Dr Paul Allen

“Mom, where is God?” “Well, He’s everywhere, sweetheart!” That answer frequently given by mothers to their children is true, but what does that mean? We do not give much thought to God’s omnipresence, do we? We take it for granted that God is “everywhere,” though we do not understand what that means. Does omnipresence mean occupying all the existing space, or is there more to it? Is God everywhere present in the same way? For example, how is He present when the church gathers? This can be a very practical question when we think about Sunday worship.  It has become increasingly common for professing Christians in our Western world to neglect church meetings. Perhaps you have heard people reason like this:  “I believe in God, but church isn’t my thing. I’m not interested in singing, and I find sermons boring. Besides, I can connect with God just as well when I walk in the woods, in the mountains, or on the beach as I can in a church service. After all, God is everywhere.” How do we respo

We do not give much thought to God’s omnipresence, do we? We take it for granted that God is “everywhere,” though we do not really understand what that means. Does omnipresence mean occupying all the space that exists, or is there more to it? Is God everywhere present in the same way? For example, how is He present when the church gathers?  This can be a very practical question when we think about Sunday worship . It has become increasingly common for professing Christians in our Western world to neglect church meetings. Perhaps you have heard people reason along these lines:  “I believe in God, but church isn’t really my thing. I’m not interested in singing, and I find sermons boring. Besides, I can connect with God just as well when I walk in the woods, in the mountains, or on the beach as I can in a church service. After all, God is everywhere.”  How do we respond to that? The issue of omnipresence also arises when we engage, oriental spiritualities and their pantheistic vision of

The doctrine of God’s omnipresence is of immeasurable practical benefit. It is, first of all, a stern warning to the wicked, as Charnock elaborates: “How terrible should the thoughts of this attribute be to sinners! How foolish is it to imagine any hiding-place from the incomprehensible God, who fills and contains all things, and is present in every point of the world. When men have shut the door, and made all darkness within, to meditate or commit a crime, they cannot in the most intricate recesses be sheltered from the presence of God. If they could separate themselves from their own shadows, they could not avoid his company, or be obscured from his sight: Ps. 139:12, ‘The darkness and light are both alike to him.’ Hypocrites cannot disguise their sentiments from him; he is in the most secret nook of their hearts. No thought is hid, no lust is secret, but the eye of God beholds this, and that, and the other. He is present with our heart when we imagine, with our hands when we

Although God is wholly present throughout all things , He is yet distinct from all things. It does not follow that because God is essentially in everything that everything is essentially God. It is the heresy of pantheism that the being of God is one and the same with the being of all reality.  Pantheism asserts that God minus the world = O; theism asserts that God minus the world = God.  The universe is the creation of God and thus, in respect to essence, no part of Him. The creation is ontologically other than God, a product ex nihilo of the divine will, not an extension of the Divine Being itself. Consequently, although all things are permeated and sustained in being by God (Col. 1:16–17; Acts 17:28), God is not all things. Again, God is not present as each point in space but rather present with/in each point in space. This presence of God throughout the whole of space is not by local diffusion, multiplication, or distribution. Being wholly spirit, God is not subject t

The attributes of God : Glory, Jealousy, omnipresence , truthfulness, beauty, goodness, knowledge, peace, unity, blessedness, holiness, love, perfection, will, eternity, immutability, mercy, righteousness, wisdom, freedom, invisibility, omnipotence , spirituality, wrath. Author of chart Tim Challies Related articles Great Admonition From Tim Challies (notsoprivatemusings.wordpress.com) Enlightenment, Money & Fulfilment / Enlightenment, Self-Effort & God's Grace ~ Maharishi (evolutionarymystic.wordpress.com) You must not be overwhelmed with the foolishness of some of our leaders. In the midst of your trouble - Remember: God said, "I change not." (9millionvoices.com) Image of God by Christa Wells and Nicole Witt - Music Review and Giveaway (worthyofthegospel.wordpress.com) Tim Challies' Blog and The Next Story (joshchalmers.wordpress.com) President Obama, do not us the name of Jesus in vain. The LORD is high above all nations and His glory is above