God's Fullness
GOD'S LIMITLESSNESS

Part I – The Father As God
Introduction
Our faith in God comes from what God says about Himself – not from what men say about Him.

When we think, we think in pictures or words. It really does not matter which comes to mind, since both pictures and words are merely symbols of what we are trying to convey or perceive. This works well during the course of everyday living. We often have difficulty, however, when we try to explain what is not commonplace. How often have we said, "I know it, but I can't 'tell' it"? The situation becomes more acute when we are dealing with something that is both uncommon and so expansive that it threatens to elude us completely.

This is why it is difficult to talk about God. We cannot go far before we run out of ordinary conversation – everyday experiences and familiar words. As our thoughts expand, we find it necessary to use larger and more comprehensive words. This tends to make discussion about God become more exalted and "theological." We find ourselves on strange terrain. This may produce a bittersweet dilemma: there may be more and more talk and less and less understanding.

The biblical conviction that God is unlimited with reference to His presence, knowledge, and power is what concerns us at the moment. This, of course, assumes the existence of God. The Genesis account of creation spends no time arguing the existence or reality of God: "In the beginning God. . . ." (Genesis 1:1; emphasis mine). This stance means that the Bible is basically an affirmation of God, not a plea or apologetic for Him. With the fact of God's existence as a beginning point, the biblical writers were free to discuss His nature.

Fundamental to His nature is His existence. Moses found this out at the burning bush when God instructed him to say to the Israelites, "I AM has sent me to you" (Exodus 3:14b; emphasis mine). This identification had not been known previously (Exodus 6:2-3). This continuously self-existing God was revealed to the biblical writers as unlimited in His presence, knowledge, and power (Psalms 139:1-12; Jeremiah 32:17; Mark 10:27). Therefore, we will now consider these three attributes.

God's Omnipresence: Our God Is Not "There" in Essence
Introduction
God is said to be "ubiquitous." This means that He exists, or has being, everywhere at the same time. This is also the testimony of the Scriptures (Jeremiah 23:23-24). How can this be? What is involved? When we say God is everywhere, that means we could travel anywhere in the universe and never find a "vacancy" sign so far as God is concerned. Ramifications of this are far-reaching.

The Fact of It
The universe is vast. We cannot possibly stretch our minds far enough to reach its limits. Our little solar system seems extensive enough. Remember how we – and about a half billion other people – watched from the Earth with delight and wonder as astronauts Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin cavorted on the Moon? Man's footprints are now on the Moon. While the Moon is approximately 250,000 miles from the Earth, it is still on our back porch, astronomically speaking.

Now, step off the back porch into the yard and look around. We see the Sun above. It is about 93 million miles away. Eight other planets are circling it. Mercury the nearest, is only 36 million miles from the Sun; Pluto, the farthest, is 3.7 billion miles away. Pluto takes about 247 Earth years to circle the Sun one time. At the time of this writing, astronomers are convinced that another planet is beyond Pluto. So much for our backyard.

Let us go to the fence and look out and up. On a clear night, we can see the Milky Way; the galaxy to which our Sun and all our planets belong. Research in astronomy by Milton Humason and Edwin Hubble has confirmed that our galaxy is 100,000 light-years across.¹ In addition, these galaxies (spirals) are actually "island" galaxies that extend through the universe as far as present observation can determine.²

Perhaps we have gone far enough. The picture of cosmic reality is mind-boggling. It is fantastically expansive. One indication of the immensity of the universe is how it is measured. Measuring distance in miles becomes a woefully inadequate exercise. Light-year calibrations become the standard.

All of this has great significance for our study about the nature of God. The term light- year is an expression of time. Therefore, thoughts about time are crucial for our grasp of God. By its nature, time has a beginning and an end. If it did not, it would not be time at all; it would be eternity Ubiquity and its synonym omnipresence signify the presence of God "in all places at all times." This is possible for God because in essence "God is spirit" (John 4:24a). Therefore, God, in essence (basic entity), is in every place at all times. He does not "decide" to go where He is not-because He is already there! This is repeatedly expressed in both testaments of the Bible (Psalms 2:4, 3:4; Acts 7:49, 17:28).

The Implications of It
The concept of God's omnipresence has tremendous implications. Omni means "universal, without restriction"; omnipresence isdefined as "being present in all places at all times." Since God is omnipresent-in all places at all times-we take this to mean that neither time nor place escapes His presence. In other words, God is not bound, or restricted, to time or place (2 Peter 3:8; Psalms 139:7-10). Perhaps the greatest example of time is what we call history. "Time marches on" in history. We often say, "It's just one thing after another." Sequence of events means much to us, because on this Earth we are time-bound creatures.

Place is also significant for us, because we are not infinite but finite. While we live here, we are bound by both time and place. Each one of us is a dot on the page of geography. We are always "here" – never "there." At any precise instant, we are in a specific place. At that second, that place is our "here" – never our "there." We may think of having been "there." However, our "here" is where we are at any given time in any particular place.

This discussion is an attempt to describe and contrast the omnipresence of God with our finitude. He is not inhibited by time or place; we live here bound by both time and place. God is not limited by time and place because He is eternal (Isaiah 57:15). He encompasses both time and place in His omnipresence. However, He transcends both time and place in His eternal nature. This is the significance of His disclosure of Himself as the great I AM. Yahweh is actually a form of the verb "to be" – to exist.

As an eternal God, He has neither "past" nor "future." Both "past" and "future" are concepts draped with the garb of time. Time and eternity are not the same thing. Eternity is not a "long time." Eternity is forever. It has no beginning and no end. God is "the Alpha and the Omega" (Revelation 1:8). That is, He ushered in time and history and gave us a sense of temporal reality. He will eventually usher out time and history and give us the full and true sense of eternity It must be stressed that He who brought time and history into being is the very One Who transcends both time and history.

Summary
The essence of God is spirit. We have seen that God is not only ever-present in time (temporally), but He is also ever-present in the universe (spatially). The Bible affirms that He exists eternally; that is, He exists beyond any boundaries whatsoever, including time (history) and space (creation).

With our finite concepts of time and space, we often speak of God as "here" or "there." So do the Bible writers, as we have seen. It is necessary for time-bound and space-bound creatures to speak of God in this way: However, we also speak of Him as eternal. We do so because God, in essence, is the God Who is in time and space as well as beyond time and space. From His perspective, He is always "here" now. To our inquiry "Is He `there'?" His answer is "Yes, I AM `here."' This is truth whether we are thinking of space beyond the universe (if any), the universe itself, our own world, or our very lives. This is the God in Whom "we live and move and exist" (Acts 17:28). Is our God too small? No, but our ability to see Him fully falls short, at least for now.

The psalmist realized the limitations of man and recognized the limitlessness of God. He expressed these concepts in Psalm 139:7-12:

Where can I go from Thy Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Thy presence?
If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there,
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
Even there Thy hand will lead me,
And Thy right hand will lay hold of me.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,"
Even the darkness is not dark to Thee,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to Thee.

God's Omniscience: Our God Does Not "Learn"
Introduction
One of the dominant features of most industrialized world cultures near the dawn of the third millennium a.d. is a stress on education. There is a growing realization that one must acquire information in order to cope with the complexities that face modern civilization. This accounts for the excitement over the development of the information superhighway.³ The expanding of continuing education programs testifies to people's desire for intellectual growth far into their advanced years.

Human nature seems to be characterized by a desire to know. The activities of a two-year-old child are a convincing demonstration of curiosity in action. The unrelenting questions of five-year-olds have baffled and frustrated many parents. It is common to find professionals who have subjected themselves to the learning process for twenty or thirty years in order to learn more and function effectively. This emphasis on learning grows out of a need to know. It is greatly motivated by our realization that we do not know vet what we need and want to know. The effort continues because we believe that we can learn. All of this is quite familiar to us. In fact, the desires to explore, discover, and achieve seem innate in human nature. This is normal for humans.

However, we humans can become too enamored with our accumulation of knowledge. The age of technology, with the highly specialized use of knowledge, has brought many benefits. We salute the ingenuity of informed accomplishments. Is there a "downside" to this blitz of human progress? Yes! A very contagious disease called pseudo intellectualism is spreading. Symptoms include insufferable arrogance, vicious self-assertion, and unrealistic confidence, along with an unmitigated conviction that "man is the measure of all things." This stance of what can be called a sort of “anthropocentric divinity”⁴ conceals a potentially fatal flaw in the human psyche. Even with all our insights, most of us have not yet learned enough to acknowledge a God who looms so far above us that our intellectualism is infantile before Him (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).

A close corollary to God's omnipresence is His omniscience: God has infinite, universal, complete knowledge.⁵ This is emphasized in the Scriptures. When speaking to his "friends" about God, Job said, "He looks to the ends of the earth, and sees everything under the heavens" (Job 28:24). The Wise Man of Proverbs said, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good" (Proverbs 15:3). The ramifications of God's omniscience are many. Numerous questions may be raised. Let us consider a few by way of illustration.

The Questions It Raises
One question often raised is: "How does God know?" We have said that omniscience and omnipresence are close corollaries. Have you ever heard someone ask of a storyteller, "How do you know?" Often the resounding answer is, “I was there!” So it is with God, to the infinite degree. He knows because He is everywhere. However, one must not conclude that God knows because He, like a reporter, gathers the facts. Remember, we are studying the nature of God, not humanity: It is God's nature to know, just as it is His nature to be. God does not become; He already is. God does not learn; He already knows. God's omnipresence logically helps us to see how God knows.

Another question sometimes asked is: "Does God actually know everything, without exception?" The immediate impulse is to say, "I hope so, because if He does not know everything, the one thing He does not know may be fatal to Himself, thus removing Him from being God." Of course, the question requires a more circumspect answer. This includes a consideration of how the term know is used.⁶

God knows Himself internally – He is fully aware of Himself (1 John 1:5). He also knows everything external to Himself – that is, His creation, including humans (Job 34:21). This omniscience penetrates to our inward beings. The psalmist cried out that God knows our very thoughts (Psalms 139:2). Yes, God does know everything, without exception.

The questions so far have focused on how God knows and to what extent He knows. Another type of question often arises: "Does God know what would have happened if . . ."? The key to answering this question is to remember that it usually concerns the future. It addresses a contingency, something that could alter the course of events, something that has not happened yet. This is a question asked by humans, those who think that events happen unexpectedly, that surprises occur. However, God is never surprised. He knows the outcome of contingencies, whether past, present, or future. In other words, He knows "what would have happened if . . .," as well as "what will happen if . . ." He even knows how it would be if the theoretical became actual (Matthew 11:21-22). This is the inevitable consequence of His omniscience.

God's omnipresence is His simultaneous presence everywhere throughout eternity; His omniscience is His simultaneous knowledge of everything throughout eternity. From the viewpoint of humans, we say that God knew everything, He knows everything, and He will know everything. This is also biblical language, addressed to us. God's point of view is timeless and universal. For Him, the past and future are simply now. His existence, His presence, His knowledge are simultaneous in our time and in eternity. All of this means that the "if" questions are based on false premises. They grow out of our lack of understanding.

The Struggles It Poses
Our struggle with the all-knowing facet of God's nature is difficult for several reasons:

1. God and we are in different intellectual dimensions (Isaiah 55:8-9).

2. God is unknown until He reveals Himself, and His revelation is selective and limited (Deuteronomy 29:29).

3. Even the revelation God has given, though sufficient (2 Peter 1:3), is often hard to understand (2 Peter 3:15-16).

4. We are time-bound here on Earth and, therefore, tend to see the immediate as the ultimate (James 4:13-16).

5. Most significantly, we are not merely limited in our understanding; we also have the defect of sin in our lives (Romans 3:23).

These hurdles may lead us to despair. We may feel overwhelmed and dismayed. The first hurdle looming before us may seem too high to overcome: "If God is `Wholly Other,' how can I even begin to communicate with Him?" The second hurdle raises the question: "If I choose to seek God, where shall I turn if His revelation of Himself is indeed selective and limited?" The third hurdle involves another agony: "How shall I be certain I have found Him in His revelation if the understanding of revelation itself proves difficult?" The fourth hurdle raises the practical question: "If the immediate – the now – is not the ultimate, how can I know how to evaluate and direct my life from day to day?" The last hurdle presents a serious problem: "Since I am sinful, upon what grounds may I develop any hope? Is it possible to survive here, to say nothing of hereafter, before God, who is always present and always knows me inside and out?" These are serious questions. Like most significant questions, they cannot be answered in a staccato fashion. They can be answered, however. We strive to find solutions to questions of life that really matter, such as those mentioned previously.

One challenge that is before us as we study God's omniscience is to remember that His omniscience is not equivalent to His will. This distinction eases the tension caused by some of the questions just raised. The fact that God knows all does not mean that He wills all that happens. Human comparisons with the divine are limited, but we resort to this practice to help us understand.

God, on an infinite and universal basis, knows that people are disabled in a far more devastating way than any physical sickness can make them (Isaiah 64:6); but "it is not his will for any to be lost, but for all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9; New English Bible). Therefore, He educates (John 6:45), warns (Luke 12:4-5), and offers all the assistance required to rescue the perishing (John 3:16).

The Explanation It Provides
Let us now turn to the consideration of prophecy in the Scriptures. First, prophecy is so pervasive that the Bible would literally be decimated if it were removed. The Bible would no longer be rational, coherent, or even readable for the most part. Imagine a Bible without the major and minor books of prophecy, the extensive prophecies scattered through the historical books, the vast number of prophetic teachings and utterances of Jesus, and the Book of Revelation. Without these portions of Scripture intact, the Bible would not be the Bible. What can we infer from this? The Bible, in its wide prophetic dimensions, is a mirror or God’s omniscience. This is true even though prophecy is not confined to foretelling. It would not be true if every prophecy had to be held in abeyance until its fulfillment. After all, we are informed that the fulfillment of prophecy is what establishes the credibility of a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:22).

Of course, many biblical prophecies have not been fulfilled. Some are vet to be fulfilled in history; many point to the end time. How, then, does biblical prophecy illustrate the omniscience of God? Many prophecies uttered in biblical times were fulfilled almost immediately, others came to pass in a relatively short time, and still others were fulfilled after centuries of waiting.⁷

Fulfilled biblical prophecy is an excellent example of what historically confined humans call the foreknowledge of God. Foreknowledge means "knowing ahead of, or before; to have previous knowledge of." This foreknowledge actually reverses the "normal" order of events. Our knowledge of an event comes after the event has come to pass. We may think we know beforehand. We may be very certain that some event will occur. Isn't it embarrassing to be wrong? Sometimes we are, you know!

God is not wrong. He knows in eternity what has happened, is happening, and will happen in history (time). What we and the biblical writers call God's foreknowledge is a description of His infinite mind in a finite way (Acts 2:23; Romans 11:2a). It could not be otherwise. If God had wanted us to "see" Him in His fullness and from His perspective, He certainly could have provided the view; but sinful as we are, we would not be the humans we are now.

The schema called "Sea of Eternity" may help us to see God's omniscience.

The outside border of the diagram does not imply that eternity is limited. The inside rectangle represents everything temporal, that is, time-bound. Everything listed in the inside rectangle will end, except God's presence. He exists simultaneously in time and eternity. When time is over, the saved and God will exist eternally in eternity God, in His omnipresence and omniscience, "sees" it all. It is difficult, actually impossible, for us to "see" it all. The grand prospect makes us appreciate the following exclamation of Paul: "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! . . . For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:33-36).

God's Omnipotence: Our God Does Not "Wane"
Introduction
Any discussion of God is hampered for many reasons. Perhaps the most significant one lies in our lack of comprehension. When we are confronted with the fact of God's existence, as was Job, we are often moved to respond as he did: "I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know" (Job 42:3b).

Another difficulty in discussing God is that He is simultaneously what we must discuss sequentially. God is at the same time omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, but we must discuss these features one after the other. While we do this, we should try to retain in our thoughts that God is, knows, and acts continuously; simultaneously. His existence never ends, His knowledge never lacks, and His power never wanes.

Our hope of understanding God more fully lies not in our cunning ability to ferret Him out but in His willingness to have something of Himself revealed to us. We should be grateful that He has done just that in nature (His creation), in Christ (His Son), and in the Scriptures (His Word). We will now turn to His Word to understand better the all-powerful God we find there.

His Power Pictured in the Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) emphasizes the omnipotence of God as seen in His mighty acts. This does not eliminate metaphysical or abstract concepts of God. However, such concepts are indeed rare in the Hebrew Bible. Rather, we find in the Hebrew Bible a God Whose power alters history. The kingdom of Egypt was drastically affected by plagues (Exodus 7-11). The Red Sea parted so the Israelites could escape Egypt but destroyed the Egyptian army (Exodus 14:15). Mount Sinai quaked and smoked, and the people were terrified by God's manifestations. The waters of the Jordan River were stopped as the Israelites crossed the river with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant (Joshua 3:4). The walls of Jericho came tumbling down before the Israelites, confirming Joshua's order to the people: "Shout! For the Lord has given you the city" (Joshua 6:16b). Scores of examples could be added, but these few are enough to illustrate divine power.

God's people saw God's power as underlying His providence. Their history was the enactment of God's dealing with them. Their faith in God's care for them was a faith in His power to do so. This conviction of God's power, exerted providentially, is a cornerstone in many of the Psalms as well. We read, for example: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!"' (Psalm 91:1-2).

God's people were certain that He would be their great Provider and Refuge if they would trust in Him. This conviction rested not only in their belief that God willed to provide and deliver them from harm but also in their faith that He was able to do so!

His Power Ascribed in His Name
Many names ascribed to God by the Israelites testify to their belief in His power. In Psalm 91 we see three examples. First, most high is a translation of elyon. The first syllable, el, was an early Canaanite name for the Canaanites' chief god. It meant “the strong, powerful one.”⁸ When purged of paganism, the name El was applied to the true and living God of the Hebrews. In Psalm 91 the name is a superlative: Elyon equals "Most High," the One with power to the highest degree. Second, the Israelites remained intimately aware of God's power and providential care, as indicated by the names Israelite parents gave their children. Examples are Eli, Samuel, and Elijah. The third example in Psalm 91 that shows the Israelites' belief in God's power is the name Shaddai translated "Almighty."

His Power Reflected in the New Testament
The New Testament also depicts a God Who has all power to do what He wills. This is brought directly to the forefront with statements such as this: "The things impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27). Like the Old Testament, the New Testament shows this conviction of God's power coupled with the belief that He exercises power for the good of His people: ". . . If God is for us, who is against us?" (Romans 8:31). This assurance of God's ability to protect, provide for, and deliver His people is related to their belief in His nearness (Acts 17:27b) and His awareness of every detail of their lives (Matthew 10:29-31).

God as revealed to us in the Bible is not distant, ignorant, or weak. In fact, this entire chapter on God's limitlessness stresses that He is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. This means that He is not the God described by Deism: He did not exercise His great power in creation only to withdraw and watch the world function in an impersonal way. Neither is He the God of Pantheism: He does not fit the prescription that holds that God is the mind or soul of the universe and whatever is, is God. He is definitely not the God of Process Philosophy-Theology: He is not so involved in the processes of the universe that He is altered by them as He works within His creation.⁹ God is both transcendent and immanent, in charge of all things, including our personal destinies.

We can rely completely upon God. This makes it possible for us, through enlightened faith, to accept His most powerful and life-changing act of all – our redemption. The turning point of all history was the crucifixion of Christ. In this historic moment, a veil was removed and a new relationship with God was made possible for humanity. The power to turn history around and make it possible for us to have an eternally happy relationship with God was demonstrated by both the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ. This is the Gospel of Christ, the good news. Of course, its ultimate fruition hinges on God's power to complete His work.

Applications
Our faith, which holds that with God all things are possible, is what shapes our religion and our lives. However, our faith is not a "blind" faith. We do not brush off hard questions concerning God's power. We must face them. Let us consider some of these questions.

"What happens when the unlimited power of God faces an immovable object?" God's power does not apply to that which is self-contradictory. In this question, the "immovable object" does not exist. The question is theoretical. It evades reality.

A similar question is: "Can God change the past?" This hypothetical question addresses that which is gone, so far as time is concerned, and nonexistent in eternity. The answer to this question is what keeps us from praying for the salvation of someone who died a wicked scoundrel.

Other questions are sometimes heard: "Can God lie?"; "Can He sin?"; "Can He die?" Each answer is a thunderous: "No!" These actions are contrary to His nature. He cannot lie because He is absolutely true (Jeremiah 10:10). He cannot sin because He is absolutely pure (1 John 3:2-3). He cannot die because He is life itself (Psalms 36:9, 133:3b). God cannot do anything contrary to His nature. We have grounds for thanksgiving in knowing that God is not so weak as to act capriciously. He is a faithful God (Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13). He remains unmoved from His own nature (James 1:17-18).

Finally, "Does God ever limit His power?" This question must be answered carefully. We must remember that it is God's nature to be all-powerful. Therefore, it would be contrary to His nature to limit His power, even the power of His omnipotence. However, in His infinite wisdom He may choose to exercise His unlimited power in ways that are perfectly designed to accomplish His infinite will. This lies behind one of the most moving and exalted passages in all Scripture. Perhaps Paul's prayer should be the prayer of all of us as we seek to be enlightened:

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come, " (Ephesians 1:18-21; emphasis mine)

Footnotes:
¹A light-year is the distance light travels in a year going at the speed of 186,000 miles per second. This comes to about 5.9 trillion miles.
² Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers (New York: W. W. Norton, 1978), 41ff.
³ Philip Elmer-DeWitt, "Battle for the Soul of the Internet," Time 144 (July 1994): 50-55.
⁴ Anthropos is the Greek word for generic man. Anthropocentric means "man-centered." Divinity has to do with the divine or Deity. Man has become deified in his own eves by becoming the center of all.
⁵ E.H. Ijams, The Reality of God (Nashville: Williams, 1978), 12, 120.
⁶ In this inquiry we are not considering how we know. Some of the knowledge we acquire is related to experience.
⁷1 Kings 11:29-32, 12:15, 20; 1 Kings 21:23; 2 Kings 9:31-37; 2 Kings 19:20-37; Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3; Isaiah 42:1-4; Matthew 12:18-21; Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16-21; etc.
⁸ W. E. Albright, Archaeology and the Religion of Israel (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1956), 72.
⁹ Carl E.H. Henry; God, Revelation and Authority, vol. 1: God Who Speaks and Shows (Waco, TX: Word Publishing, 1976). See the subject index in this volume for "Deism," "Pantheism," and "Process Philosophy-Theology" or consult any standard theological reference work