Truth Magazine

By Harold Fite

It is difficult for the finite mind to grasp the absolute righteousness of God – to visualize a person void of error, who has always been right, and who will always be. Writing about this perfect attribute of God is humbling; for when we think about our righteousness in comparison with His, “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6).

There are several Hebrew words translated “right” or “righteous.” The two most significant are yasar and mispat. The first has the sense of “being straight,” while the latter means “judgment.”

In the New Testament the word is dikaios, meaning “equal,” usually translated “just” or “righteous.” “Righteousness” is a moral attribute of God with man as its object. God is right, straight, just, and fair with man.

God’s righteousness is not a matter of arbitrary will, but the affirmation of His nature. He can do all things consistent with His nature and nothing contrary to it. No circumstances can ever occur in which He will depart from it. “Righteous and true are his ways” (Rev. 15:3).

God’s law is the expression of His righteous nature. God is holy, righteous, and good (Lev. 19:2; Ex. 9:27; Mk. 10:18), “so that the law is holy . . . righteous, and good” (Rom. 7:12). This is why moral law is unchangeable: the nature of God is unchangeable. With God “there is no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning” (Jas. 1:17). He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. To lower the standard of morality is to pervert God’s nature. He cannot change His moral law without changing His nature; if He did, He wouldn’t be God!

God cannot lie. His words are always consistent with His nature. Because God cannot lie, we have strong encouragement and hope of eternal life which He has promised to the faithful (Heb. 6:18; Tit. 1:2). “For how many soever be the promises of God, in him is the yea” (2 Cor. 1:20). “He is faithful that promised” (Heb. 10:23). “Let God be found true; but every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4).

God expressed His righteousness by punishing sin while saving the sinner. The world, Jew and Gentile, had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Justice demanded that sin be punished; yet God was merciful. Both justice and mercy were exercised by God in sending His Son as the sacrifice for sin. Jesus died on the cross as a sinner, for sin, to take away sin. “Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). God demonstrated His righteousness by being just and the justifier of those who have faith in Christ (Rom. 3:24-56). “He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous” (1 Jn. 3:7).

God’s righteousness demands a just judgment. This nation’s symbol of justice is an 18th century engraving of a blindfolded woman, holding a sword in her right hand and scales in the left. The sword represents strict administration of justice, determined by the scales. The blindfold is a symbol of impartiality.

God does not have to be blindfolded to render impartial judgment. Peter said, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34,35).

When the city of Sodom lay under the sentence of destruction, Abraham asked God, “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). Abraham reasoned correctly: “That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee.” It is inconceivable that God would destroy the righteous with the wicked.

Was God unjust in rejecting the Jews while accepting the Gentiles? The Jews thought so! In the ninth chapter of Romans, however, Paul shows conclusively God’s sovereign right in rejecting the one and accepting the other. “He has mercy on whom he desired, and he hardens whom he desires” (Rom. 9:18). The Jews would reason, “Why does he still find fault? For who resisteth his will?” Their reasoning would take this course: if God extends mercy upon whom He wills, and hardens whom He wills, we are what God made us and the choice was not ours. Why should God then find fault in one who is acting as God made him? Who is resisting His will?

God does not arbitrarily harden one, or choose one over another in the matter of salvation. Whether we obtain mercy or are hardened, depends on our choice. “He that covereth his transgression shall not prosper; but who so confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy” (Prov. 28:13).

The Jews were rejected because they rejected God’s way. They stumbled over the stone of stumbling, Jesus Christ. “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid” (Rom. 9:14).

The punishment of the wicked is just. It would not only be unfair, but against the righteous nature of God to have the same disposition of heart toward the wicked as He does toward the righteous. “If we shall deny him, he also will deny us: if we are faithless, he abideth faithful; for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim. 2:12,13). God will render to every man according to his works. Those who live in harmony with God’s will receive eternal life. Those who obey unrighteousness receive wrath and indignation (Rom. 2:6-8).

God’s righteousness provides man a solid base from which trust and confidence come. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne” (Psa. 89:14). If we stay right with God, we have the assurance that we shall receive the crown of righteousness which the righteous judge has promised (2 Tim. 4:8).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 2, pp. 35, 56
January 17, 1985

By Aude McKee

God’s Word teaches the absolute necessity of knowing God. In John 17:3, Jesus in His prayer to the Father said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.” In 2 Thessalonians 1:8, that truth is stated in negative form. Paul said that Jesus shall be revealed from heaven “in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In both these passages, “knowing God” means a great deal more than having some understanding of His existence. Of necessity it includes all of those concepts, convictions and emotions that lead to action that brings about a right relationship with God.

By Creation

Man’s first concept of God comes through creation or, as some might state it, through nature. In Psalms 19:1, we are told that “the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” Then in the verses that follow it is stated that the knowledge created things bring is not limited by the language men may speak or where they may live. Paul, as he argues that the Gentiles are guilty before God and in need of the gospel, shows that God’s eternal power and Godhead can be known by “the things that are made” (Rom. 1:18-21). Who can look at majestic mountains, the beauty of a rising or setting sun, or walk through a flower garden without being impressed with the glory of the Creator? How could a person stand by the ocean and watch the mighty waves roll in, without remembering that it is God who says, “Here shall thy proud waves be stayed”? The awesome power of God is revealed in nature. In addition, the goodness and severity of God are made known by created things around us. The air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat have all been supplied by a gracious and good God. But the God who created the sun and the gently falling rain, is the God who can allow the storms to rage. Man, himself, is a part of God’s creation and had we been able to see man before sin entered his life, we could have had a better understanding of God’s love and concern. However, we can come close to that experience by watching children. A poet has written these lines:

“The innocent child.

You, my son,

Have shown me God

Your kiss upon my cheek

Has made me feel the gentle touch

Of Him who leads us on.

The memory of your smile when young

Reveals His face “

What mother does not have some knowledge of God’s love and holiness as she cares for her little ones day after day? Where is there a man who doesn’t understand God’s love a little better as he basks in the adoration of his grandchildren?

By His Word

Not only has God made Himself known through creation, but we can be eternally grateful that our knowledge and understanding does not stop there. God has revealed Himself through His Word – the Bible. By a diligent investigation of this book we can come to a much fuller understanding of God than would be possible through nature alone. By a study of God’s Word, we learn much about God through His dealings with man long before there was a written revelation. When we read the accounts of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood, Abraham, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Israel’s sojourn in Egypt, many of the attributes of God stand out. God had the record of these events penned long after they occurred “for our learning” (Rom. 15:40). Many of the modern-day misconceptions about God could be dispelled by seeing His love, goodness, justice, mercy, anger, discipline, etc., displayed in these events.

Then, as we study God’s divine revelation – the Bible – we come to that time when we have a clearer picture of God’s dealings with man as those events occurred. We study the book of Exodus and see Moses as he goes up on Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God along with the other laws that were joined to that decalogue. Through an investigation of the Old Testament, our understanding of Jehovah is enlarged. Another article in this special issue deals with the names of God and a study of these reveals much about His power, authority, righteousness, etc. We also learn that God is not bound by time – He is eternal. He is not limited by space – He is omnipresent. His justice, holiness, and goodness are infinite. He can know anything and everything He chooses to know (see Psa. 8,89,90,139; Isa. 6:1-3; etc.). Perhaps something that needs to be stressed is that God’s impartiality is evident even in the Old Testament. God made a promise to Abraham that in his seed all families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3). From that time on, God’s dealings with man revolve around the fulfillment of that promise! What a wonderful God is revealed to us in the Old Testament as we see Him perfecting His plan to send His own Son to the world. From Adam until now there has never been a person (save Jesus) who lived above sin. The God of the Old Testament is a God who knew that to be true and began to make provisions for man’s salvation.

Thus far in our investigation of God, we have seen that man’s first concept of God comes through the created things around him. The light from this source might be likened to that given by the stars. But God has given Himself a better witness than this. He has revealed Himself to man through the Old Testament, and this might be compared to the light that comes from the moon. Then comes the sunlight of revelation – the New Testament. This is heaven’s complete and final revelation to man and all that man needs is provided therein. God is Spirit and He is to be worshiped (Jn. 4:24). God is love (1 Jn. 4:8). God is faithful (1 Cor. 1:9). God is not slack concerning His promises and is not willing that any should perish (2 Pet. 3:9). God is all wise (Rom. 16:27). God is good (Matt. 19:17). He cannot lie (Tit. 1:2). He is able to make Israelites out of stones (Matt. 3:9). All things are possible with Him (Matt. 19:26). God knows the hearts of all men (Acts 1:24). He does not forget (Heb. 6:10). It is a fearful thing for the disobedient to fall into His hands (Heb. 10:31). God is just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus (Rom. 3:26). These Scriptures just touch the “hem of the garment,” but they may help us to appreciate the amount of information given to us about God in the New Testament.

But perhaps the most practical information we have about God in the New Testament is that provided in the life of Jesus Christ. In John 14, Jesus spoke with His disciples about God, and He pointed out to them that if they had known Him, they should have known His Father also. Philip, one of the twelve, took it all very literally, and so he said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father and it sufficeth us.” Jesus’ reply was, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?” Not one of our readers would think for a minute that God and Jesus looked alike physically. God is Spirit and “a spirit hath not flesh and bones. . . ” (Lk. 24:39). Jesus was God (divine) according to John 1:1, and He was made flesh (v. 14). In the New Testament, we can see Jesus as He lived on earth. As we see Him reacting to circumstances, as we see His tears, as we hear His groaning, as we witness flashes of anger at the evil conduct of men, as we hear Him condemn the hypocrisies of the Pharisees and preach the Sermon on the Mount, as we view His walk from Gethsemane to the cross, and as we hear Him commission the apostles to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” we are seeing and hearing God!

Philip had a “front row seat” and had seen God as no Old Testament worthy had ever seen Him, but failed to appreciate it. But had you ever realized that we today have advantages that Philip and other never had? It is like seeing a football game on TV. It is true that you miss being an eye-witness, and the excitement of being in the crowds, etc., is lacking, but when the game is over, you have had a better view of the entire happenings than someone in the stands. We have a prospective of the life of Jesus from four inspired writers, and in addition to that, in the epistles the Holy Spirit has provided, we have application of the teaching of Jesus to our everyday lives. How blessed we are to have “all scripture,” and we can know God as no others have ever known Him.

Before this article is finished, however, we need to observe that Jesus’ statement in John 17:3 means a great deal more than a mere knowledge of the existence of God and an appreciation of His attributes. Vine says that “ginosko in the N.T. frequently indicates a relation between the person knowing and the object known . . . . Thus in Matt. 7:23 `I never knew you’ suggests `I have never been in approving connection with you.”‘ For God to know us, He must approve us. In 2 Timothy 1:19, Paul said that “. . . the Lord knoweth them that are His.” God approves, God endorses those that are His. In Matthew 25:1-13, where Jesus tells the story of the five wise virgins and the five foolish ones, in verse 12, he said to the foolish virgins, “I know you not.” He did not approve or endorse their conduct. Now, if God’s knowing us means that He approves or endorses us, would it not follow that for us to know God we must approve or endorse God and what His Word teaches? In 1 John 2:3-5, the Holy Spirit says, “And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that with, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that we are in Him.” Jesus said that life eternal depends on knowing Him and knowing His Father. So in order to have life eternal, we must obey God and His Son, Jesus. Paul spoke of people who “profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Tit. 1:16). Each of us ought to have as his goal in life to know God and to be known of Him. We need to approve God and what He teaches, that He might approve us.

Here may be some who read these words who have never done more in approving or endorsing God than believing that He is. One of the purposes of this article is to encourage all of us to have a greater appreciation of God and His attributes. But we must go further. We must repent of our sins because the Lord requires it (Acts 17:30; Lk. 13:3). We must confess the faith we have in God’s Son before men (Matt. 10:32; Acts 8:37; Rom. 10:9-10). We must be immersed in water in order to reach the saving blood of Jesus (Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:1-6; Gal. 3:26-27; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Pet. 3:21). But we need to point out to each of us that there is a life to live after baptism. Knowing God is on-going. We could, at any time in our lives, affirm that we “know Him, but in works deny Him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” May each of us know God by becoming Christians (obeying the gospel), and then maintaining that relationship by humble service (obedience) to the end of our lives.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 2, pp. 48-50
January 17, 1985

By Irvin Himmel

In the natural realm there are many remarkable demonstrations of power. A hurricane moves in from the sea and carries tons upon tons of water and packs winds of such force that a wide path of destruction and flooding results. A tornado sweeps down from the sky and turns strong buildings into twisted masses of rubble. Think of the power of an earthquake that shakes structures of concrete and steel, that rattles windows hundreds of miles away, and may send thousands to their deaths in a matter of minutes!

We live in an age of power. Nuclear devices have been produced that are capable of blasts many times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. We have powerful rockets to take astronauts to and from the world of space. People who lived a few generations ago would be awed by our powerful engines, plants for generating electrical power, and all our tools and gadgets that are power operated.

But there is no power in all the realm of nature’s forces, nor in the inventions of human ingenuity, that can compare with the power of God.

Demonstrated In His Works

No greater power is conceivable than the creation of all things out of nothing. Read the first chapter of Genesis and be impressed with the power of God. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Heb. 11:3).

The crowning act of creation was the formation of man. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:27).

Job reflected on the power of God in these words: “He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them. He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it. He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end . . . He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth the proud. By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?” (Job. 26:7-14).

God is to be praised for His great power. “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psa. 147:4, 5). “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (Psa. 33:6-9).

God’s power is exhibited in His providential care for His people. No force was strong enough to prevent the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham. It might have seemed a time that He had forgotten the descendants of Abraham, for they were slaves in a foreign land, but when the time drew near for Israel to become a nation and to receive the law, God remembered His covenant with Abraham. He brought Israel out of Egypt “through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm” (Deut. 5:15). God reminded the people at Mt. Sinai, “I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself” (Ex. 19:4).

“The works of the Lord are great . . . He hath showed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen” (Psa. 111:2-6). “Come and see the works of God . . . He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot . . . He ruleth by his power for ever . . .” (Psa. 66:5-7).

Emphasized In Names And Titles

Some of the names and titles applied to God in the Bible underscore His strength and might. I now give a few examples.

El is a basic name for God in the Old Testament. It is “One of the oldest designations for deity in the ancient world,” and “seems to suggest power and authority.” It “bears not only the connotation of might, but also the idea of transcendence of the Deity” (H.B. Kuhn, Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, II: 761).

El Shaddai is a compound name (“the Almighty God”). It seems to denote “strength, stability, and permanence” (Kuhn). Abraham needed to realize that God could perform what He had promised, even if to men it seemed impossible. for this reason, God said to the ninety-nine year old patriarch, “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” (Gen. 17:1).

Elohim is another name for God in the Old Testament. “Though the entymology is obscure, the word may have come from a root meaning strong. “Plural in form, Elohim indicates “a plentitude of power” (Godron H. Clark, Baker’s Dictionary of Theology, p. 239).

Tsur, meaning “Rock,” is applied to God in Isaiah 44:8. Like a strong rock, God is able to provide security for His people. This name for God points to His eternal strength.

Openly Declared In Scripture

The Bible teaches that God is powerful, but more than that, it depicts Him as all-powerful. If there is any limitation of power, it is a restriction which God has willed through His own free choice. “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places” (Psa. 135:6).

Job humbly acknowledged before God, “I know that thou canst do every thing. . .” (Job 42:2).

Sarah laughed when God said she would bear a son in her old age. God asked Abraham, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14).

After Nebuchadnezzar had recovered from a period of insanity, he praised “the most High,” “the King of heaven,” admitting that God “doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Dan. 4:35).

On the island of Patmos, John “heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God.” “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Rev. 19:1,6).

God is infinite in power and might. He is never hindered by lack of strength and ability. “The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea” (Psa. 93:4). He is “strong in power” (Isa. 40:25). The finite mind is too limited to fathom the depth of God’s endless power.

Exhibited in the Gospel

There was a working of “mighty power” wrought in Christ when God raised Him from the dead (Eph. 1:19,20). God works mightily in us when we are “quickened” and raised up together with Christ (Eph. 2:5,6). The spiritual power to change our lives is channeled by means of the gospel. Paul referred to the gospel as “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16).

To preach the gospel is to preach Christ. To some the preaching of the cross is foolishness, “But unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).

The transforming power of the gospel should never be underestimated. It can save the vilest sinner. All who use human schemes and gimmicks to “make converts” are substituting human power for the power of God to save the lost.

Let us not be like the Sadducees who knew neither the Scriptures, “nor the power of God” (Matt. 22:29). Let us be careful that our faith does not stand in the wisdom of men, “But in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 2, pp. 40, 53
January 17, 1985

By Weldon E. Warnock

The word “omnipresent,” is a combination of two words, omni and present. “Omni” is from the Latin word, omnis, meaning “all.” “Present” means “at hand; in attendance, as opposed to absent.” Hence, “omnipresent,” means “at hand, in attendance or present in all places.” The omnipresent God is, therefore, present in all places, everywhere at the same time.

The words, “omnipresent” (adjective) and “omnipresence” (noun) are not found in the Bible, but the idea is taught in the Scriptures in several places.

God Is Everywhere

A heathen philosopher asked, “Where is God?” A Bible believer responded, “Where is He not?” Indeed, where is God not to be found? The Psalmist wrote, “Whither shall I go from they Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and they right hand shall hold me” (Psa. 139:7-10).

There is no escape from God. If I ascend to heaven, He is there. If I journey to the depths of Sheol, God is there. If some way I could latch on to the wings of the morning, the sunbeams that rapidly dispel the darkness of the night, and travel to the unexplored depths of the ocean, He would be there. Yes, God is everywhere!

Jehovah said, “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” (Jer. 23:23-24). Paul stated that God is “not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:27-28). He also said, “The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool” (Isa. 66:1). Solomon declared that heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain God (1 Kgs. 8:27).

The Bible speak so God as dwelling between the cherubims of the ark (2 Kgs. 19:15), in the temple at Mt. Zion (1 Kgs. 8:11, 13: Psa. 26:8; Isa. 8:18), in Christ (Jn. 1:14; 2 Cor. 5:19), in the church (2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:20-22) and in individual Christians (1 Jn. 4:12-16).

How God Is Everywhere

God is found in all places by the instrumentality of His creation, laws, works, agents, appointments, manifestations, etc.., while His person is in heaven. Omnipresence does not means that God’s person is everywhere, but rather His presence is everywhere by way of the preceding avenues mentioned.

The Bible does not teach the omniperson of God, but rather it teaches the omnipresence of God. To teach that the person of God is everywhere is to teach a form of pantheism, the belief that the universe ins God and God is the universe. Though Jehovah is both transcendent (separate from and beyond the material universe) and immanent (with us), He is not omniperson.

During World War II, Hitler’s presence was felt throughout Europe by his armies, oppression and influence, but he, personally, was in Germany. A man’s presence may be manifested by his voice on radio or his appearance on TV while his person may be thousands of miles away. In like manner God’s presence is seen, felt and manifested throughout the universe, but His presence is in heaven.

Through the agency of angels, God is said to be present in the Old Testament. The Lord saved Israel from the Egyptians (Ex. 14:30), but He did it through the “angel of his presence” (Isa. 63:9). Notice the word “presence.” God spoke to Moses from a burning bush (Ex. 3:4), but He did it through an angel (Ex. 3:2). God went before Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21), but He did it through the medium of an angel (Ex. 14:9). All of these things are attributed to God, but He performed them through agency, namely, angels. God’s power portrayed in miracles, revelations and communications, manifestations through such things as lights, voices, lightnings and thunders, all reflect His divine presence.

Jesus promised to be in every gathering where two or three come together in His name (Matt. 18:20), but who believes that Jesus is personally present? Jesus promised to be with His disciples unti the end of the world (Matt. 28:20), but who insists that Jesus is with His disciples in person? Jesus is in heaven (Acts 7:56; Eph. 1:20; 1 Pet. 3:22). Since Jesus is in heaven, He is with us through the means of His word (the Bible), the Lord’s Supper, singing gospel songs, prayer, influence, and of course, omniscience (God’s power to know and see all). The following expresses the omnipresence of God so adequately:

He’s here, and there and everywhere

In all the ways I’ve trod

I’ve never passed beyond the sphere

Of the providence of God.

May Leave God’s Presence

Though God is omnipresent, there is a sense in which we can leave His presence. We read that God may cast us out of His presence. Concerning Israel, when God was chastising His people by the Syrian king Hazael, He preserved them from annihilation, being gracious unto them, “and would not destroy them, neither cast them from his presence as yet” (2 Kgs. 13:23). Ultimately, however, the Assyrians conquered them (2 Kgs. 17:18), and took them captive, removing them from God’s sight. Being “removed from God’s presence” (sight) was rejection by God, separated from Him, losing God’s protection and standing defenseless against their enemies.

Later, God cast Judah out from His presence (2 Kgs. 24:20), allowing the Babylonians to take them captive. This was also called, “removing them out of His sight” (2 Kgs. 24:3). Moses said of Cain, “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord” (Gen. 4:16). Having been rejected by God, Cain went out, or separated himself, from God’s protection and blessings.

On the day of the final judgment, God will punish the disobedient with “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thess. 1:9). “Presence” in the passage means “face,” actually denoting the “presence of a person.” H.A. W. Meyer states, “`to see the face of the Lord’ is a well-known biblical expression to denote blessedness whereas distance from it is an expression of misery” (The Second Epistle of the Thessalonians, p. 584).

So, in Thessalonians, banishment from God’s presence is not only separation from His immediate presence in heaven, but a rejection by God of His blessedness, glory and honor in an eternal fellowship. Although the wicked will be everlastingly excluded from the face of the Lord, yet the presence of God will be realized in hell as a place prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41) and through the suffering of God’s divine justice.

Lessons Learned

There are practical and important lessons learned from the omnipresence of God.

(I) Comfort. The saints of God are comforted, encouraged and consoled to know that God is with them to help and succor. We echo the Psalmist’s words of the long ago, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psa. 46:1). “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psa. 23:4). The writer of Hebrews stated, “and be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5).

Whenever we go as faithful Christians, we know that God is near, that He goes with us. He is never asleep, too busy to listen, or on a journey, but He is always ready to bless and help us.

(2) Communion with God assured. The nearness of God assures that a communion with God may be enjoyed everywhere, even apart from the hallowed places. God’s people could pray to Him, sing to Him and study His word without having to go to the temple in Jerusalem. This by no means excused temple worship, but it did mean that communion with God could be enjoyed outside of a specific location.

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father ….God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:21,24). From any place on the earth, children of God may worship Him. Paul and Silas worshiped God while in a prison, disciples worshiped at the temple grounds in Jerusalem and saints worshiped in the home of Aquila and Priscilla. (This does not exclude assembling with the church.)

Yes, God is not very far from everyone of us. He dwells not in temples made with hands (Acts 17:24). He is not a local God, just meeting the needs of certain geographical boundaries. He is the omnipresent God!

(3) Cannot escape from God’s presence. Jonah learned this lesson from the belly of the great fish when he attempted to flee from God to Tarshish (Jonah 1:1-17). Adam and Eve, because of guilt, tried to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord, but the trees of the garden could not conceal them (Gen. 3:8). We can never get away from God. “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee” (Psa. 139:12).

What is strange with many people is that they would not think of doing some things in the presence of other people, like taking a drink or whiskey or cursing, but yet they will do so in the presence of God. It is important, therefore, that we develop the sense of the presence of the Lord, for this will keep us from doing that which is wrong.

(4) Can be excluded from His presence. When we live in sin, walk in disobedience, we are cast out of God’s presence, here and in eternity. Cain went out by disobedience. Israel and Judah, through sin, were cast out (rejected by God and forfeited His blessings). We, too, lose God’s care, protection and fellowship when we are cast out of His presence because of sin.

In conclusion, may be confidently say of our infinite God and Father:

Lord, I believe, Yes, I believe,

I cannot doubt or be deceived;

The eye that sees each sparrow fall,

His unseen hand is in it all.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 2, pp. 43-44
January 17, 1985