God loves to share things with us—life, breath, all of creation—but there are some things that only he has because he is God. We sometimes imagine that God is just like us, only bigger, smarter, and more powerful. God, however, is not just more than we are. He is in a class all by himself. He alone is eternal, immortal, all-powerful, all-wise, and all-knowing (1 Tim. 6:15–16). His spectacular majesty is beyond our ability to comprehend. God is infinitely great. Here are five ways we see that:
1. God is self-sufficient.
The technical term is aseity. He existed as the triune God from all eternity in perfect love and fellowship. God is completely sufficient in his love. As three persons who together are love, God created the world. He did so out of his love and freedom, without compulsion or necessity. Rather, he created because he desired for us to share in that love. So, while we are dependent on him, he is not dependent upon us. Nevertheless, he delighted in creating us for fellowship with him.
2. God is pure spirit.
God is not made up of parts like humans have; nor does he have any means of corruption (John 4:24). He is perfect and immutable. He is incapable of change since he is perfect in his love, plans, purposes, and majesty. God’s eternal purpose already figures in our free actions and brings them to the end for which he has ordained them.
3. God is all-knowing (omniscient).
Rising above our limited perspective, God knows the end from the beginning because he is eternal (Ps. 139:16). Even the evil of Jesus’ death failed to catch God by surprise. Nowhere is this made clearer than in the crucifixion of Jesus who was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23) to die for our sins. Since his knowledge is sure, we can trust that evil, sin, and death will never achieve final victory in the world or undo his promises to us.
4. God is ever-present (omnipresent).
Because God is spirit, God rises above the category of “place” that limits us in our words, actions, and presence. Yet, God has condescended to us, his creatures, in making particular times and places accessible to his unique presence, where we can find God in saving love.
5. God is all-powerful (omnipotent).
He is all-powerful. As finite creatures, we often think of God’s sovereignty and human freedom as if they were pieces of a pie. God may have a larger piece, but it is the same pie. Yet, this fails to keep all the facets of who God is in mind. God is not just quantitatively greater than you or I. He is qualitatively greater. God alone is eternal spirit who has a freedom that is of a different kind than ours. We have a human freedom that never bumps into God as we would our neighbor on the sidewalk. Mysterious as it is, his freedom is the basis for our creaturely freedom.
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