The immanence of God refers to God’s closeness, presence, and involvement in the world. It speaks to God’s intimate relationship with His creation, how He actively works within the world to accomplish His divine will and purposes. Several key themes emerge from Scripture that reveal the immanence of God:
God’s Omnipresence
God is omnipresent, meaning He is fully present everywhere at the same time (Psalm 139:7-10). Though God is transcendent and exalted above His creation, He is also immanently present in every point of time and space. There is nowhere we can go to escape His presence (Jeremiah 23:23-24). God is infinitely above yet intimately close.
God’s Sustaining Power
God continuously upholds and sustains all of creation by His power (Hebrews 1:3). He actively preserves and provides for the world He made, intricately involved in the unfolding of His purposes within it (Acts 17:28). Without God’s immanent care and governance, the world would cease to exist.
God’s Divine Providence
God is intimately involved in the outworking of history, guiding it according to His divine plan (Ephesians 1:11). He wisely oversees all circumstances, working them out for the good of those who love Him and accomplishing His ultimate purposes (Romans 8:28). Nothing happens outside of God’s providential control.
God’s Indwelling Presence
God’s Spirit comes to dwell within believers in Christ, taking up residence in our hearts (1 Corinthians 6:19). Through His Spirit, God is intimately present with and involved in the lives of His people, convicting, empowering, transforming, and guiding us into His truth (John 14:17).
God’s Revealed Word
God chose to reveal Himself and make known His will through His divine written Word, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16). His Word reflects His immanent involvement in the world, communicating and interacting with mankind. Through Scripture, God discloses His character, purposes, and plan of salvation.
God’s Incarnation in Christ
The ultimate display of God’s immanence is seen in the incarnation. God entered into His creation in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Taking on human flesh, Christ dwelt among us, manifesting God’s glory in a tangible way (Colossians 1:19). Jesus reveals God is not distant and detached, but intimate and involved.
The Indwelling Holy Spirit
After Christ ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers (Acts 2:1-4). God’s Spirit lives inside every Christian, serving as an ever-present comforter, teacher, and guide (John 14:26). The indwelling Spirit demonstrates the intimacy of God’s presence with His people.
God’s Response to Prayer
Prayer is communication with our immanent God who hears and responds (1 John 5:14-15). We bring our petitions and make requests known to the Lord because He is near and involved, not remote and inaccessible. God may not grant all we ask, but we can be assured He listens.
God’s Ongoing Revelation
God continues to speak to and reveal Himself to His people, making His voice heard through preaching, circumstances, fellow believers, creation, and Spirit-inspired thoughts. He actively discloses His will in the here and now because He is a living, immanent God.
Miracles and Divine Intervention
As part of His providential working, God at times chooses to act through miraculous intervention and the suspension of natural laws (Mark 4:39-41). Though not the norm, miracles give glimpses of God using His divine power to tangibly impact the world He indwells.
The Immanence of Christ’s Second Coming
At His second coming, Jesus will return bodily to earth to consummate God’s kingdom plans (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Christ’s returning manifests the immanence of God, no longer distant but drawing near, when God will dwell bodily with His people forever (Revelation 21:3-4).
In summary, the immanence of God means He is closely and intimately involved in His creation. Scripture reveals God’s near presence through His Spirit, Word, providence, revelation, miraculous acts, and ultimately through Christ. God profoundly cares for the world He made and remains active within it to accomplish His perfect will.
The immanence of God brings great comfort and assurance. We worship a God who is not far off, but ever-present. He indwells His people through the Holy Spirit and providentially works on their behalf. God not only transcends the universe, but resides immanently at the heart of it, lovingly sustaining all things according to His divine purpose and plan.
Though God is exalted and holy, He has chosen through Christ to draw near and make His dwelling among us (John 1:14). Even now, He resides within every believer by His Spirit. And one day, we will behold Him face to face, experiencing the fullness of His glorious presence forever.
