.

2. The Infinity of God

As we have already seen, the Scriptures teach that God is a Spirit who created the universe; hence He is transcendent above it. They also speak of Him as being infinite. For instance, in Psalm 145:3 we read: "Great is Jehovah and greatly to be praised; And his greatness is unsearchable." There is no limit to His greatness or immensity. He is so very great, asserted Solomon (I Kings 8:27), that neither the earth nor the heaven of the heavens can contain Him. In Psalm 113 the writer affirmed that "Jehovah is high above all nations, And his glory above the heavens." Following this assertion he threw out this challenging thought to his readers: "Who is like unto Jehovah our God, That hath his seat on high, That humbleth himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth? (vss. 5,6). This passage places the Almighty upon the throne of infinitude. Nevertheless He is interested in men--vitally interested in them and their welfare. After laying before the Roman Christians the plan of God as it is being worked out today and will be in the great Millennial Age when Israel will be the head of the nations, the Apostle Paul exclaimed, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!" (Rom. 11:33).

Being an infinite Spirit, God is self-existing. The fact is seen by the statement, "I AM THAT I AM." As we have seen, this is the name which God gave Himself. The shorter form of the name also appears in the same chapter--"I AM." These statements can mean but one thing: That God is the self-existing one who is absolutely independent of all else, whereas all creatures and things are dependent entirely upon Him. After having appeared to Moses at the burning bush, the Lord again spoke to him saying, "I am Jehovah: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty: but by my name Jehovah I was not known to them" (Ex. 6:2,3). As we shall see later, in another chapter, the word Jehovah is derived from the same verb as the term I am. The former is the third person singular of the verb "to become or to be," whereas the latter is the first person and singular number of the same verb. As we have already seen, God speaking of Himself naturally used the verb in the first person, whereas Moses and the prophets in speaking of Him obviously used the third person. The name, Jehovah, therefore connotes the same idea of God's self-existence as does the expression, I AM. It however also gives the additional idea of causation which is the inherent idea of the verb-stem, from which this word was taken. Since the word, Jehovah, connotes the idea of God's being the cause of all things that exist, naturally He, being the only self-existing one, is the one upon whom all else depends for its being.

Our God is immutable; that is, He does not change. For instance, in Psalm 102:25-27, He contrasts Himself with the universe which He has created. It is to pass away, but He is to remain the same and abide forever. Malachi the prophet, in denouncing the wickedness of his contemporaries stated that the reason for Israel's remaining in life was that Jehovah changes not. If He had been moved by wrath and indignation and were like man, He would have blotted her from the face of the globe; but, since He is not moved by passions of wrath and indignation, she remains. The Apostle James spoke of God as one who is unchangeable, without a "shadow that is cast by turning" (Jas. 1:17).

But there are certain scriptures which seem to indicate that God does change. In certain passages, for instance, he is said to repent; but in others we are told that He never does. There is no contradiction between such statements. God never repents or changes His course. He does not have to do so. When therefore we read that He repented, we must understand that this is an anthropomorphic expression--God's speaking of Himself in terms of man's understanding.

This infinite, spiritual, self-existing, unchangeable Supreme Being is, unlike the heathen gods, a unity. The word usually translated God in the Hebrew Scriptures is in the plural number. Whenever this term is applied to heathen gods, it is always rendered correctly as a plural noun, but, whenever it refers to the true God, our translators have rendered it in the singular. In order that the children of Israel might understand the true situation, Moses declared to them in the Great Confession "Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our Gods is Jehovah a unity" (literal translation). As we shall see in the next chapter, which discusses the Trinity, there are three divine personalities subsisting in the one divine essence--one nature, but three divine personalities. Moses and all the prophets of Israel were believers in the one true and living God, but at the same time they recognized that there are the three divine personalities.

3. The Perfections of God

By the perfections of God is meant His moral attributes. Man's actions and conduct depend upon his moral condition in respect to his intellect, his affections, and his will. If he is right in regard to these and is what we call a normal person, his actions will be right, relatively speaking at least. If not, his conduct will be affected by his deficiencies. In the same way the activity of God is conditioned by His intelligence, affection, and will.

In that portion of eternity which antedated time--the period of eternity before the creation of the material universe--God alone existed. Of course He found Himself as the sufficient object of His intellect, affection, and will. His self-knowing, His self-loving, and His self-willing constituted His absolute perfections. Each of the divine personalities found a worthy object of His intelligence, affection, and will in the other personalities of the Holy Trinity. A logical consideration of the immanent, absolute characteristics of the Godhead bring us to the conclusion that he was and is sufficient within Himself. There was not, we may be certain, from the standpoint of sufficiency, any need on His part to do anything whatsoever or to create the universe. In other words, His being, His perfection, and His excellencies were complete in every particular. He therefore was and is independent of His creation. His blessedness was complete and perfect prior to the creation of the universe. That He was and is perfect apart from all other things is asserted in the command which the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples: "Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). "As for God, his way is perfect: The word of Jehovah is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him" (Ps. 18:30).

a. Truth

What is truth? As an immanent attribute of the Almighty it is that characteristic in virtue of which His being and His knowledge always conform one to the other. There is therefore perfect concord and agreement between the nature of God and that which He knows. This immanent characteristic must not be confounded with what we shall later call transitive truth, which embraces God's veracity and faithfulness in His relationship to man in general and to His redeemed people in particular. Let us keep in mind that truth as an immanent attribute is not merely that of divine activity. God is truth. To know Him is to know truth. His nature is the very embodiment of truth; hence He truly knows.

All the truth that man knows in any special realm of human investigation might be said to be a reflection of the truth of the Divine Being. Let us be careful to note the fact that only those things which are discovered and which are known to be absolutely correct can be called reflections of the truth in the Almighty. The truth that inheres in the nature of God is the guarantee of the absolute accuracy of the revelation which He makes to man. I conclude this discussion with a quotation from Dr. Strong: "God's will does not make truth, but truth rather makes God's will. God's perfect knowledge in eternity past has an object. That object must be Himself. He is the truth known, as well as the truth knower. But a perfect objective must be personal. The doctrine of the Trinity is the necessary complement to the doctrine of the Attributes."

b. Love

The next immanent attribute of the Deity to be discussed is love. By this characteristic is meant the divine movement toward self-communication. "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love" (I John 4:8). This statement is an affirmation that love is an immanent characteristic of God the Father. The Lord Jesus in His intercessory prayer struck the same note in the following passage: "Father, I desire that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24). Here again we see God the Father loving God the Son in the eternity prior to the creation of the universe. In speaking of the love of the Son, the Apostle John declared, "Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us ..." (I John 3:16). Though the Lord Jesus did lay down His life for men nineteen hundred years ago, that supreme sacrifice was the result of His eternal love which filled His being before there was any material universe; for He was the Lamb of God, that sacrifice for the sins of the world, "who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of the times for your sake" (I Pet. 1:20). To the church at Rome the Apostle Paul wrote saying, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me" (Rom. 15:30). From this passage we learn that the Spirit of God likewise possesses love as one of His absolute attributes. These quotations show us that love was characteristic of the three persons of the Godhead-even before the foundation of the world.

We must not confound this love of any of these personalities with mercy, and compassion, and grace toward man. Neither must we consider love as the truth about which we have just spoken. We must also avoid the error made by some in considering love as the regard for being in general, irrespective of moral qualities; for loving Satan would in that case be as great a virtue as loving God. At the same time we must avoid the error of certain others who confound love with emotionalism. There are two Greek words rendered love in the Greek New Testament: One indicates love which is more or less the result of emotion, whereas the other one signifies a love that is based upon reason and deliberation.

It is this latter type of love that is an absolute attribute of the Almighty. We may therefore define the divine love as that absolute attribute of the Almighty which is a rational and voluntary affection, grounded in perfect reason and deliberate choice. In our thinking of love of this type, we must remember that the emotional element is subordinated to the attribute of truth and holiness. The immanent love of God requires and finds in Himself a perfect standard in the divine holiness and finds a worthy object in the other personalities of the divine perfection. This profound truth can be understood only in the light of the scriptural doctrine of the Trinity, which will be discussed in the next chapter.

This immanent love constitutes the basis for the divine blessedness, satisfaction, and contentment. This truth becomes apparent to the one who recognizes that in the Infinite Being there exists a perfect object of love, knowledge, and will--independent of the existence of the universe.

This love of God involves the possibility of suffering. In other words, there lay in this immanent characteristic the possibilities of a means for atonement which is required by the holiness of the Almighty. That this position is correct is evident from Revelation 13:8: "And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, every one whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain." Before the creation of the universe there lay inherent in the love of God the possibility to make atonement for man which would meet the demands of the holiness of His nature. We see the same thing in I Peter 1:18-20: "... knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers; but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ; who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of the times for your sake." In commenting on these verses, Dr. Strong gives us the following quotation; "while holiness requires atonement, love provides it. The blessedness of God is consistent with sorrow for human misery and sin. God is passible, or capable of suffering. The permission of moral evil in the decree of creation was at cost to God. Scripture attributes to Him emotions of grief and anger at human sin (Gen. 6:6--'It grieved him at his heart'; Rom. 1:18--'wrath of God'; Eph. 4:30--'grieve not the Holy Spirit of God'); painful sacrifice in the gift of Christ (Rom. 8:32--'spared not his own Son'; cf. Gen. 22:16--'hast not withheld thy son'); and participation in the sufferings of His people (Isa. 63:9--'In all their affliction he was afflicted'); Jesus Christ in His sorrow and sympathy, His tears and agony, is the revealer of God's feelings toward the race, and we are urged to follow in His steps, that we may be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. We cannot, indeed, conceive of love without self-sacrifice, nor of self-sacrifice without suffering. It would seem, then, that as immutability is consistent with imperative volition's in human history, so the blessedness of God may be consistent with the emotions of sorrow."

In God's suffering because of His people's misery and plight, is His blessedness affected? The facts justify our saying that, though He does experience these feelings, He does so only to the extent that is consistent with His absolute perfection. "Love rejoices even in pain, when this brings good to those beloved."

Though the subject of the love of God is inexhaustible, on account of lack of space I cannot go into a further discussion of this marvelous attribute of the Almighty.

c. Holiness

Concerning holiness Dr. A. H. Strong affirms that it is, "holiness itself affirming purity. In virtue of this attribute of His nature, God eternally wills and maintains His own moral excellence. In this definition are contained three elements; First, purity; secondly, purity willing; thirdly, purity willing itself."

In Exodus 15:1-18 appears the ode of Moses and Miriam which they sang after Israel had crossed the Red Sea and was safe on the shores of the eastern side. As they praised the Almighty for His wonderful deliverance, they sang: "Who is like unto thee, O Jehovah, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (Ex. 15:11). In our fancy we can see the Almighty seated upon His throne, radiating the holiness and the excellency of His purity. When Israel came to Sinai to receive the law, the Lord required the Chosen People to purify themselves before coming to the mount to which He would descend, veiling Himself in clouds--doubtless because of His holiness and glory. In various places of the Scriptures we read of His sitting upon His throne in holiness being surrounded by the angelic host. The prophets constantly emphasized the doctrine of His holiness. Isaiah continually spoke of the Lord as "the Holy One of Israel." Habakkuk declared, "Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he?" (Hab. 1:13). Throughout the Scriptures we read of the holiness of God. The people of God are exhorted to be holy even as God is holy.

What is meant by this holiness? Dr. Strong, in the sentence quoted above, has given us a clear-cut idea; but we must examine it more closely. In order to do so, we must note what it is not and then what it is. By this process we may be able to get a clear, distinct picture of this dominant characteristic of the Almighty. In the first place let me say that holiness as an immanent attribute of God is not His demanding justice or purity from His creatures. Justice, a transitive characteristic, is but an expression of this immanent attribute. Neither is holiness a complex term which includes all the other characteristics of God. It is simple and distinct from others. Neither is holiness, God's self-love, understood in the sense of His regard for His own interests. There is nothing of a utilitarian element in this attribute. Neither is holiness, as some have supposed, identical with love. Of holiness and love, the former might be said to be fundamental and basic, in that by His holiness God maintains Himself in His excellence, but His love is self-impartation. Self-preservation, therefore, precedes self impartation. In differentiating holiness from love, Dr. Strong compared holiness to a railroad track, and love to the engine that it travels thereon. The track is necessary for the free movement of the engine. At the same time it determines the path over which the engine shall go. Thus it is with holiness in its relation to love.


Footnotes:

² In the study of the attributes of the Almighty I have followed the general outline given by Dr. A. H. Strong in his discussion of this phase of the subject.



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