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...one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:6
We all know that omnipresence applies to God and we vaguely, in an abstract sort of way know what the word means. We know it means God is in all places simultaneously but our simple minds don't comprehend what that looks like or feels like. We haven't even discovered all places much less figured out how to exist in them all at the same time. We know the technical definition and can try to imagine it's feeling but it's too much of a mind bender. We don't get it when it comes to omnipresence because for the time being at least, we have no experience or frame of reference. When it comes to omnipresence the best we can do is see through the glass darkly.
There is a helpful perspective when trying to comprehend God's omnipresent nature though. God is Spirit and Spirit is immaterial, meaning it cannot be blocked by anything material. God's immaterial Spirit physically saturates all things, a plant, a glass of water, a mountain and a star. Nothing blocks the presence of God's Spirit. Those ancient pagans who believed there were spirits indwelling to stones, trees and beasts weren't totally wrong then. There actually was a Spiritual presence in all those things but it was the single, all-pervasive Spirit of God rather than a bunch of separate spirits inhabiting separate objects. They just misunderstood the spiritual presence they sensed in those things. It's not that the stone has one spirit and the tree another and it's not like there are spirits particularly ascribed to certain trees or stones. There is One Spirit which is God and all things, even the universe itself which is not truly infinite, exists interiorly contained to this Spirit.
The universe was created and exists forever inside the infinite Spirit we call God because at the moment of creation nothing else existed but God. There was no other "place" for the universe to be created than within God's fully Spiritual self. And since that Spirit is immaterial it naturally penetrates all matter inside itself, stones, trees, animals and everything else. It's the same Spirit in all things, large and small, the stone, the pebble, the tree, the thistle, even the sun and the large and small infinities of both the macro and micro universe. We tend to perceive omnipresence too much in large ways, like God existing everywhere throughout the outward expanse of the universe. This is accurate but incomplete because God also exists in infinitely small ways too, in places we wouldn't normally think of like the subatomic spaces in the screen you're looking through right now as you read these words. That's what Paul meant when he wrote "through all and in all." God is a Spirit that penetrates all matter subatomically, including the flesh and blood of all living things.
This may be thought controversial by some because it means even the atheist or the person who worships a lifeless idol has the all-present Spirit of God within him. It's true though because that idol worshipper wouldn't be alive without the indwelling Spirit of God. We cannot say God is omnipresent on the one hand but on the other hand, not present in the atheist. If we believe God is omnipresent, we have to believe he is literally present in the unbeliever. The disbelief of an atheist or misbelief of a pagan cannot block the omnipresent nature of God's Spirit.
Neither can we say that God's indwelling Spirit has no moral effect on the disbeliever or misbeliever. An atheist or pagan is fully capable of practicing virtues that Christians know originate from God and may even do so more effectively than many Christians. They just wrongfully credit those virtues to something other than God. They may claim moral behavior is just a product of social evolution. They may assert that we have gradually learned in a secular, evolutionary way that it's better to forgive than to revenge in order to reduce strife and better to give charity so as to reduce the societal problems that come with poverty. Christians know these virtues originate only from the omnipresent God though and this means that God's most holy, all-present Spirit is directing the virtues of the atheist and the pagan as well as the Christian. Nobody needs to believe in God's indwelling Spirit in order for it to affect their moral behavior because God's omnipresent Spirit cannot be blocked by disbelief. It exists within the atheist and pagan whether they like it or not and it affects their behavior just as it affects the behavior of those who accept it. But neither can Christians then, deny the presence of God in the heart of the atheist. God's omnipresence in all people is physically real and to deny his effect on all people is to deny God's omnipotence whilst acknowledging his omnipresence.
This doesn't mean that one who denies God's existence or rejects the salvific work of Christ is saved by good works though. God's indwelling presence can affect a man's actions in positive ways but the rejection of God still bears eternal repercussions. In eternity, where atheist and Christian alike exist purely as spirit, both are confronted with the eternal reality of God's Spirit and denial of God is no longer possible. All of our individual spirits, whether we rejected or accepted God are suddenly one with his Spirit and wholly conscious of that oneness forevermore. To those who accepted God, this is a blessing to be eternally savored. To those who rejected God however, but can no longer escape his reality those shall forever suffer their denial eternally, forever lost in the rejection of He which can nevermore be denied.
Pray then that no man reject that Spirit which is God and wisely seek the salvation of Christ. Pray also that we may assist in some humble way, strengthened in the wisdom that God has no more abandoned the unbeliever today than he abandoned our Gentile fathers in the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In this way do we stifle our pride before God, not thinking ourselves greater than the unbeliever, and recalling that God wills all men to be saved. For it was by God's will that we Gentiles, the unbelievers of yesteryears were first saved as God made his Chosen People a light to our forefathers. Pray now that we in turn be used to exude the light of God's grace to all unbelievers, forever withholding the darkness of our own condemnation.
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We all know that omnipresence applies to God and we vaguely, in an abstract sort of way know what the word means. We know it means God is in all places simultaneously but our simple minds don't comprehend what that looks like or feels like. We haven't even discovered all places much less figured out how to exist in them all at the same time. We know the technical definition and can try to imagine it's feeling but it's too much of a mind bender. We don't get it when it comes to omnipresence because for the time being at least, we have no experience or frame of reference. When it comes to omnipresence the best we can do is see through the glass darkly.
There is a helpful perspective when trying to comprehend God's omnipresent nature though. God is Spirit and Spirit is immaterial, meaning it cannot be blocked by anything material. God's immaterial Spirit physically saturates all things, a plant, a glass of water, a mountain and a star. Nothing blocks the presence of God's Spirit. Those ancient pagans who believed there were spirits indwelling to stones, trees and beasts weren't totally wrong then. There actually was a Spiritual presence in all those things but it was the single, all-pervasive Spirit of God rather than a bunch of separate spirits inhabiting separate objects. They just misunderstood the spiritual presence they sensed in those things. It's not that the stone has one spirit and the tree another and it's not like there are spirits particularly ascribed to certain trees or stones. There is One Spirit which is God and all things, even the universe itself which is not truly infinite, exists interiorly contained to this Spirit.
The universe was created and exists forever inside the infinite Spirit we call God because at the moment of creation nothing else existed but God. There was no other "place" for the universe to be created than within God's fully Spiritual self. And since that Spirit is immaterial it naturally penetrates all matter inside itself, stones, trees, animals and everything else. It's the same Spirit in all things, large and small, the stone, the pebble, the tree, the thistle, even the sun and the large and small infinities of both the macro and micro universe. We tend to perceive omnipresence too much in large ways, like God existing everywhere throughout the outward expanse of the universe. This is accurate but incomplete because God also exists in infinitely small ways too, in places we wouldn't normally think of like the subatomic spaces in the screen you're looking through right now as you read these words. That's what Paul meant when he wrote "through all and in all." God is a Spirit that penetrates all matter subatomically, including the flesh and blood of all living things.
This may be thought controversial by some because it means even the atheist or the person who worships a lifeless idol has the all-present Spirit of God within him. It's true though because that idol worshipper wouldn't be alive without the indwelling Spirit of God. We cannot say God is omnipresent on the one hand but on the other hand, not present in the atheist. If we believe God is omnipresent, we have to believe he is literally present in the unbeliever. The disbelief of an atheist or misbelief of a pagan cannot block the omnipresent nature of God's Spirit.
Neither can we say that God's indwelling Spirit has no moral effect on the disbeliever or misbeliever. An atheist or pagan is fully capable of practicing virtues that Christians know originate from God and may even do so more effectively than many Christians. They just wrongfully credit those virtues to something other than God. They may claim moral behavior is just a product of social evolution. They may assert that we have gradually learned in a secular, evolutionary way that it's better to forgive than to revenge in order to reduce strife and better to give charity so as to reduce the societal problems that come with poverty. Christians know these virtues originate only from the omnipresent God though and this means that God's most holy, all-present Spirit is directing the virtues of the atheist and the pagan as well as the Christian. Nobody needs to believe in God's indwelling Spirit in order for it to affect their moral behavior because God's omnipresent Spirit cannot be blocked by disbelief. It exists within the atheist and pagan whether they like it or not and it affects their behavior just as it affects the behavior of those who accept it. But neither can Christians then, deny the presence of God in the heart of the atheist. God's omnipresence in all people is physically real and to deny his effect on all people is to deny God's omnipotence whilst acknowledging his omnipresence.
This doesn't mean that one who denies God's existence or rejects the salvific work of Christ is saved by good works though. God's indwelling presence can affect a man's actions in positive ways but the rejection of God still bears eternal repercussions. In eternity, where atheist and Christian alike exist purely as spirit, both are confronted with the eternal reality of God's Spirit and denial of God is no longer possible. All of our individual spirits, whether we rejected or accepted God are suddenly one with his Spirit and wholly conscious of that oneness forevermore. To those who accepted God, this is a blessing to be eternally savored. To those who rejected God however, but can no longer escape his reality those shall forever suffer their denial eternally, forever lost in the rejection of He which can nevermore be denied.
Pray then that no man reject that Spirit which is God and wisely seek the salvation of Christ. Pray also that we may assist in some humble way, strengthened in the wisdom that God has no more abandoned the unbeliever today than he abandoned our Gentile fathers in the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In this way do we stifle our pride before God, not thinking ourselves greater than the unbeliever, and recalling that God wills all men to be saved. For it was by God's will that we Gentiles, the unbelievers of yesteryears were first saved as God made his Chosen People a light to our forefathers. Pray now that we in turn be used to exude the light of God's grace to all unbelievers, forever withholding the darkness of our own condemnation.
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