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The Lord, He is God

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There is one and only one true and living God. This is explicitly taught in the Scriptures.

Isaiah consistently and often affirms this most important truth. Isaiah wrote, “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou has made heaven and earth…Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only” (Isaiah 37:16,20). Again he writes, “To whom will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare unto Him” (Isaiah 40:18). And again, “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One” (Isaiah 40:25). Yet again, Isaiah affirms there is only one God: “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me” (Isaiah 45:5). Once more, he writes, “…there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me” (Isaiah 45:21). With a most powerful declaration of God’s singularity, Isaiah records the words of the Lord: “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any” (Isaiah 44:6-8). “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:10,l1). Finally, “For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me” (Isaiah 46:9).

Moses affirmed the same truth: “Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him” (Deut 4:35,39). Again, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand” (Deut. 32:39). King David affirmed, “Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears” (II Samuel 7:22; I Chron. 17:20; Psalm 18:31; Psalm 86:10). His son Solomon wanted all the people of the earth to know that “the LORD is God, and that there is none else” (I Kings 8:60). Jeremiah taught that there is none like the Lord, Who is the true and living God (Jer. 10:6, 10). Namaan confessed that “Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel” (II Kings 5:15). Hezekiah stated that “thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth” (II Kings 19:15). The Levites acknowledge that “Thou, even Thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee” (Nehemiah 9:6). The prophets Hoshea, Joel and Zachariah all affirmed that there is but one Lord over all the earth (Hosea 13:4; Joel 2:27; Zechariah 14:9).

In the New Testament, Paul adamantly affirmed “There is one God…” (I Tim. 2:5). He wrote, “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many), But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (I Corinthians 8:4-6). Paul was condemned by the craftsmen almost throughout all Asia who made silver shrines to the pagan goddess Diana because their craft was in jeopardy by his teaching. Paul had persuaded and turned away much people, saying that there be no gods, which are made with hands (Acts 19:26). James affirmed that there was but one God and that the demons also know this (James 2:19). Paul and Jude agree that He is the only wise God (I Tim. 1:17; Jude 25).

Furthermore, Paul said that God is not only the God of the Jews but of all others, as well, so, he affirms, it is God that justifies (Rom. 3:29,30). Therefore, the same Lord is over all (Rom. 10:12). The scribes acknowledged that “there is one God; and there is none other but he” (Mark 12:32). Jesus said that Jehovah is the “only true God” (John 17:3). Paul once again affirmed there is one God and Father of all (Eph. 4:6).

Contrasting the True and Living God with idols, the Psalmist says “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them” (Psalm 115:4-8). They are all fake gods, made up gods, no gods at all but the figment of man’s vivid imagination. Jeremiah said, “Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.” (Jer. 51:17,18).

One of the most powerful demonstrations that there are no gods other than Jehovah, the true and living God, was when Elijah challenge the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18). Elijah “came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him” (I Kings 18:21). He then proposed a challenge, let the true God answer by fire. The prophets of Baal called upon their god, “O Baal hear us. But there was no voice nor any that answered” (I Kings 18:26). “And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked” (I Kings 18:27). In truth, there was no such god as Baal. “They cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded” (I Kings 18:28,29). Then Elijah dowsed the sacrifice to Jehovah with water and cried “Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench” (I Kings 18:37-38). “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God” (I Kings 18:39).

So scripturally, there can be no doubt. There is only one God. Only one true and living God. All other “gods” are false gods, or no gods at all. They are the creations of man’s imagination, made from wood and stone and are lifeless and heartless. They are created to validate man’s lusts and desires for power. They are powerless apart from the threats of their creators. They are created by man but the true and living God created man.

And logically, the same argument can be made. God, by definition, is the supreme being. There cannot be multiple supreme beings in the sense of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. The cosmological argument demands an uncaused First Cause, not first causes. Even the Greek and Roman pantheons produced a more dominant god, in Zeus and Jupiter. While they are not supreme in any way near the Biblical sense, their status denotes the need for a superior authority. Indeed, there must be an ultimate authority for there to be morality. If there were multiple “supreme” gods, then there could be multiple moral “truths,” which would entail logical contradiction and morality would be merely the whim of some arbitrary feeling or demand of a set of conflicting dictates from an undetermined set of powerful beings. Many questions would be unanswered. There is no logical way to harmonize a pantheon of powerful beings with the order of the universe or the philosophical order of the Supreme being of Judeao-Christian scriptures.

There is but one answer to all these questions and that is…

The Lord, He is God

Eric L. Padgett

The Angel of the Lord

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We have seen that the Presence of God is everywhere and that the Person of God is on His throne in Heaven. Last time we introduced the idea of theophany, the veritable appearance of God in the world in some form. It is how God chose to make Himself known to the world in some instances. Those theophanies are also Christophanies, where the pre-incarnate Christ appeared in the world. Sometimes the Lord’s pre-incarnate appearance was referred to as the angel of the Lord.

First of all, consider that God appeared to Moses in a bush that burned but was not consumed (Exodus 3:1-6). This unconsumed burning bush caught Moses’ attention and piqued his interest. He turned aside to see it, going out of his way, which indicates it was some distance away, yet noticeable. This event was more than a miracle, more than just a bush that was not consumed with the fire that engulfed it, for, from within a flame of fire that covered the bush, incredibly, the angel of the Lord appeared to him (Ex. 3:15).

This was not merely just some one of the myriad of the angels of God. It was “the angel of the Lord,” identifying this” angel” as unique among divine messengers. We learn that God called unto him from out of the midst of the bush, further equating the angel of the Lord with God, Himself! Yet further proof of the divine encounter is that Moses was required to take the shoes from off his feet because that place was holy ground. It could only be considered holy ground only if God was there. Even further tightening the connection between the angel of the Lord and God, is that the one speaking says, “I am the God of they father, the God of Abraham…” (Ex. 3:6).

What is the significance of this appearance? God had told Abraham over four hundred years earlier that the children of Israel would go into bondage in a land that was not theirs and serve them four hundred years (Gen. 15:13,14). But God promised to bring them out again and the people who had enslaved them would pay dearly (Gen. 15:14). God sealed that promise with Abraham by His own theophanic revelation as a smoking furnace and a burning lamp (Gen. 15:17). The time had now come to bring an end to their captivity (Ex. 3:8). The children of Israel had been brought, as it were, by God “out of an iron furnace, even out of Egypt” (Deut. 4:20). Israel had gone through the fire and water and God had brought them to a wealthy place (Psalm 66:12). It was the angel of the Lord that said “I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you” (Judges 2:1).

When God had commanded Abraham to offer up his only son Isaac, it was the angel of the Lord that stayed his hand (Gen. 22:11). Twice the angel of the Lord speaks to Abraham, but it is what He says that is great interest.

And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:16-18).

Note that the angel of the Lord says “By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord…” (22:16). The angel identifies Himself as the “LORD”, or Jehovah. All the affirmations of this Angel indicate that He was divine, and not merely one of the myriad of created angels at God’s disposal. The Angel says, “you have obeyed My voice” (22:18). This can only be God.

Though the phrase ‘Angel of the Lord’ is absent in this passage, the Lord’s appearance to Abram at Mamre (Gen. 18:1) bears similar characteristics to other theophanies/Christophanies. Yet, the Bible says three “men” appeared to Abraham on the plains of Mamre (Gen. 18:2). While they are talking, the Text suddenly changes from the plural to the singular, from “they” (v.9) to “He” (v.10). Moreover, “He” promised to return again in a year to see that Sarai would have a son, even though they were both old and Sarai had passed the age of childbearing (Rom. 4:18-21). This is the kind of promise only God could make. The Bible text says that while apparently two of the “men” then left and went toward Sodom, Abraham was left to stand before the Lord, or Jehovah. We find that two angels come to Sodom (Gen. 19:1), which identifies two of the three men as angels and the one that did not come was the Second Person of the Godhead.

It seems fitting that the Second Person of the Godhead would appear to Abram and Sarai and announce that they would have a son in a year in fulfillment of the promise the Lord had made to Abraham some twenty-five years earlier since, He, Himself, would come in the fulness of time and be born of a virgin and be the ultimate fulfillment of that spiritual promise to bless all the earth.

Scripture records several other encounters with the Angel of the Lord: His appearance to Hagar in the wilderness (Gen. 16:7-13), to Gideon (Judges 6:11-24), to Manoah and his wife regarding Samson’s birth (Judges 13:3-22), as Israel’s divine guide (Ex. 23:20-23), to Joshua before Jericho (Josh. 5:13-15), and more. It is clear, that God has appeared in times past in some visible, tangible form to guide, and sometimes judge, His people. This shows God’s personal interest in our affairs and the development of the Scheme of Redemption. These theophanies/Christophanies were powerful testimonies to that fact God cares and is interested in man’s salvation.

One final note. In the mythologies of at least the western world there were stories of gods appearing in various forms to man. But these were very different than what we see in the developed theology of the Bible. Consider the following.

First, the nature of the divinity is drastically different. Jehovah is transcendent, holy, and unchanging. Theophanies reveal His presence without diminishing His divine nature. But the appearances of the gods in mythology (i.e., Greek and Roman, an others) are often anthropomorphic, flawed, and subject to human-like emotions and desires. In the second place, the purposes are completely different. Theophanies serve to reveal God’s will or guide His people (e.g., the burning bush, Mount Sinai) while mythological appearances often involve deception, seduction, or personal whims of the gods (e.g., Zeus taking the form of a swan to seduce Leda). In the third place, consider the moral framework. Biblical theophanies emphasize holiness, justice, and divine authority. Encounters often demand reverence and obedience while mythological appearances frequently reflect the gods’ capricious nature, often leading to morally ambiguous or tragic outcomes. And finally, consider the form of the appearance. God appears in various forms, fire, cloud, angelic messenger, but always with a clear divine purpose. Greek and Roman gods take on human or animal forms, often to manipulate or interact with mortals in unpredictable ways. Ultimately, mythological depictions of divine interaction pale in comparison to the biblical portrayal of God’s direct involvement in the unfolding Scheme of Redemption.

Through the unfolding drama of Scripture, the appearances of the Angel of the Lord serve as profound glimpses of God’s personal engagement in human history. These theophanies/Christophanies reveal the Second Person of the Godhead actively working within His creation, guiding, delivering, and establishing His covenantal promises. Unlike the flawed and capricious deities of mythology, who often descend for self-serving ends, the biblical manifestation of God demonstrates divine intentionality, holiness, and redemptive love. From the burning bush to the patriarchs, these encounters remind us that the God who appeared in times past is the same God who ultimately took on flesh to dwell among us, fulfilling His promises in the person of Jesus Christ. His involvement is not distant, but deeply personal, pointing humanity toward redemption and the culmination of His divine plan.

Eric L. Padgett

Theophany

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The Bible clearly teaches that no man has seen God at any time (John 1:18). He is the invisible God (Col. 1:15). It is to be anathema to attempt to make an image of Him (Ex. 20:4), for God is a Spirit and His worship must be in spirit (John 4:24). Out of the fire on Mt. Horeb, God spoke with a voice but did not appear in any form (Deut. 4:12). Just as He presented no image of Himself, God prohibited the making of any graven images (Deut. 4:15,6). He transcends mortal man infinitely in every way. He dwells in the light that no man can approach unto and Whom no man has seen nor can see (I Tim. 6:16). Indeed, no man can see Him and live (Ex. 33:20). His Presence must be too overwhelming to observed by mortal man. In this sense, God is transcendent and unapproachable by man, or any other creature, for He is infinitely higher than His creation.

But, we have also seen that God is immanent, that is, that He is both omnipresent in His creation and reigns over all creation from His throne in Heaven. He is not far from every one of us (Acts 17:27). Ultimately, God has spoken to us in these last days by His Son (Heb. 1:1-3). God came down to man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He was Emmanuel, or God with us (Matt. 1:23). He was the child that was born who was called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6). In Him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9). We will discuss this in more detail in a later installment.

But before the Incarnation, God manifested Himself in the world in visible forms at various times (Heb. 1:1). These appearances were dramatic, direct, physical revelations of God’s presence, character, and will. They often marked pivotal moments in biblical history, reinforcing divine authority and guiding God’s people. These appearances are known as “theophanies,” (“theo” – God; “phaino” – appear).

Theophanies can be of various kinds. Some suggest there are upward of fifty theophanic appearances in both the Old and New Testaments. But this is on the high side because it includes God’s appearances in dreams and visions, which, strictly speaking, are not physical appearances of God and do not fit the general definition of a theophany. God has appeared in non-human form, such as in fire and clouds and storms (Ex. 3, 19). He has also appeared in human form, as when He wrestled with Jacob (Gen. 32). God also appeared to man in audible utterances, as in Elijah’s still, small voice (I Kings 19:12,13). In each case, God’s Presence was revealed in a physical manifestation of some kind. They were not apparitions or projections. They were real, physical appearances of God, in some form, in the world.

Theophanies are powerful moments where God makes Himself known in unmistakable ways, shaping the faith and understanding of His people. These appearances reveal God’s nature and provide glimpses into God’s attributes, such as holiness (Isaiah 6), power (Exodus 19), and mercy (Genesis 18). Theophanies in the Old Testament anticipate the ultimate revelation of God in Jesus Christ, who is the permanent manifestation of God among humanity (John 14:9). God also appeared to lead His people, such as in the pillar of cloud and fire during the Exodus (Exodus 14:19-20) and the Rock that followed them (I Cor. 10:4). Then again, some theophanies demonstrate divine judgment, like God’s appearance in a storm at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19).

These appearances do not conflict with the fact that no man has seen God at any time (John 1:18). Each manifestation presents God in a mediated form. Moses, for instance, saw only God’s hinder parts, a term whose full meaning may not be fully known (Ex. 33:32,33). God’s face was not seen (Ex. 32:23). In other words, Moses had a very extraordinary, but yet, limited, view of God. God’s face often stands for His special, providential Presence. The Hebrew word “panim” and the Greek “prosopon” are frequently used to convey relationship not position. A special Jewish blessing was the statement “The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you” (Num. 6:24-26). It simply meant that God was showing His favor, grace, and benevolence toward His people. Again, Deuteronomy 31:17: “I will hide My face from them, and they will be destroyed.” This simply meant that God was going to sit in judgment on them.

Many of these theophanies are also Christophanies. A Christophany is the actual appearance of the second Person of the Godhead in the world in some material or physical way. I say many, but not all. When the Father said from Heaven “This is My beloved Son” He was distinct from the Son present on earth. However, many Old Testament appearances, such as the Angel of the Lord, the fourth figure in the fiery furnace, or the man wrestling Jacob, strongly suggest that they were manifestations of the pre-incarnate Christ. These Christophanies serve as veiled revelations of God’s presence while maintaining the truth that no man has seen the Father in His full essence.

The study of Theophanies and Christophanies reveals the gracious manner in which God has chosen to make Himself known throughout history. Though He dwells in unapproachable light and remains unseen in His full essence, He has entered the world in forms that humanity could engage with and understand. These divine appearances prepared the way for the ultimate revelation in Christ, in whom the fullness of Godhead dwelt bodily (Colossians 2:9). Through Him, God is not only revealed but approachable, bridging the gap between His infinite transcendence and His intimate presence.

Eric L. Padgett

God Is in Heaven

While the Bible and reason teach that God is omnipresent, the Bible and reason just as clearly teach that God also resides in heaven. The Bible is very clear about this.

Jesus taught us to pray by saying, “Our Father, which art in heaven…” (Matt. 6:9). In this simple statement, He clearly affirms that the first Person of Godhead, the Father, resides in Heaven. Several things need to be addressed in this connection. First, this post assumes the triune nature of God. That is, that God is three Persons in One God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This topic will be addressed in another post, but for our purposes here, it will be assumed as correct. Second, while the Father is in Heaven on His Throne, the second and third Persons of the Godhead may be elsewhere. For instance, in Jesus’ baptism, the Father spoke from Heaven, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove and Jesus was in the Jordan being baptized. Thus, while in some sense God’s Presence is everywhere, as we have seen, the Person of the Father was in Heaven on His throne.

When Jacob went out from his father unto Haran, he came to a certain place where he pillowed his head upon some stones (Gen. 28:10,11). In a vision from God, he dreamed there of a ladder whose top reached to Heaven and the angels of God were ascending and descending upon it (v.12). But above the ladder was Jehovah (v13). Jacob said, “How dreadful is this place. This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (v17). Heaven, then, in Jacob’s view, in the Biblical view, was the House of God.

When Solomon prayed at the dedication of the Temple he had built as a “house of habitation” for God (II Chron. 6:2), He made clear that God’s actual dwelling place is in Heaven (II Chron. 6:39). On multiple occasions Solomon would say of God, “Then hear Thou from Heaven” (6: 23, 25, 27, 35) which he would call “Thy dwelling place” (6:21, 30, 33, 39). During Hezekiah’s day, it is said the prayer of the children of Israel was heard and that it went up to Heaven, to His holy dwelling place (II Chron. 30:27). Isaiah said that God dwells in the high and holy place (Is. 57:15). Every time we read of Heaven, it is always spoken of as being upward.

The following is a list of passages which refer to Heaven in some form as God’s dwelling place:

Gen. 28:17- This is the House of God, the gate of Heaven
II Chron. 6:39 – Heaven Thy dwelling place
II Chron. 30:27 – Holy dwelling place, even Heaven
Psalms 123:1 – Dwellest in the heavens
Is. 57:15 – Dwell in the high and holy place
Is. 63:15 – Heaven is called the habitation of the holiness and glory of God
Matt. 23:9 – Your Father in heaven
II Chron. 20:6 – God in heaven
Psalm 115:3 – Our God is in the heavens
Is. 66:1 – Heaven is the place of His rest
Gen. 21:17 – Angel of God called out of heaven
Gen. 24:3 – The Lord, the God of Heaven
Gen. 24:7 – Lord God of Heaven
Josh. 2:11 – He is God in Heaven
II Chron. 36:23 – Lord God of Heaven – Ezra 1:2
Ezra 5:12 – God of Heaven – (6:9,10; 7:12, 21,23; Neh. 1:4,5; 2:4,20; Psalm 136:26; Dan. 2:18,19,37,44; John 1:9; Rev. 11:3;16:11)
Job 22:12 – God is in the height of heaven
Psalm 14:2; 53:2 – God looked down from Heaven
Psalm 57:3 – He shall send from Heaven
Psalm 80:14 – God look down from heaven and visit
Eccl. 5:2 – God is in Heaven
Is. 14:13 – satan said I will ascend into heaven and exalt my throne above the stars of God
Dan. 2:28 – God in Heaven (Matt. 22:30)
Dan. 5:23 – Lord of Heaven
Matt. 23:20 – He that swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and Him that sits thereon
Mark 16:19 – In heaven is the right hand of God
Acts 7:55 – Looked into Heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God
Rom. 1:18 – Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven
I Thess. 4:16 – Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven
Heb. 9:24 – Jesus went into Heaven itself to appear in the presence of God for us
I Pet. 3:22 – Is gone into Heaven and is on the right hand of God
Rev. 3:12 – New Jerusalem comes down from God out of Heaven
Rev. 20:9 – Came down from God out of Heaven- Rev. 21:2
Rev. 21:10 – Out of Heaven from God

A distinction needs to be made between the various uses of Heaven in the Bible. The word “Heaven” is used in a least three ways. Heaven is used, first of all, in reference to the atmosphere surrounding the earth (Gen. 1:20; Psalm 104:12). Then it is used of the place where the stars are, the universe (Gen. 1:14,15; Psalm 19:1). But Heaven is also used of where God resides (II Cor. 12:2; II Chron. 6:39). It is in the third sense that we are speaking about now. Sometimes, however, the other two heavens are used interchangeably with God’s place of dwelling (e.g., Psalm 103:19 – The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all).

God is a spirit (John 4:24). A spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39), but a spirit may at least have a body or form (I Cor 15:44; cf. Ex. 33:23). His Presence is everywhere, but His Person resides in Heaven, the third Heaven, where He sits upon His throne, a representation of His sovereignty and rule. God exists and resides somewhere outside and superior to the created, material universe, in some sense as Spirit and where ever that “place” is, is Heaven. Heaven, then, is the eternal realm of God’s personal presence, inseparable from His eternal existence.

The Bible repeatedly affirms that while God’s Presence pervades all creation, He Personally dwells in Heaven. Scripture portrays Heaven as the seat of His throne, the realm of His glory, and the place from which He engages with His creation in a personal way. Understanding the distinction between His Presence and His Person, strengthens our comprehension of God’s nature–He is both transcendent over the universe and imminent in His interaction with His people (Acts 17:27,28). As we grasp this truth, we are invited to approach Him with reverence, recognizing that His throne in heaven is not a limitation of His being but an expression of His divine order and majesty (Heb. 10:19-22).

Eric L. Padgett

God’s Omnipresence

The Bible also teaches that God is omnipresent, or is everywhere. But, like omniscience and omnipotence, God’s omnipresence is a very complex concept, especially for the finite human mind to grasp. As we try to understand this concept, let us start with clear affirmations of scripture and develop it from there. While the affirmations are clear, they may be, at times, very complex, as you would expect, when discussing the nature of God. In dealing with this question, we must address the very Nature of God’s being.

First of all, consider Psalms 139:7-11. David affirms that he could not go anywhere and escape the Presence of God. David uses the extreme opposites of heaven and Sheol (the realm of the dead) to affirm God’s omnipresence. Whether ascending to the heights of heaven or descending to the depths of Sheol, God’s presence remains inescapable. While other scriptures provide further nuance, this passage strongly affirms that God’s Presence reaches everywhere. Barring any qualifying statements from other scriptures, we must take this as literal. Also, note that God’s Presence is equated with His Spirit. Being unable to hide from His Presence means we are unable to hide from His Spirit. David further says that God is in the uttermost in part of the sea. Darkness cannot hide one from God because darkness and light are both the same to God. God’s face, His Presence is literally everywhere.

Another clear passage defining the omnipresence of God is Jer. 23:23,24. Here the prophet says God asks man this question, “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him?” It is a rhetorical question and the answer is obvious: None can hide from God. Just as in the previous passage, God sees all and knows all. But a new element has been added here. God says, “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” So, God is not only present in every place, but He “fills” heaven and earth. This cannot be said of any man or any other being. Every man, every other being, is somewhere in time and space. We fill only a certain cubic area of space during any given time. But God, in some way, “fills” heaven and earth, “heaven and earth” being an expression encompassing all of creation. In some sense God fills up every part of creation. He is not limited by physical space, but rather His presence permeates all things.

This statement, that God fills heaven and earth, suggests some more very important questions. Some of these will be addressed in the next installment, but for now we continue with the plain affirmations of scripture. Another passage dealing with God’s omnipresence is found in Solomon’s building of the temple. Solomon asked, upon the occasion of the dedication of the Temple, this question: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth?” The answer is obvious and there is a sense in which God cannot be contained on the earth and the temple that Solomon built certainly could not contain God. Solomon continues with this observation and declares, “Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” (I Kings 8:27).

This later statement that even the heaven of heavens cannot contain God is more than significant. It is generally believed that “the heaven of heavens” is a reference to the place where God abides. And yet it is stated here that even that place cannot contain God! What an astounding statement! The place where God abides, is in some sense inadequate to contain God. This truly demonstrates God’s omnipresence. More about this later.

In his address to the Athenians on Mars Hill, the apostle Paul touched upon God’s omnipresence. Some historians said it was easier to see a god than a man on the streets of Athens because they had a god for everything. Paul explained to them the God they didn’t know, the true and living God, and he said of God that He does not dwell in temples made with men’s hands (Acts 17:24), agreeing with Solomon’s statement about the temple. He further states 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). There is a sense in which all of creation is “in Him.” This later statement is worthy of much deeper study but it is enough to know here that we are in Him because He fills His creation.

Beyond just the plain scriptural declarations of God’s omnipresence are the deductions that can be drawn from His creative power. God made all things by fiat. He merely spoke all things into existence (Psalm 148:5). In some basic sense, all things owe their existence to God, deriving their being from His creative power while remaining distinct from His essence. God breathed and spoke and we became. We exist because He is. Through His divine word and breath, God brought all things into existence. We exist because He wills and sustains our being. I believe that everything derives its reality from God but remains metaphysically distinct from Him. I am not affirming pantheism or panentheism in any form, at least that is not my intention, but only that all things are dependent on and are derived from God’s power (Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:3). God created all things ex nihilo, out of nothing, but that creation was powered by the breathe of God. If God continues to uphold all things by the word of His power, then they are in some sense touched by Him and if they are touched by Him then He is present with them, everywhere, in some sense. But while God is closely connected to His creation, He is also transcendent. We will discuss this in a future installment.

This concept of God’s omnipresence is a deep well from which to draw. It’s entirely possible that I am not as clear as I need to be, especially in the previous paragraph. Its entirely possible that no one can be as clear as they need to be discussing this topic since God’s nature is far beyond our finite mind’s ability to fully understand. I pray that what I have written will not mislead or teach anything contrary to the truth. But I hope it gives us an appreciation for God’s infinite Presence, His omnipresence.

Eric L. Padgett

God and the Possibility of Impossibilities

When one argues for the omnipotence of God, inevitably, there are those who either twist or attempt to contradict the argument or mitigate against the force of it. Let us look at a couple of issues that arise.

Some people try to defeat the arguments for the existence of God by offering what has been called The Paradox of Omnipotence. This view argues against God and His omnipotence by posing a simple question: Can God create a rock so big that He cannot lift it? If God can create a rock so big that He couldn’t lift it, then He is not all powerful. But if He cannot create a rock so big that He couldn’t lift it, then how could He be omnipotent? And so either way, God cannot be omnipotent and if not omnipotent, then He cannot be God.

But the answer to this objection is really rather very simple to me. The question tries to present the appearance of a conflict between God’s power and ability when in reality there is no conflict at all between the two propositions. The purpose of asking can God make a rock so big He couldn’t lift is to suggest that there is something God cannot do, either lift or create, thus creating a dilemma. But there is no dilemma. The truth is, He can do both. God can make a rock of infinite size and weight but He also has the infinite power so as to lift it. There is no limit to God’s power or ability and thus no real conflict. The conflict is only semantical. It’s merely a word game disguised as an argument. It’s similar to the question, Have you stopped beating your wife lately? It presents two alternatives as the only options, when they clearly are not.

Now, some would try to answer the Paradox of Omnipotence by simply saying that it is a logical absurdity and that God cannot do the logically impossible. Which brings us to the second issue that needs to be addressed: Can God do that which is logically impossible? Sometimes, in response to these challenges it is affirmed that God cannot make a square circle or make 2+2=5 or some such seemingly absurd, impossible task. Some would say the Paradox of Omnipotence belongs in this category. These questions are, in effect, asking if God can do the logically impossible. And many give this classic response that some things are not subject to possibility because they are not subject to accomplishment.

Other such alleged logical absurdities sometimes put forward, besides creating a rock so big God cannot lift it include, creating a four-sided triangle, making an object that is all white all over and all black all over on the outside, creating a ninety-year-old teenager, or making a room that is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. “To propose such things is to affirm logical contradictions and absurdities,” someone wrote. It is said that God can only do “what is possible of accomplishment—not to what is impossible!”

The view that such questions are logical absurdities and therefore not subject to the power and omnipotence of God dates back to Thomas Aquinas. But I strongly disagree that simply because they might contain a logical absurdity that they are not subject to God’s omnipotence. I would agree these questions might be nothing more than a semantic trick, as we have seen, to suggest the appearance of a conflict in God’s power, as in the case of the Paradox of Omnipotence. But I also firmly believe that God has the sheer, raw power to create an infinitely big rock, a room that is bigger on the inside than on the outside, and an object that is both all white and all black on the outside, etc.. I don’t see why that simply because it may be absurd or illogical that God, in infinite power, could not accomplish it. If you accept that God has infinite power, and this is the clear affirmation of Scripture, then these seemingly absurd tasks are no problem for God.

I am of the view, and I know it is not a majority view, that when the Bible says that nothing is impossible with God, that that is exactly what it means. The point I want to stress here is that God has the sheer, raw, power to do these things. Does that mean He will do them or is obligated to do them? No, absolutely not. But it does not negate the fact that God has the sheer, raw power to do them. Just as the fact that God can make an infinitely large rock does not mean He will or is obligated to do so to prove to you or me or anyone the extent of His power. God can do all things. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible with Him.

Think of this. The Bible says 1) with God, nothing shall be impossible and 2) all things are possible with God, and 3) God can do all things, 4) nothing can be with holden from Him. Contrast the statements from the Bible with the statement from some brethren and apologists that God can do only what is possible. I don’t know how you can believe the Bible and say that some things are not subject to God’s power.

Yet, doesn’t the Bible say that God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2)? Doesn’t the Bible say God cannot deny Himself (II Tim. 2:13)? Yes, absolutely. But one has to harmonize these statements with the very clear and unequivocal statements that God can do all things. Again, does God have the sheer, raw power to deny Himself or lie? He has the power to do so. But as these things go against His nature, He will not do them. In effect, He cannot do them and be God. But this does not mean that He hasn’t the sheer, raw ability and power to do so.

An analogy might help with understanding this. Jesus was God in the flesh (Matt. 1:23). All the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Jesus bodily (Col. 1:19; 2:9). Yet, Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). You cannot have a temptation without the possibility of it occurring. Now, could Jesus, the Son of God, God in the flesh, have lied? Could He have sinned? Was He tempted to lie. Remember, He was tempted in all points like us. Get this point: If Jesus could never have sinned, then He could not be our example in righteousness, because none of us will be endowed with a divine nature such that it keeps us from sinning. The only way for Jesus to serve as our example is to have been tempted and overcame the temptation.

Someone might answer that it wasn’t the divine nature of Jesus that was tempted, but the human. And this point is well taken and is true as far as it goes. The Bible says God cannot be tempted with evil (James 1:12). But the reason that God cannot be tempted with evil (or anything) is because God is all powerful. He can do whatever He wants or have whatever He wants. For a temptation to be real there must be some enticement. For instance, you cannot tempt me with peanut butter. I hate it. I don’t want it. It makes me sick. But I love chocolate. You could tempt me with chocolate, but not with peanut butter! But for God, there is nothing that can entice Him, so no temptation.

However, it is said of Jesus that He “cannot deny Himself” (II Tim 2:13). This is an absolute statement. He cannot deny Himself, just as it is an absolute statement that God cannot lie. And yet, in the temptation in the wilderness Jesus was offered all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them if Jesus would only fall down and worship the devil (Matt. 4:1,8-10). While it is said that Jesus cannot deny Himself, He may well have been tempted by this offer (Heb. 4:15), knowing what lay ahead for Him (Matt. 26:39). But this statement that He cannot deny Himself is clearly a reference to His Nature and that He will not deny Himself, even though He had the sheer, raw power to do so.

Furthermore, the more that is learned about quantum states the more we realize just how much we don’t know. In quantum physics particles can exist in two different states at the same time. If God can create the physics that can do this then God has the sheer raw power to do what we consider logically impossible. But I don’t need quantum physics to prove my case. It is enough that God has said in His word that with Him, all things are possible.

In dealing with God’s omniscience, I said that God cannot know a lie. But I made the point that God knows the truth value of all precisely stated propositions. God cannot know that I own a mansion and a yacht. He cannot know it because it is not true. But He knows the truth value of the propositions regarding that fact. But with omnipotence, if there is anything that God does not have the sheer, raw power to do, regardless of how absurd or illogical, then He is not all powerful.

I believe my position not only does not violate any doctrine of the scripture but positively affirms the truth of scripture. I definitely do not deny God’s absolute omnipotence. I do not deny God’s sovereignty over His creation. I do not place anything above God, such as logic or knowledge. These are a part of the Nature of God, and not something outside or above Him. My view acknowledges God’s Holiness and Righteousness. My view recognizes that God will not violate His Character and Nature. My view magnifies the God who, though He has the sheer, raw power to do whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3), He only acts in accordance with His Divine Nature. I believe my position to be eminently scriptural.

Eric L. Padgett

The Omnipotence of God

The teaching of the Bible is that God is omnipotent. For instance, the Bible says, “The Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Rev. 19:6). The word “Omnipotent” comes from the Greek word παντοκράτωρ, meaning the “all-ruling, or absolute and universal sovereign.” This word is also translated as “almighty” (II Cor. 6:18; Rev. 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 16:14; 19:15; 21:22). God is totally sovereign over His creation. He is all-powerful. In the Old Testament, God is El Shaddai, the Almighty. God has all power and might. But what does this mean exactly?

The truly magnificent power of God can be shown in the many expressions of that power in Scripture. The most obvious example is the creation. God merely spoke the universe (all matter, space, time) into existence. God said, “Let it be,” and it was (Gen. 1 passim; Psalm 18:5). When we consider what modern science tells us about the size of the universe and the nature of our world, it truly boggles the mind that all this could come into existence merely at God’s command. I suggest you go to YouTube and do a search on the size of the universe to fully understand the extent of this power. Furthermore, He upholds all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3). He never tires but has endless energy because the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is He weary (Is. 40:28).

Just as God created the universe and holds it all together still, He will also bring it to a conclusion one day. All the dead that have ever lived will be brought back to life in the resurrection. Every molecule, every atom, every thought, everything that makes up all people will be brought back and reassembled at the resurrection when all that are in the graves shall hear His voice and come forth – they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:28-29). Such is God’s power. And just as easily as He created all things, so all things will be dissolved (II Pet. 3:8-12).

In the Old Testament, God’s power is manifested in so many ways. God destroyed the earth with a universal flood (Gen. 6-9). He confounded the speech of man and scattered man abroad over the face of the earth (Gen. 11). He enabled Abram and Sarai to have a son even though they were past the age of childbearing (Gen. 21; Rom. 4:17-22). He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain with fire and brimstone from heaven (Gen. 19). Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord (Gen. 32). God sent dreams to Pharaoh, and Joseph was allowed to interpret them (Gen. 40). God delivered the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage with ten mighty plagues (Ex. 7-11). He parted the Red Sea so that the children of Israel walked through on dry ground and destroyed the Egyptian army by collapsing the walls of water that stood on either side of them (Ex. 14). Likewise, He parted the Jordan so that the children of Israel could pass over to the promised land (Josh. 3-4). He caused the sun and moon to stand still (Josh. 10). Many were raised from the dead (e.g., I Kings 17). Oil was miraculously multiplied (II Kings 4). Elijah departed in a chariot of fire (II Kings 2). And on and on the list could go.

In the New Testament, God’s power is demonstrated in the miraculous, virgin birth of the Son of God (Is. 7:14; Matt. 1). God sent a star to show the way to where Jesus was born (Matt. 2). John’s birth was beyond the childbearing years of Elizabeth and Zacharias (Luke 1). The miracles which Jesus performed showed that He had power over nature (striking the fig tree dead, turning water into wine, walking on water, and calming the storm), over healing the sick (restoring a withered arm, restoring vision and hearing and speech, healing palsy, and various other diseases), over casting out demons, and over life and death (raising the dead). Of course, the greatest of these miracles is His own resurrection, proving His claim to be the Messiah, the Son of the Living God (Rom. 1:4).

Of course, the Bible goes further than just showing examples of His power. The Bible makes specific claims about the power of God. God is girded with power (Psalm 65:6). God’s power is not just limited to what we can imagine, for He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). His power is eternal (Rom. 1:20), and in Jehovah is everlasting strength (Is. 26:4). God can do whatever pleases Him (as it is consistent with His own nature – Psalm 115:3). What He says will be done; it will be accomplished as He pleases (Is. 55:11). All other power is dependent on His power, for there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordained of God (Romans 13:1). He does whatever He wills, and no one can stop Him (Dan. 4:35).

But the Scriptures are even more explicit. God asked this rhetorical question of Abraham: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14). The answer is clear and obvious: Nothing is too hard for the Lord. There is no limit to His power. He asked Jeremiah the same question (Jer. 32:27), and Jeremiah expressly states that there is nothing too hard for the Lord (Jer. 32:17). The synoptic Gospel accounts all affirm God’s omnipotence. Jesus expressly stated that with God all things are possible (Matt. 19:6; Mark 10:27), while Luke expresses it from the negative: “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37). God is omnipotent, all-powerful (Rev. 19:6).

We must point out that God is not merely more powerful than all others; He is all-powerful. It’s not the case that He can do merely many great things that others cannot do, but that there is no end to His power. His power is limitless. Just as His knowledge is limitless, His power is without limit. The difference between omniscience and omnipotence is only that omniscience must always be exercised to be knowledge (you can’t know something but not know it), while omnipotence does not have to be exercised to be power. For instance, a man may be able to power lift three hundred pounds, but he doesn’t always have to be lifting three hundred pounds to have that power. But a man cannot know “X” and then not know it and still be said to have that knowledge.

The God of the Bible is truly all-powerful. He is omnipotent. Next installment, we will discuss some questions that are raised by some with regard to the omnipotence of God.

Eric L. Padgett

Does God’s Foreknowledge Preclude Man’s Free Will?

There is a question that some people raise when they consider God’s omniscience. The question is this: If God knows everything I am going to do, then am I really free to act independently? If God knows a thing is going to happen, He can’t be wrong about it. If He is wrong, then He is not omniscient, and not God. But if He isn’t wrong about it, then I could never do anything differently than what God already knows. But if I can’t do any differently, then am I really free? This is the question that is often thrown up either as an argument against God’s existence, or against man’s freedom. Let’s consider this question: Does God’s foreknowledge preclude man’s free will?

The Bible clearly teaches man has free will. Many scriptures could be adduced which demonstrate that man has the freedom to either obey or disregard God’s will. For instance, Joshua charged the children of Israel, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Josh. 24:15). Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). Upon hearing Jesus’ teaching, “the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him” (Luke 7:30). On and on the list could go. Each example shows that the scriptures teach that man has a real choice of various and sundry options.

As we have already discussed previously, the Bible also clearly teaches that God’s knowledge is infinite (Psalm 147:5). God knows the secrets of men and the thoughts of their hearts (Psalms 44:21; 94:11). The thrust of Psalms 139 is that there is nothing that God does not know. Job finally was made to understand that no thought can be withheld from God (Job 42:2). There is no searching of God’s understanding (Is. 40:28). God knows what things we have need of even before we ask (Matt. 6:8). He searches all hearts and understands all imaginations of the thoughts (I Chron. 28:9). The Lord asks, “Can any hide himself that I cannot see?” (Jer. 23:24). He knows all of His works from the beginning of the world (Acts 15:18). And God even declares “the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isa. 46:10).

The thrust of the Bible teaching regarding God’s knowledge is that there is not one thing that is unknown to God. All things are open and naked before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (Heb. 4:13).

“It is true that the Scripture makes use of anthropomorphic forms of expression as regards the way in which God obtains knowledge (Genesis 3:8), and sometimes even represents Him as if He did not know certain things (Genesis 11:5; Genesis 18:21); nevertheless the constant representation of the Scripture is that God knows everything. This perfect knowledge of God, moreover, is not merely a knowledge which is practically unlimited for all religious purposes, but is omniscience in the strictest sense of the term” (ISBE).

Now, those who hold that there is a conflict between God’s omniscience and human free will often argue in the following fashion. The following quote is from a discussion I had been in years ago:

“If God knows that when I leave the house for Wednesday evening Bible study, that at exactly 5:58 PM CDT (running late, as usual!), at the intersection of NW 42nd and MacArthur, a car will run the red light, strike our car as I turn onto MacArthur, and I will be killed, then it will occur. I have no choice in the matter. No matter what I do, it will happen. It may appear that I chose, but that event is determined to occur regardless of what I decide. I will only choose the courses of action that will allow that event to happen. It doesn’t matter that I never drive to church through that intersection, or that I usually go an hour later, or that I actually decided to get around on time for a change. My freedom is dissolved into God’s foreknowledge. Human freedom is only the illusion of freedom.”

Please notice these statements: “I have no choice in the matter. No matter what I do, it will happen…that event is determined to occur regardless of what I decide…It doesn’t matter that I never drive to church through that intersection, or that I usually go an hour later, or that I actually decided to get around on time for a change. My freedom is dissolved into God’s foreknowledge.”

The problem with such a position is that it assumes that which it is trying to prove–namely, that if God foreknows a thing, then there is no free will. This can be seen when one understands that the event happens not “no matter what I do,” but precisely because it is what I decided to do! In other words, it happens not because God foreknows it, but God foreknows it because it is what happened. In the sense that man cannot do two different things at the same time in the same way, man has to choose one course of action. He is free to choose out of the many, if not infinite, number of possibilities, but he can only choose one. When his choice is made, God knows that choice. In the sense that man can not do more than one thing, and God knows what that thing is we have chosen freely to do, then man must do that which he has chosen.

When the man above says he couldn’t have left thirty minutes later, he is correct if by that he means, when he left at time t, he could not also have left at time t1. But if he means that he had no other options, or that he could not have exercised any other option, he is mistaken. If the man had chosen to leave at time t1 or time t2, t3, etc., then that is what God would have known. God’s knowledge of the event is posteriori, but not with respect to point of time. God is outside of time and sees all that happens even more clearly than we see the present or the past.

It begs the question to say that event “x” will happen “no matter we do” because the question is does God’s foreknowledge negate my free will (“what I do”). It begs the questions to say, as in the above quote, “I will only choose the courses of action that will allow that event to happen.” Rather, that event will happen, because he has chosen those courses of action. It begs the question to say that God knows something even though I have never acted in such a way, because you must have acted in that way for God to know it. As we discussed in our last post, it is not a limitation of God’s knowledge to say that He does not know things that are not so. What happens as a result of my actions are the result of my own free will choices. God knows about it precisely because it is what I choose to do.

Perhaps an easy way to understand this is to think of our knowledge of the past. I know what I did yesterday. I know I preached two sermons and taught a Bible class. Does my knowledge of these facts mean I was not free in my actions? Of course not. I know now what I freely chose to do then. My knowledge does not remove my free will. In the same way, God sees all time, past present and future, not only in my life, but in all lives and all things everywhere in the same way I see and know the past. The choices are free, but God knows my choices and yours.

In addition to the point just made, those who argue that when God knows something is going to happen it removes man’s ability to freely choose, have another problem. These same people do not deny that God knows an act when it happens. As seen above, the Bible clearly teaches this about God’s knowledge if it teaches anything at all. But this means that, since when God knows man’s actions man ceases to be free, then when the act is being done, man no longer has free will. This means that man is only free as long as he doesn’t do anything! Pshaw! This is absurd.

So, no, God’s foreknowledge of my actions, does not preclude my human, free will, which He gave me in the first place.

Eric L. Padgett

Omniscience of God

The Scriptures are very clear that God’s knowledge is not limited. This fact is expressed in a number of ways. The different facets of God’s particular knowledge are described in some detail throughout scripture. For instance, God knows the number of hairs on our head (Matt. 10:30; Luke 12: 7). He knows when a sparrow falls to the earth or is sold. He remembers them all (Luke 12:6; Matt. 10:29). He knows all the fowls of the mountain and the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10,11). God knows the number of the stars and calls them all by name (Psalm 147:4). God knows all our deeds and thoughts because we will be judged by those things in the Day of Judgment (Rev. 20:12-15). He knows our best kept secrets (Rom. 2:16).

David describes God’s intimate knowledge of every human being:

O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them (Psalm 139:1-16).

The Scriptures especially make note of the fact that while man can only judge by the outward appearance, God knows the very heart of man. “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). Again, “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins” (Jer. 17:10). And again, “Thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men” (I Kings 8:39). There is no thought that we can hide from God. “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13).

Job said at the conclusion of his interview with the Lord that “no thought can be withholden from Thee” (Job. 42:2). No thought is beyond God’s knowledge. There is not a single thing that God does not already know. God looks to the end of the earth and sees under the whole heaven (Job 28:24). While men are limited in their knowledge to the here and now in a very limited scope with which their lives come into contact, and, maybe, a few things about the past, God sees all time (our past, present and future) more clearly than we see what is presently before us. John affirmed by inspiration, “God knows all things” ( I John 3:20). He knows all things because He is everywhere, in some sense (Jer. 23:24).

This means, first of all, that God knows the truth value of every precisely stated proposition. God knows the truth value of the statement that “Eric L. Padgett (me) was born with six fingers.” It’s impossible for God to know this is true because it is false. God only knows the truth. But this should not be considered a limitation on God’s knowledge for He knows the truth value of the statement is false. It would be a limitation of God to say that He knows something as true when, indeed, it was false. So, God knows the truth value of every precisely stated proposition and God knows all propositions and there are endless propositions.

It is also the case that God does not have to learn the truth value of any given proposition. God knows immediately and ultimately every thing. God’s mind is infinite in its grasp. It does not need to learn or come up to speed on anything. There is no “Aha! moment” for God. Nothing surprises Him, nothing catches Him off guard. As Isaiah teaches (40:13,14) “Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?” These are rhetorical questions and the answer is obvious: No one has taught God. He needs no teacher. He already knows.

Finally, God’s omniscience also means that His knowledge knows no bounds. There is not a limited body of knowledge that God knows or has grasped. His knowledge is limitless, endless. He is infinite in every attribute, including His knowledge. Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering (Job 26:6). God’s knowledge extends to the height of heaven and to the depths of hell (Psalm 139:8). There is no searching of His understanding (Is. 40:28). “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33). God’s understanding is simply infinite (Psalm 147:5)!

It is simply impossible for finite minds such as ours to grasp infinite Mind and Knowledge. David was correct when he said, “It is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” (Psalm 139:6). While we may not be able to comprehend it, we can at least appreciate it and be humbled by it.

Eric L. Padgett

Why Isn’t Belief Universal?

Some people may ask, If the existence of God is so manifest, why do so many people not believe in Him? If the glory of God is declared by the very heavens, why isn’t belief in God equally universal? If no one is going to be able to claim ignorance at the judgment, then how are they able to claim ignorance now? At first, these may seem like legitimate questions. But let’s consider a couple of points in response.

First, the Bible teaches that God created man with free will. God gave a command, but said there are consequences to disobeying those commands. That implies that man has the ability to disobey God’s commands. Indeed, there has to be the ability for man to reject God, or man is nothing more than a robot. A robot will do whatever you command it to do, but a robot doesn’t love or care or empathize, a robot just does as it is programmed. Not even artificial intelligence can supply the emotional basis needed.

I asked ChatGPT: Is ChatGPT or any other ai sentient?


ChatGPT said: “No, neither ChatGPT nor any other AI is sentient. AI, including me, operates based on algorithms, data, and statistical models. While I can generate human-like responses, understand context, and even mimic emotions, I don’t have consciousness, self-awareness, feelings, or independent thought. Sentience requires subjective experience and self-awareness, which AI does not have. AI can process and analyze information efficiently, but it doesn’t ‘understand’ or ‘feel’ in the way humans do.”

Then I asked, “Maybe ChatGPT just isn’t as advanced as other ai?” It responded this way:

“Even the most advanced AI today, including cutting-edge models beyond ChatGPT, are not sentient. AI can simulate intelligence and conversation very convincingly, but at the end of the day, it’s still just a complex system of pattern recognition, probability, and computation.

No AI—whether from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, or any other research lab—has true self-awareness, emotions, or independent thought. AI can analyze and predict based on data, but it doesn’t experience anything.

That being said, AI is advancing rapidly, and discussions about artificial general intelligence (AGI) and consciousness in machines are ongoing. But as of now, no AI is anywhere close to actual sentience.”

I would argue that regardless of the time given, or the computational power available, or imaginative algorithms employed, no ai could ever reach sentience or free will because its not a matter of quantity but of quality. No amount of inanimate matter will ever achieve animate status just by adding more inanimate matter. No amount of non-sentient computing power could ever reach sentience just by adding more non-sentient computing power. Its not a matter of quantity but quality.

So man has free will, something neither a computer nor algorithm can ever have. One of the reasons men can reject the evidence for God, is because man was created with the ability to chose based on his own, volitional interests.

In the second place, just because a thing is obvious, doesn’t mean everyone wants it to be true or that everyone will fall in line with the truth. People often have ulterior motives for their actions, sometimes motives that they don’t even fully understand. On the other hand, sometimes people are fully aware of their reasons for denying the obvious.

A person who is given bad news might not want to accept it. A person who is given good news might not accept it, at first. The Psalmist said, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:1-3). These verses depict man consciously trying to break away from the bonds that tie him to God, only it’s a vain and futile attempt. The Psalm was fulfilled violently and particularly in the rejection and crucifixion of Christ by the Jews and Gentiles (Acts 4:23-30). There is no clearer example of men rejecting God than in the rejection of Messiah.

The truth is, it comes down to a person’s heart. If a person is not honest with themselves, they will allow themselves to believe anything they want. The Lord’s parable of the sower teaches us that truth itself is not enough. If truth is seen as a seed, truth requires good soil before it can bring forth fruit. The good soil for truth is an honest and good heart. Many people do not have an honest and good heart and, for various reasons, the truth produces no fruit in them. The evidence of God’s existence, though obvious to all, requires an honest and good heart to admit it is true.

The following is a short list of quotes from men who did not believe in God and admitted that they didn’t want to believe and acknowledged that their rejection of God was influenced by personal, moral, or existential concerns rather than purely intellectual reasoning.

“I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning; and consequently assumed that it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics. He is also concerned to prove that there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do. For myself, as no doubt for most of my friends, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom. The supporters of this system claimed that it embodied the meaning – the Christian meaning, they insisted – of the world. There was one admirably simple method of confuting these people and justifying ourselves in our erotic revolt: we would deny that the world had any meaning whatever.”

–Aldous Huxley, Ends and Means

“We desired liberation; and we had a suspicion that the things to which we wanted to be liberated had no meaning. Still, we wanted to be free to do as we pleased.” – Aldous Huxley (another relevant passage from Ends and Means)

Again, he links his disbelief to a desire for personal freedom.

“The sense of spiritual relief which comes from rejecting the idea of God as a superhuman being is enormous.” – Julian Huxley (Aldous Huxley’s brother, biologist and humanist)

Like his brother, Julian Huxley saw disbelief as a form of liberation from religious and moral constraints.

“We deny God; in denying God we deny accountability: only by doing that do we redeem the world.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche saw belief in God as tied to moral accountability, and rejecting God meant rejecting imposed moral structures.

“I want atheism to be true… It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and naturally hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that.” – Thomas Nagel (philosopher and atheist)

Nagel openly admitted that his atheism was not just about reason but also about personal preference.

And so many people reject God simply because they don’t want there to be a God. They don’t want to be burdened by any moral constraints. They don’t want to be responsible to God. They don’t want there to be a moral accountability that reaches into eternity.

There are many other reasons people reject the idea of God but it is clear that just because the evidence for the existence of God is available, it does not mean that all men will acknowledge it. But whether or not we accept it, it is still true and all men will eventually acknowledge it (Phil. 2:11; Rev. 2012-15). That is why the fool has said in his heart there is no God (Psalm 19:1).

Eric L. Padgett