Recently, I have been working through a few books of Systematic Theology. That topic simply means that you take what the Bible says about a certain topic and then summarize it all in one place. Technically, you have more going on depending on the purposes of the author writing the book (history, philosophy, etc.), but the parts that I find the most interesting are those drawn from the biblical text. Recently, I read something that I found both intriguing and encouraging.
When you think about what God is like, you encounter many perplexing truths. God is infinite when it comes to time. I have a beginning. Everything I see has a beginning. I won’t have an ending. Other things I see will have an ending. I understand beginning, ending, and going on forever. Those don’t perplex me that much. Even the thought of living forever is not really perplexing; it’s just a longer version of what I am experiencing right now. But God never began. That is difficult to grasp with my mind. My life is like a line that has a beginning point and no end. My computer has both a beginning point and an ending point, but I don’t know when that is (but I hope it nears infinity!). But to have a line that goes eternally forward and backwards with no end . . . that simply boggles the mind.
But what I read that really perplexed me was about God’s relationship to space. Now, we aren’t really talking about the final frontier here. “Outer space” is included, of course, but we mean to speak about all space. You could think of space here as referring to all the places. Yes, all the places. If you can think of a place, that is what we are talking about.
Because God is infinite, but I am finite (limited), this will be perplexing to think about. Millard Erickson says,
God is not subject to limitations of space. By this we do not mean merely the limitations of being in a particular place–that if an object is in one place it cannot be in another. Rather, it is improper to think of God as present in space at all. All finite beings have location. They are somewhere. This necessarily prevents their being somewhere else. . . God is the one who brought space (and time) into being. He cannot be localized at one particular point.1
In a very real sense, God is nowhere. He cannot be contained in any place; thus, it is improper to say that. And yet, that is not the whole story. Erickson also explains,
Another aspect of God’s infinity in terms of space is that there is no place where he cannot be found . . . the point here is that nowhere within creation is God inaccessible.2
We are accustomed to think of God as being in all places at all times. The perplexing part is to consider that from the other side. His magnitude means that he is not contained anywhere; thus, he is localized nowhere. Really, this is just pointing out that he is not able to be contained anywhere. But to think about it like this really does stretch the mind a bit!
Sometimes theology gets a bad reputation. “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” goes the old trope, as if thinking too much about God is a bad thing. There can be fruitless ways of thinking, for sure, and there can be fleshly motivations for thinking as well. But don’t discard a thought about God because it’s not in the cookie jar on the low shelf. Pondering His character is always profitable. Just remember to stay tied to the text of Scripture so you don’t float off into a sea of human invention and creativity. Therefore, thinking about how God is not limited by space, and yet is also not contained in any place, while totally foreign to us finite creations, is still a very profitable use of our minds.
How does this perplexing thought shape our own thoughts about God? Well, at the outset, we should recognize that thinking of God’s omnipresence will take discipline. We are accustomed to thinking spatially and locationally about all things. If I leave my phone at home, I am in trouble because I don’t have it. If I take a small suitcase on vacation, I will only have limited space to contain any souvenirs I might want to bring back. God, however, can’t be left at home. No matter what seems “right” to me, the truth is that God is present everywhere. Considering the assurance at the end of the great commission seems even stronger when you think about it this way.
Let me finish this little meditation with a story. My wife and daughter were recently shopping in a part of town that is a bit sketchier than our usual place we frequent. At one point, a gentleman approached them and asked a strange question with an odd look in his pupils. Probably the kind of look that will subside in about 8-12 hours, or once he hydrates a bit. This was a public place; so nothing was concerning, but had it been a dark sidewalk at night, well, that would have been a different story.
After they got back to the car, Melissa talked about it with our daughter. She explained a few things and then wanted to assure her that they were safe the whole time. “Sweetie, there were people all around, so we weren’t in any danger.” Abi, in a way that only a kid could, replied in a very nonchalant demeanor. It was as if being troubled by this was the furthest thing from her mind. “Well, of course we were safe, Mom. God is everywhere, so he was right there with us the whole time.”
Yep. That’s right, my daughter. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Thoughts Worth Thinking 