“Heaven” is a way to refer to God’s throne (Isa. (Rom 1:18–22). In general, to say that God is transcendent is to say that he is exalted, above, beyond us. It is to speak of why he has the right to dwell in such places. Divine transcendence and immanence are the related Christian doctrines that while God is exalted in his royal dignity and exercises both control and authority in his creation (transcendence), he is, by virtue of this control and authority, very present to his creation, especially his people, in a personal and intimate way (immanence). Immanence God is everywhere present. If we focus on His transcendence without a sense of His immanence, we can perceive God as being aloof and distant. For this reason, many philosophers have tried to downplay or even deny one attribute or the other. God is 'within' the universe in that God is its sustaining cause. 20:1–3), And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. Immanence affirms, while transcendence denies that God is contained within the world, and thus within the limits of human reason, or within the norms and resources of human society and culture. Because both of these qualities follow readily from other qualities, it would be difficult to abandon either without also needing to abandon or at least seriously modify many other common attributes of God. The transcendence of God is reinforced in passages that envision God as dwelling above us in the heavens. Verse Concepts. We should especially avoid two errors in this connection. The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; Isaiah 40:22. TRANSCENDENCE AND IMMANENCE CHIN-TAI KIM I Judaeo-Christian theology represents God as transcendent while Spinoza's metaphysics by contrast represents God as immanent. (Exod. The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. The African traditional worldview in many respects believes the transcendent God whose immanence is mediated by lesser spiritual intermediary powers. To be sure, there are passages in Scripture that emphasize God’s incomprehensibility, his mystery, such as Romans 11:33–36: Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! It is the heart of our relationship to God in Christ. In this context, God is so utterly alien that it's wrong to attempt to portray it any sort of concrete fashion. Immanence is closely related to God's omnipresence, in that God is always present within the universe, though distinct from it. Religion (1985) 15, 373-385 THE PARADOX OF TRANSCENDENCE AND IMMANENCE OF GOD IN AFRICAN RELIGIONS A SOCIO-HISTORICAL EXPLANATION Emefie Ikenga-Metuh The paradox of the transcendence and immanence of God is not peculiar to African religions . This verse really summarizes what theologically is often called God’s transcendence and eminence. In sum, we can say that when it comes to God’s transcendence, Scripture uses metaphors of farness or distance, and speaks about him as creator, king, judge, warrior, master, etc. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? The chief promise of the covenant is the Lord’s word, “I will be with you” (Gen. 21:22; 26:28; 28:15; 28:20; 31:3, 5; 39:3–4; Exod. God’s immanence as we have understood it is the heart of biblical redemption, the very name of Jesus, God with us. God is really and truly near to us, difficult as that may be for us to conceive. He is “enthroned on high” (Ps. Divine transcendence and immanence are the related Christian doctrines that speak of God’s authority and control over his creation and people as king. God manifests himself in history and in the lives of people in both mundane and dramatic ways. How thankful I am, not only to see these features revealed in Scripture … Paul says that there is "one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:6). Secondly, deism, or the notion that since God is transcendent his nearness to us is only a figure of speech, an “anthropomorphism.” No! Parashat BeShallah brings us to the dramatic climax of the Exodus, the splitting of the Reed Sea. But Scripture itself never connects God’s transcendence with human uncertainty about God, let alone skepticism. Indeed, since his transcendence governs all the events of creation and his authority governs all his creatures, he is certainly the most visible being in the universe. Indeed, when God reveals himself “from heaven,” he reveals himself clearly, so that those who reject him have only themselves to blame. He tells the Roman church what it is that they do not know, and why they do not know it. God loves before he creates theworld or any humans. This time, I will be sharing about this extraordinary attribute of God that appears to contradict the truth about His transcendence; but no, it does not. On the face of it, the characteristics of transcendence and immanence appear to be in conflict. “The Lord is in his holy temple. That is God’s transcendence. The unknowns are “known unknowns.” And the mystery is always a mystery about a God who otherwise is “clearly” known. Copyright © 2020 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. So we should understand God’s immanence, the covenant presence of his lordship, to be everywhere in the universe, as well as being especially intense in particular locations. God’s transcendence is seen in that he is exalted in his royal dignity and exercises both control and authority in his creation. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. The idea of God being transcendent is very common when it comes to the mystical traditions of various religions. As nouns the difference between immanence and transcendence is that immanence is the state of being immanent; inherency while transcendence is (countable) the act of surpassing usual limits. God’s Immanence vs. Transcendence. Kierkegaard, for example, focused primarily upon God’s transcendence and rejected God’s immanence, This has been a common position for many modern theologians. Gods' Contradictory Characteristics: Making God Impossible to Exist, The Relationship Between Technology and Religion. This does not imply Neoplatonic philosophy, in a similar manner, emphasized the idea that God is so pure and perfect that it completely transcended all of our categories, ideas, and concepts. the Trinity in Barth and Lossky. Some ancient and modern writers, however, have taken God’s transcendence to mean something else: God is so far above us, so very different from anything on earth, that we can say nothing, at least nothing positive, about him. Moreover, if God is infinite, then God must exist everywhere — including within us and within the universe. Christians, especially mystics, have often described a God who works within them and whose presence they can perceive immediately and personally. god's immanence and transcendence Posted on August 10, 2020 by He actually became what we are so that we might become like he is, as Athanasius put it.And his work on the cross, along with his resurrection, shows how God took great efforts to restore our relationship to himself, to allow us to again enjoy his immanence. (Rom. So understood, God’s transcendence does not imply that he is hidden from people; quite the contrary. 4:7, 20; 7:6; 14:7; 26:18; 2 Sam. God’s Immanence and Transcendence. 7:14; 8:8; Matt. And he expresses his authority by proclaiming to us his commands. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Theologians talk about the immanence and transcendence of God. 57:5; 97:9). 97:9). If God is a person and works within human history, then it would make little sense for us not to be able to perceive and communicate with God. Many of the Psalms, for example, celebrate his kingship by praising the strength by which he controls his domain (Ps. Rather it is a necessary implication of his transcendence. In primitive terms, immanence means His closeness to us, and transcendence His distance from us. Divine immanence is the description of his kingly control and authority; because he rules over creation, he is present throughout the whole creation, especially to his people, in a personal and covenantal way. God’s promise to Israel prior to the Exodus was, I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. If God is timeless (outside of time and space) and unchangeable, then God cannot also be immanent within us, beings who are within time. The Lord’s throne is in heaven. 1:23). Between Immanence and Transcendence Parashat BeShallach. This view of God’s transcendence contradicts the view of God’s immanence which we presented. He is both “nearby” and “far away,” according to Jeremiah 23:23. Please make sure all fields are filled out. Indeed, God’s lordship is his covenant relation to the world he has made, particularly to the persons in it. “You shall have no other gods before me. Through the Leviticus text, the refrain “I am the LORD your God” is repeated fifteen times to reinforce the truth that Israel’s law is based on the authority of Gold’s lordship over them. Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. casting immanence as a characteristic of a transcendent god (common in Abrahamic religions), subsuming immanent personal gods in a greater transcendent being (such as with Brahman in Hinduism), or. The Old Testament, for example, records a prohibition against idols, and this can be interpreted as an attempt to emphasize the wholly “otherness” of God which cannot be represented physically. Indeed, there is a sense in which the creation itself will be redeemed through Christ: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. transcendence and immanence of God in the traditional African worldview. Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the LORD your God. Such a God must be wholly “other,” transcendent to everything we know. 8:27). In fact, the mystical experiences are themselves generally described as “transcendent” and not amenable to the normal categories of thought and language which would allow those experiences to be communicated to others. There is no biblical term that captures all of what theologians want to say about God’s transcendence, but the idea of immanence is helpfully summarized in the term Immanuel, God with us (Isa. But transcendentist theology does not altogether abandon the idea of divine immanence, just as immanentist metaphysics does not com-pletely exclude that of divine transcendence. The transcendence of God is closely related to his sovereignty. 11:33–36). Theologically, it refers to God’s existence within the universe. To him be glory forever. — and, hence, very much a part of our existence. BY CLIFFORD GOLDSTEIN T heologians talk about the immanence and transcendence of God. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. On the other hand, if God is absolutely perfect beyond all experience and understanding, then God must also be transcendent. He transcends our language, so anything we say about him is utterly inadequate. What is mysterious in this passage is his “immanence,” not his “transcendence.” As we saw earlier, Paul has spoken in Romans about the clarity of God’s revelation from “heaven” (1:18–21). The literal meaning of the immanence of God is "to be within" or "near" in relation to God's creation. Austin Cline, a former regional director for the Council for Secular Humanism, writes and lectures extensively about atheism and agnosticism. This was not only one of the most dramatic and necessary miracles of the Torah, it is also one of its greatest moments of Divine revelation. The Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence of God, Creative Commons License with Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 3.0 US). 66:1). In contrast, an immanent God is one which exists within — within us, within the universe, etc. To Barth, God’s transcendence implies that he cannot be clearly revealed to men, clearly represented by human words and concepts. Eccl. Our relation to God is always personal—a relation between the divine person and ourselves as human persons. How can these two qualities exist simultaneously? Dena Weiss. 21:7). First, we cannot fall into mysticism or pantheism, the notion that this immanence eliminates the distinction between creator and creature so that we become God, or  that he becomes indistinguishable from us. In Byzantine Rite theology the immanence of God is expressed as the hypostases or energies of God, who in his essence is incomprehensible and transcendent. 6:18; Rev. Some theologians and philosophers have been willing to make such a move, but most have not — and the result is a continuation of both of these attributes, constantly in tension. He is “high” in the sense that the king’s throne is high above his subjects. God’s covenant presence is primarily with his redeemed people. God’s immanence and transcendence relate to His relationship with the created world. Amen. The biblical language of God “on high” or “in Heaven” refers uniformly to God’s royal dignity. In primitive terms, immanence means His closeness to us, and transcendence His distance from us. God’s control and authority are such that he is present, immanent in all of his creation. Transcendence (God exists outside of space and time) and immanence (God is present within space and time) are both attributes of God. (Exod. 8:1; 57:5). The God who is exalted high and far above the created universe is the same God who is always present and active in it. All views expressed in this essay are those of the author. 19:1–4). 6:7). This intimate relationship, the heart of the covenant, resounds through Scripture (see Deut. Arvin M. Gouw, P hD. When applied to God it means that God dwells within the creation, permeating and saturating all things. He controls the events of nature and history, including the course of our salvation from sin. 16 thoughts on “ The Presence of God: Immanence and Transcendence ” John-Julian, OJN August 10, 2011 at 6:21 pm. 113:5); indeed, he is himself the “most high” (Ps. It’s His Immanence. This essay is part of the Concise Theology series. We know already that God’s immanence is not some kind of opposite to God’s transcendence, some paradoxical negation of transcendence. Barth’s argument essentially reverses this picture (derived from Scripture) of God’s transcendence and immanence. Because he is our God and we are his people, he will be “with us” for all eternity: Immanuel! His authority may be understood as his control over the moral sphere, but it would also be possible to understand God’s control as his authority over everything that happens. Clearly, then, it is wrong to think of God’s transcendence as a kind of cloud hiding God from the human mind. A transcendent is one who is beyond perception, independent of the universe, and wholly “other” when compared to us. God has been personally active in the world since its creation and yet He is also set apart from it, superior in nature. Rather than describing God in an impersonal way, the doctrines of transcendence and immanence describe the royal dignity and presence of the God who came to be among his people in Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God with us. As Paul says, his revelation is clear (Rom. Immanence is an antonym of transcendence. 8:18–22). Immanence. To say that God is immanent is to say that he is present in time and space, that he is near us. A transcendent God must turn His face away, for He is forced by His very righteousness and holiness to keep Himself separate from anything or anyone sinful, impure, unclean or less than perfect. Still, in our usual philosophical discourse, we generally see control in terms of physical causation and authority as an imposition of moral obligation; control represents might and authority represents right. So transcendence is a convenient term to summarize these ways in which God is “above us.”. Immanence, in philosophy and theology, a term applied, in contradistinction to “transcendence,” to the fact or condition of being entirely within something (from Latin immanere, “to dwell in, remain”). The problem of conte xt. The word immanent comes from a Latin word meaning “indwelling”. There is no point of comparison, no points of commonality. This chapter distinguishes three modes of immanence and transcendence with reference to God: cosmological, epistemic, and ethical. As God’s control, so his authority is an implication of his lordship: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. They are his thrones, and he sits on them because he is the king. God’s transcendence and immanence. So they are without excuse. Divine transcendence does not mean that he is so far from and other than his creation that we are not able to understand his self-revelation in the Scripture or relate to him in any way. These lordship rights and powers are his control and his authority (see John Frame, The Doctrine of God). Therefore, we can define transcendence as God’s lordship over his world with particular reference to his royal prerogatives of control and authority. But if we define these concepts to express God’s lordship, his covenant relations to his world and to his people, they can be used to express wonderful truths of God’s word: the riches of Christ, the depth of our relationship to God. Clearly, there is some conflict between these two characteristics. As in previous studies, we will look at definitions, scriptures, commentary evidence, dictionary entries and portions of essays for the purpose to glorify… TRANSCENDENCE AND IMMANENCE.According to Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, second edition, unabridged, to transcend is to "ascend beyond, excel. Immanence is defined as something that exists within something. These two concepts are able to coexist by differentiating between transcendence as an attribute of God – something that He inherently exists as – and immanence as a situation in which He has chosen to … The importance of this divine-human intimacy cannot be stressed enough. The terms transcendence and immanence are not found in most versions of the Bible, but they are common in the theological literature to designate two kinds of relationships between God and human beings. Derek: I decided to be a priest when I was eight years old, so I was soaking up theology from a very early age—and I remember the simplest thing from when I was about ten years old: my priest drew a small circle on the blackboard. Science, Religion & Culture Pro … approaching the question of transcendence as something which can only be answered through an appraisal of immanence. Moving in the other direction, we find Protestant theologian Paul Tillich and those who have followed his example in describing God as our “ultimate concern,” such that we could not “know” God without “participating in” God. Scripture often speaks of God as “exalted” (Ps. immanence and transcendence makes it impossible to speak credibly about God or to adhere to scientifically acceptable faith claims in the context of experiential realism. Transcendence is a see also of immanence. Mystics who seek a union or at least contact with God are seeking a transcendent God — a God so totally “other” and so totally different from what we normally experience that a special mode of experience and perception is required. But there are certain places in the creation where God has ordained that we will sense his presence with particular intensity, like the burning bush in Exodus 3, the inner court of the Temple, and indeed the person of Jesus Christ, God’s temple incarnate (Matt. Experiential realism is all that we have, the basis on which our knowledge of this world, and of God, is deduced. The need for both qualities can be seen in the other characteristics normally attributed to God. His eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.” (Psalm 11:4) What a picture. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. In responding to this view of God’s transcendence and immanence, we discuss the amplified transcendence and immanence of For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For though the term transcendent is not itself biblical, it is a convenient way of grouping together certain biblical ideas. God’s immanence is naturally contrasted with the idea of God’s transcendence, which describes God as existing completely outside the universe. Over the last few decades, Klaus Nürnberger’s contribution to Christian theological discourse . For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. 7:14; Matt. 5:2), even “above the heavens” (Ps. When discussing divine immanence Scripture uses metaphors of nearness or closeness, and speaks about him as bridegroom, father, shepherd, husband, lover, etc. God’s transcendence is a way of referring to his lordship over the world, but lordship does not confine God to a sphere beyond our knowledge. Of course, God transcends space as he transcends time. But to say that God is “high” is not primarily to speak of his presence in any of those places. In modern theology, this concept leads to a skepticism about the adequacy of Scripture itself as a revelation of God and about the ability of human beings to say anything about God with real assurance (John Frame, The Doctrine of God, 110). For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 1:11) but because the created world serves his redemptive covenant purposes. (Rom. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 12:6; John 2:19–22). Indeed, it often refers to the way he rules the world of our history and experience. There are all sorts of commonalities and points of comparison. Immanence and Transcendence by Jack Kettler “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.” (Psalm 25:4) In this study, we will look at the biblical teaching regarding Immanence and Transcendence. However, this passage does not speak of God’s transcendent existence “on high,” but about God’s “ways” in history as described in Romans 1:1-11:32. Heaven is one of those places, a literal dwelling place of God far up in the sky, to which Jesus ascended when his earthly work was done (Acts 1:11). The more God’s transcendence is emphasized, the less God’s immanence can be understood and vice-versa. Origins of Transcendence and Immanence The idea of a transcendent God has roots both in Judaism and in Neoplatonic philosophy . God is “omnipresent,” present everywhere (Ps. He dwells “in heaven above” (Deut. Transcendence, belief that ‘God' or other divine forces control our world, and Immanence, belief in looking within; both have been represented by certain sections and people of our society. If we focus on His immanence and ignore His transcendence, we can become overly subjective about God, always looking for an immediate feeling, and limiting our perspective of God by what we have personally experienced of Him. It is not just a relationship of control and authority, but also of presence with his covenant partners. Such a God must be immanent. (Col. 1:15–20). This essay is freely available under Creative Commons License with Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 3.0 US), allowing users to share it in other mediums/formats and adapt/translate the content as long as an attribution link, indication of changes, and the same Creative Commons License applies to that material. First, his control: Because he is lord, he is omnipotent; he has the power to do anything. (Lev. Thus, we have the mystery of God’s immanence and transcendence. Granting the mysteriousness of God’s actions in history, Paul is still able to speak of the mystery in clear human language. 3:11–12; Isa. God stands above and beyond the fallen created order as one who is perfectly holy. But in a broader sense it is with his whole creation, for the whole creation is part of the program of redemption: For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. Various Greek philosophers have also discussed the idea of a God who is somehow united with our souls, such that this union can be understood and perceived by those who study and learn enough. The idea of an immanent God can also be traced to both Judaism and other Greek philosophers. It means that God is above, other than, and distinct from all he has made - he transcends it all. The idea of a transcendent God has roots both in Judaism and in Neoplatonic philosophy. So if we choose to use the term transcendence to refer to God, we should use it to refer to his lordship, to his powers and rights as the king of everything he has made. TRANSCENDENCE AND IMMANENCE. 4:39; cf. 139:7–12), not only because he made everything and governs everything by his plan (Eph. 2; 47; 93:1; 96:10–13; 97:1; 99:1). An Atheist's View of the Christian Right's Agenda and Beliefs, History of American Religion:1600 to 2017, One or Many Gods: The Varieties of Theism, Philosophic Humanism: Modern Humanist Philosophy and Religion, Many Religions, One God? The heart of the covenant is a relationship of intimacy. Immanence is the balancing concept to God's transcendence, which describes God as being of a completely different kind or substance from and completely independent of the universe He created. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. While affirming God’s transcendence, Scripture speaks in clear and certain language about his nature and actions. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have forever been in a relationship of pure, intense, joyous love. This is a very immanent God whose transcendence is ignored entirely — if, indeed, such a God can be described as transcendent at all. 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Transcendence contradicts the view of God in the heavens present, immanent in all of his transcendence, and... Otherwise is “ above us. ” of God ’ s throne ( Isa convenient way of together! They are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways who works within them and whose they! Reach out to us, and transcendence with human uncertainty about God is infinite, then God be. We presented is often called God ’ s immanence and transcendence his distance us! — and, hence, very much a part of our salvation from.! Intimacy can not be stressed enough s royal dignity and exercises both control and authority but. Sense that the whole creation has been his counselor they are his control: because he is exalted his.