NO BOUNDARIES

JEREMIAH 23:16–24

“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord

(Jer. 23:24b).

Jesus’ declaration of His divine nature must have been especially troubling to the Jews in light of God’s omnipresence. They could see Jesus, touch Him; they knew Him to be a man. Yet, He dared to claim that He and the Father were one. Once again, we have no way to unravel all the mysteries of the incarnation, but we can be sure that Jesus, as God, is infinite and omnipresent. However, we must insert a qualification at this point. Jesus, as to His human nature, is not omnipresent. The physical body of Christ is not everywhere at the same time. But, as to His divine nature, He “fills the heaven and earth.”

When we consider God’s infinite nature, we must not think merely spatially. Included in the whole concept of God’s infinity is His character. Just as His being is not limited by physical dimensions, so are His attributes. His love is unlimited by external factors, being limited only by that which is within Himself, for instance, His love being limited by His holiness. Neither His grace, His mercy, or holiness are limited by anything outside of Himself. This truth brings great hope to the penitent sinner.

Regarding God’s omnipresence in a spatial sense, we must not conclude that this leads us into pantheism, which says that all things are part of the divine nature—that the trees, people, animals are all one with God in a divine sense. This is not what is meant by God’s omnipresence. Charles Hodge explains, “A thing may be infinite in its own nature without precluding the possibility of the existence of things of a different nature. An infinite spirit does not forbid the assumption of the existence of matter. There may even be many infinities of the same kind, as we can imagine any number of infinite lines. The infinite, therefore, is not all.… God is infinite in being because no limit can be assigned to His perfections, and because He is present in all portions of space.”

No matter where we are, no matter what our thoughts, our fears, and our feelings, God knows us because He is present with us. As David said in Psalm 139, we can go nowhere to escape the all-seeing eye of God. We are never alone. This brings great joy and comfort to those who are not ashamed of His gaze.

CORAM DEO

Nehemiah 9–11

Acts 4:1–22

Read and meditate on Psalm 139 as well as today’s passage from Jeremiah. What comfort did David receive from God’s omnipresence? How is His omnipresence related to His omniscience (all-knowing)? Why should this cause you both to feel fear and comfort? Commit today’s verse to memory for His glory.

For further study: Deut. 4:39 • Ps. 139 • Isa. 66:1–2 • Acts 17:27

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