God's Transcendence

Quick Update:

I first want to start by giving everyone an update about my grandfather, Ray. A couple of weeks ago he had to take a trip to the emergency room because he was having difficulty breathing. Initially, we thought he was sick with a respiratory illness or something. However after a short time in the emergency room, we were told it was not a cold, instead he had what's called a pulmonary embolism, which means blood clots in the lungs. This of course was deeply concerning. Luckily, we got out of the emergency room and were admitted to the hospital where we were swiftly introduced to a pulmonary surgeon. He said he was willing and able to perform a procedure to remove the clots from his lungs that night. We prayed about it and agreed, so the procedure went ahead shortly after and the surgeon was able to remove all of the clots without complication. Praise God! He had to stay in the hospital for a couple of nights to monitor some bleeding he was having and to make sure he was good and stable. When he got the all-clear, we took him home where he has to take it easy for a few weeks. He is getting better every day; before we know it, he'll be back at it like before. We want to thank everyone for keeping Ray in your prayers. We are so grateful for you all! This one could have been bad. But glory to God, our prayers were answered!

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Our God Is Transcendent

What exactly does it mean to be transcendent? What does it mean to transcend something? To transcend means to exist above and independent from; to rise above, surpass, and succeed. By this definition, there can only be one truly transcendent being. As the creator of all things seen and unseen (Col. 1:16), only God transcends it all. When we call God transcendent we are acknowledging His exalted place as God Almighty, El Shaddai in Hebrew.

When reading about God's transcendence and thinking about what that means exactly, I find myself in awe at the Majesty of the Lord. I read scripture that speaks about Him being "high and lifted up" and "exalted far above the heavens" and I can't help but feel almost distant from God. Meditating on God's transcendence will give a person a whole new sense of wonder and amazement at the sheer magnitude and power of the Creator, God Almighty.

God is so vastly different and independent from all of creation. And not only is He transcendent, but He is infinitely transcendent. Meaning God is equally as far above the lowest class of being in the universe as He is the highest class of being in the universe. Does that make sense? Think of it this way. If, say, a cherub is the highest class of being in the universe under God, and a single-celled organism the lowest, God is equally as far above the cherub as He is above the single-celled organism. God isn't simply at the top of some pyramid of created beings. No, it is God and all the rest. When it comes to thinking about God's transcendence in this way there are two easy categories, creature and creator. We are the creatures and God is the one unique creator. This is called the creature-creator distinction. It is good to remind ourselves of this on occasion because, in today's day and age, we tend to, even if unintentionally, exalt ourselves or other things to God's place in our lives from time to time. So we must regularly remind ourselves of His majesty and meditate on God's transcendent nature.

God is equally as far above the lowest being in the universe as He is the highest being in the universe.

However, in realizing His exalted status far above all of creation, one can understandably begin feeling distant from the Lord. If He is so unreachably far above us and all of creation, how can he also be imminently close to us? A.W. Tozer puts it this way, "A great gulf lies between me and the transcendent God, who is so high I cannot think of Him, so lofty that I cannot speak of Him, before whom I must fall down in trembling fear and adoration. I can't climb up to Him. I can't pray my way up to Him. There is only one way. And the cross bridges the gulf that separates God from man. That cross!"

The Son of Man, Jesus the Christ, bridges that uncrossable distance between man and God through His work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. The blood of Jesus has cleansed the believer from all unrighteousness and allowed him access to the very presence of God. And just as God in His uniqueness transcends man, so does He in His immanence draw near to man. God is so near to us that our own thoughts are not as near as God. And still, because God is God, His unique being is so far above us that we cannot even properly conceive it or express it.

Let's take a look at Isaiah 40 and see what he has to say about this subject. I strongly suggest getting your bible out and reading through the entire chapter of Isaiah 40, it will bless you. Starting in chapter 40 verse 25, Isaiah is questioning the Israelites. He starts by asking them,

"To whom will you compare Me, or who is My equal? Asks the Holy One." (CSB)

This question is a rebuke of wrong thinking regarding God. This was true of the Israelites Isaiah was writing to and it's true of many Christians today. We think way too small of God. We limit God where He does not limit Himself. We place other things on the same level of importance as our God. We must stop attempting to bring God down to our level and learn to acknowledge His majesty and praise Him for His limitless power and wisdom.

Now let's move to verse 27 where Isaiah again questions the Israelites saying,

"Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak O Israel: "My way is hidden from the LORD and my just claim is passed over by my God"? (NKJV)

This question seems to be rebuking wrong thinking about ourselves. Sometimes when we are in a tough season in life, hurting or feeling depressed we can also feel as though God has forgotten us or worse has abandoned us altogether. But nothing could be further from the truth. God never abandons anyone on whom he has set His love. As a believer in Christ, you can walk with confidence that the Good Shepherd never loses track of His sheep.

Moving on to verse 28, Isaiah asks a third and final question.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God the Creator of the whole earth, He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding." (CSB)

This last line of questioning rebukes our delay in believing His transcendent nature, His all-powerful, all-knowing majesty. I think, like the last two rebukes, this one is just as relevant in today's world as it was in Isaiahs. How slow are we to actually acknowledge God as GOD? The all-powerful, all-seeing, magnificent, almighty God who created all things? We need to make it a priority in our own Christian walk to exalt God above all else and remember our place as God's creation.

That's exactly why I wanted to start this blog with a study of God's attributes and character. We need to know the God we worship truly. He is so magnificent and lofty that we couldn't possibly approach Him, yet in His infinite love He humbles Himself and approaches us where we are. That is what it means for God to be both transcendent and imminent. So go into this week knowing that the same God who created the stars and formed the galaxies is also walking right alongside you in all you do.

As always, go and be BOLD for Jesus and UNASHAMED of the Gospel!