Omnipresence of God, from “The Great Doctrines of the Bible” by Evans

Notes: (1) “The Great Doctrines of the Bible” by Rev. William Evans, Ph.D., D.D. is a well-respected reference material for Bible students, pastors, missionaries and laymen. You can read the entire book from Google (click the picture of the book cover), or download the complete zipped e-book. (2) Surf to the index of lessons and online quizzes from Evans. (3) The most important ideas and statements from this part of Evans’ book are listed in the “Basic truths” section below.

The Omnipresence of God.

By the Omnipresence of God is meant that God is everywhere present. This attribute is closely connected with the omniscience and omnipotence of God, for if God is everywhere present He is everywhere active and possesses full knowledge of all that transpires in every place.

This does not mean that God is everywhere present in a bodily sense, nor even in the same sense; for there is a sense in which He may be in heaven, His dwelling place, in which He cannot be said to be elsewhere. We must guard against the pantheistic idea which claims that God is everything, while maintaining the Scriptural doctrine that He is everywhere present in all things. Pantheism emphasizes the omnipresent activity of God, but denies His personality. Those holding the doctrine of pantheism make loud claims to philosophic ability and high intellectual training, but is it not remarkable that it is in connection with this very phase of the doctrine of God that the Apostle Paul says “they became fools”? (Rom. 1.) God is everywhere and in every place; His center is everywhere; His circumference nowhere. But this presence is a spiritual and not a material presence; yet it is a real presence.

(1) Scriptural statement of the fact.

Jer. 23:23, 24-“Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? 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.” Did the false prophets think that they could hide their secret crimes from God? Or that He could not pursue them into foreign countries? Or that He knew what was transpiring in heaven only and not upon the earth, and even in its most distant corners? It was false for them to thus delude themselves--their sins would be detected and punished (Psa. 10:1-14).

Psa. 139:7-12—“Whither shall I go from thy Spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy presence,” etc. How wondrously the attributes of God are grouped in this psalm. In vv. 1-6 the psalmist speaks of the omniscience of God: God knows him through and through. In vv. 13-19 it is the omnipotence of God which overwhelms the psalmist. The omnipresence of God is set forth in vv. 7-12. The psalmist realizes that he is never out of the sight of God any more than he is outside of the range of His knowledge and power. God is in heaven; “Hell is naked before Him”; souls in the intermediate state are fully known to Him (cf. Job 26:2; Jonah 2:2); the darkness is as the light to Him. Job 22:12-14—“Is not God in the height of heaven? . . . . Can he judge through the dark cloud? Thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth not,” etc. All agreed that God displayed His presence in the heaven, but Job had inferred from this that God could not know and did not take notice of such actions of men as were hidden behind the intervening clouds. Not that Job was atheistic; no, but probably denied to God the attribute of omnipresence and omniscience. Acts 17:24-28—“For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” Without His upholding hand we must perish; God is our nearest environment. From these and many other scriptures we are clearly taught that God is everywhere present and acting; there is no place where God is not.

This does not mean that God is everywhere present in the same sense. For we are told that He is in heaven, His dwelling-place (1 Kings 8:30); that Christ is at His right hand in heaven (Eph. 1:20); that God’s throne is in heaven (Rev. 21:2; Isa. 66:1).

We may summarize the doctrine of the Trinity thus: God the Father is specially manifested in heaven; God the Son has been specially manifested on the earth; God the Spirit is manifested everywhere.

Just as the soul is present in every part of the body so God is present in every part of the world.

(2) Some practical inferences from this doctrine.

First, of Comfort: The nearness of God to the believer. “Speak to Him then for He listens. And spirit with spirit can meet; Closer is He than breathing, And nearer than hands or feet.”

“God is never so far off, As even to be near; He is within. Our spirit is the home He holds most dear. To think of Him as by our side is almost as untrue, As to remove His shrine beyond those skies of starry blue.”--Faber. The omnipresence is not only a detective truth--it is protective also. After dwelling on this great and awful attribute in Psalm 139, the psalmist, in vv. 17, 18, exclaims: “How precious are thy thoughts to me..... When I awake I am still with thee.” By this is meant that God stands by our side to help, and as One who loves and understands us (Matt. 28:20).

Second, of Warning: “As in the Roman empire the whole world was one great prison to a malefactor, and in his flight to the most distant lands the emperor could track him, so under the government of God no sinner can escape the eye of the judge.” Thus the omnipresence of God is detective as well as protective. “Thou God seest me,” should serve as warning to keep us from sin. (From “The Great Doctrines of the Bible” by Rev. William Evans, Ph.D., D.D.)

Basic truths

[1] “By the Omnipresence of God is meant that God is everywhere present. This attribute is closely connected with the omniscience and omnipotence of God, for if God is everywhere present He is everywhere active and possesses full knowledge of all that transpires in every place.”

[2] “We must guard against the pantheistic idea which claims that God is everything, while maintaining the Scriptural doctrine that He is everywhere present in all things. Pantheism emphasizes the omnipresent activity of God, but denies His personality.”

[3] “God is everywhere and in every place; His center is everywhere; His circumference nowhere. But this presence is a spiritual and not a material presence; yet it is a real presence.”

[4] Scriptural statements of God’s omnipresence: Jer. 23:23, 24; Psa. 10:1-14; Psa. 139:7-12; Job 22:12-14; 26:2; Jonah 2:2); Acts 17:24-28

[5] “We may summarize the doctrine of the Trinity thus: God the Father is specially manifested in heaven; God the Son has been specially manifested on the earth; God the Spirit is manifested everywhere.”

[6] The comfort of the doctrine of omnipresence: “The omnipresence is not only a detective truth--it is protective also. After dwelling on this great and awful attribute in Psalm 139, the psalmist, in vv. 17, 18, exclaims: ‘How precious are thy thoughts to me..... When I awake I am still with thee.’ By this is meant that God stands by our side to help, and as One who loves and understands us (Matt. 28:20).”

[7] The warning of the doctrine of omnipresence: “Under the government of God no sinner can escape the eye of the judge. Thus the omnipresence of God is detective as well as protective. ‘Thou God seest me,’ should serve as warning to keep us from sin.”


Further study (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

[1] Materials by John Piper against open theism

Some Early Baptist Confessions of Faith Explicitly Disowned the “Openness” View

How Open Theism Helps Us Conceal Our Hidden Idolatries

Beyond the Bounds, Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity (you can also read this book online, 3.4MB PDF).

This understanding of God’s foreknowledge has united the church for twenty centuries. But advocates of “open theism” are presenting a different vision of God and a different view of the future.

The rise of open theism within evangelicalism has raised a host of questions. Was classical theism decisively tainted by Greek philosophy? Is open theism a product of process theism? What philosophical presuppositions and cultural conditions are allowing open theism to flourish? How should we understand passages that tell us that God changes his mind or repents or expresses surprise? Are essentials of biblical Christianity—like the inerrancy of Scripture, the trustworthiness of God, and the gospel of Christ—at stake in this debate? Where, when, and why should we draw new boundaries—and is open theism beyond them? Beyond the Bounds brings together a respected team of scholars to examine the latest literature, address these questions, and give guidance to the church in this time of controversy.

[2] An Examination Of Open Theism, by Gregg Cantelmo (Senior pastor, Bridgeway Community Church; teacher in “The Institute,” the educational arm of East Valley Bible Church in Gilbert, and at Southwestern College in Phoenix; pursuing Doctorate of Ministry degree at Phoenix Seminary)

Open theism is concerned with how God experiences the world. It asks and attempts to answer the questions, “What does God know?” and “When does He know it?” The essence of the questions open theists ask are not dealing with how God knows the future, but if he knows it at all. An early proponent of open theism said, “God experienced the events of the world He has created. . .as they happen, rather than all at once in some timeless, eternal perception. This also means that not even God knows the future in all its details.” Open theists maintain that God does not know what a given human being will do until he acts. They refer to such human actions as “possibilities.” Because God remains unaware of human possibilities, the future remains “open” in His mind. This means that rather than God knowing all things, He is in the process of learning new things as they take place. This is a significant redefinition of the classical doctrine of God’s omniscience. The open theist’s view of omniscience is that God has complete knowledge of the past and the present, but not the future. What God does know of the future is in reference to what he knows of “present dispositions, proclivities, inclinations, intentions and probabilities as well as they can be known.”

“Though God’s sovereignty conflicts with our autonomy, it in no way diminishes the value and role of our earthly walk with God. Just as the Scriptures begin with God and His sovereignty and creative authority over creation, so should theology begin with God and His sovereignty and creative authority. Whereas the Scriptures elevate God, open theism elevates man. The many difficulties open theism presents on the theological landscape come not from God’s lack of knowledge concerning man, but from man’s finite limited understanding of an infinite and awesome God. Of God we affirm with the Apostle Paul, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Rom. 11:36).” (Read the complete article)

[3] Who’s Moving Whom?: An Evaluation of Clark Pinnock’s Theology of God’s Openness, by Glenn R. Kreider (Professor of Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary)

[4] “The Attributes of God” part 1 and part 2, by A. W. Tozer (Infinitude, Immensity, Goodness, Justice, Mercy, Grace, Omnipresence, Immanence, Holiness, Perfection); read also Knowledge Of The Holy, The Pursuit of God and other works by Tozer.

“If a sermon can be compared to light, then A. W. Tozer released a laser beam from the pulpit, a beam that penetrated your heart. If you have never read Tozer - what are you waiting for? Thirty minutes spent in a Tozer essay is often better than a week at a Bible conference.” (Warren Wiersbe, Bible teacher; General Director, Back to the Bible Broadcast; Former Pastor, Moody Church in Chicago)

[5] Knowing God, by J.I. Packer

“We are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.”

Knowing God study guides: Section 1 Introduction and Chapters 1-6; Section 2 Chapters 7-17; Section 3 Chapters 18-22.

[6] Evidence from Nature, from Institute for Creation Research (God’s Invisible Things, The Earth Is Unique, The Heavens Declare )

ICR’s popular Acts & Facts free monthly news magazine contains articles and information of current interest dealing with creation, evolution, and related topics. Current and past issues can also be read, and you can sign up to receive future issues in the mail, all for free. Full versions of previous editions can be viewed online in PDF format.

[7] Does God Exist? by Jimmy Williams (also available in Spanish)

[8] Does God Exist? by Hampton Keathley IV

[9] Evidence For God's Existence by J. Hampton Keathley, III

[10] The Rationality of the Christian Worldview

[11] Materials by Ken Boa

• The Evolution Revolution: Naturalism and the Question of Origins
• No God at All: Western Humanism and the New Atheism

[12] Evidentialist Apologetics: Faith Founded on Fact

[13] Presenting Evidence That Demands a Verdict

[14] Classical Apologetics: It Stands to Reason

[15] Taking Every Thought Captive

[16] How I Know Christianity is True by Patrick Zukerian

[17] Survey of Bible Doctrine: God by Sid Litke

Sermons on the attributes of God (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

[1] Sermons by Philip G. Layton, Gold Country Baptist Church

• Living in Light of God’s Attributes, Introduction
• Living in Light of God’s Sovereignty
• Living in Light of God’s Sovereignty, Part 2
• Living in Light of God’s Providence
• Living in Light of God’s Omniscience
• Living in Light of God’s Omnipotence
• Living in Light of God’s Omnipresence
• Living in Light of God’s Justice and Mercy at the Cross
• Living in Light of God’s Faithfulness and Goodness
• Living in Light of God’s Holiness
• Living in Light of God’s Grace
• Living in Light of God’s Glory
• God is Love .. but that's not all - Living in Light of His Wrath and Love
• God is God and I Am Not - Living in Light of God’s Supremacy
• Living in Light of our Infinite and Intimate Creator

[2] Sermons by Pastor Jeremy Stephens, Southview Baptist Church

• Knowing an Unknowable God - Part 1 - Self Existence
• Knowing An Unknowable God - Part 2 - Immutability
• Knowing an Unknowable God - Part 3 – God’s Love

[3] God is, by David Palmer, East Side Baptist Church

[4] The Doctrine of God - Part A: The Nature and Attributes of God, by Randy D. Starkey, East Bend Baptist Church

[5] SF523 - WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT GOD (Hebrews 11:6), by Timothy McGhee, First Baptist Church – Powell

[6] Materials by Kurt Andree

• The Communicable Attributes of God I
• The Incommunicable Attributes of God I
  

[7] Praise to the God of Unlimited Power, by Dr. Kelly Randolph, Country Acres Baptist Church

[8] Is It Possible To See God, by Thomas

[9] God The Holy Spirit, by George Toews

[10] Three Forgotten Perfections of God, by Kenneth P. McCaulley

[11] Attributes of God, by Shaun LePage

[12] Attributes Of God: Faithfulness, by Timothy D. Hall

[13] Doctrinal Statement: Theology Proper, by Jason Button

[14] 100 Names of Jesus, by Ralph Andrus, Calvary Baptist Church

[15] What We Believe and Why We Believe It Concerning God 4, by Richard E. Rutherford Jr

[16] The Immensity of God, by Wayne Gropp

[17] Some Things God Cannot Do, by Kenneth W. Burton

Note: This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials.