(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

IMMANENCE OF GOD.

SPECIAL TEXT: "The Light which now shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings; which Light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space." (Doc. and Cov. Sec. lxxxviii:11, 12.)

DISCUSSION.

1. Definition of Immanent: The word "Immanent" means "indwelling," "remaining within;" "opposed to transient," or "transitive."^[A] Such the definition of the adjective. The noun, "Immanence," is defined as "the state of being immanent," "a permanent abiding within"—"indwelling."^[B] As applied to God it conveys the idea of essential and permanent Divine presence in all the universe. It excludes the idea of movement or transition from one place to another in order for the Deity to be at a given place, since immanence conveys the idea of Divine presence being already and constantly at every point in the universe; hence movement conceived as necessary to presence is not essential, but is excluded from the conception of immanence.

[Footnote A: The Standard Dictionary, Funk and Wagnalls.]

[Footnote B: See both Standard and Century Dictionaries.]

2. Distinction Between Omnipresence and Immanence: It may be thought that "immanence" is but the restatement in another form, of the attribute of omnipresence in Deity—simply an affirmation of his every-whereness; and it must be admitted that there is at least a close resemblance if not identity between the two things for which the two terms stand. And yet there is a difference between immanence and omnipresence. The latter means merely the every-whereness of God, "present in all places and at the same time."^[A]

[Footnote A: Century Dictionary.]

Immanence means that, too; but it means more than that. It means presence accompanied by power; or presence plus power; presence accompanied by doing, or act, leading to manifestations of God's power. In modern philosophy the word is applied to the operations of a Creator conceived of as in organic connection with the creation;^[A] and we shall see presently that this is as true in theology as it is in philosophy.

[Footnote A: Century Dictionary. Joseph Le Conte, Professor of Geology and Natural History in the University of California, discussing what belief in God would be for rational philosophy, says: "It is the belief in a God not far away beyond our reach, who once long ago enacted laws and created forces which continue of themselves to run the machine we call nature, but a God immanent, a God resident in Nature, at all times and in all places directing every event and determining every phenomenon; a God in whom in the most literal sense not only we but all things have their being, in whom all things consist, through whom all things exist, and without whom there would be and could be nothing. According to this view the phenomena of Nature are naught else than objectified modes of divine thought, the forces of Nature naught else than different forms of one omnipresent, divine energy or will; the laws of Nature naught else than the regular modes of operation of that divine will, invariable because he is unchangeable. According to this view the law of gravitation is naught else than the mode of operation of the divine energy in sustaining the cosmos—the divine method of sustentation." ("Evolution and Its Relation to Religious Thought"—1902—pp. 300, 301.)]

3. Does Revelation Teach Immanence of God: Here we may as well consider the question whether or not the scriptures teach the doctrine of immanence as defined above. Of the doctrine of God's omnipresence there can be no question at all. David states it beautifully:

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee."^[A]

[Footnote A: Psalms cxxxix:7-12.]

Jeremiah is equally as clear in a statement of the same truth, even if less poetical:

"Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord."^[A]

[Footnote A: Jeremiah xxiii:24.]

Solomon said of God:

"The heaven, and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this house that I have builded?"^[A]

[Footnote A: I Kings viii:27.]

Paul declares that God is "not far from every one of us; for in him we live and move and have our being."^[A]

[Footnote A: Acts xvii:26-28.]

4. Limitations of Foregoing Revelations to Omnipresence: These declarations go at least as far as to establish the omnipresence of God, not of his bodily, but of his spiritual presence; but they do not quite express the conception presented in the word immanence which I have said equals the attribute of omnipresence plus divine power, and act. It was left for our modern revelations to present that idea. This is done in the revelation which first declares that "the elements"—having reference to the elements of the material world—"are eternal;" that "spirit and element inseparably connected receive a fulness of joy;" that "the elements are the tabernacle of God."^[A] That is, in some way, God is immanent, ever present and everywhere present, in the universe.^[B]

[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov., Sec. xciii:33-35.]

[Footnote B: The Universe: It may be well to bring before the mind of the student a brief definition of this term "universe," in which we are saying that God is immanent, in order that we may appreciate somewhat at least the largeness of things with which we are dealing. I take the definition from Haeckel:

"(a) The extent of the universe is infinite and unbounded; it is empty in no part, but everywhere filled with substance.

"(b) The duration of the world (i. e. Universe) is equally infinite and unbounded; it has no end; it is eternity." (Riddle of the Universe, p. 242.) And in this infinite and eternal universe, God, in some way, is everywhere present and potentially or actually active—immanent.]

5. God Not Only Everywhere Present, But Power and Act: Our theology recognizes Jesus Christ as not only divine but Deity;^[A] and this Immanence of God in the world is in some of our modern revelations spoken of as the "Light of Christ:"^[B]

[Footnote A: Seventy's Year Book No. III, Lessons XXXIII and XXXIV.]

[Footnote B: A near equivalent to this phrase, "the light of Christ," is also used in the New Testament in connection with the idea of its being a vital as well as an intelligent principle—the life and the light of the world: "In him [the Christ, see context] was life; and the life was the light of men; and the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not." John was sent to bear witness of that light: "That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." (St. John's Gospel i:1-12.) See also Doc. and Cov., Sec. lxxxiv:45-47.]

"He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things; in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;

"Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which It was made;

"As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made.

"As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made.

"And the earth also, and the power thereof; even the earth upon which you stand.

"And the light which now shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;

"Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space.

"The light which is in all things; which giveth life to all things; which is the law by which all things are governed: even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things."^[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov., Sec. lxxxviii:6-13.]

And later in the same Revelation it is said:

"Judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne [God], and governeth and executeth all things;

"He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him: and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, for ever and ever.

"And again, verily I say unto you, he hath given a law unto all things by which they move in their times and their seasons;

"And their courses are fixed; even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehend the earth and all the planets;

"And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years: all these are one year with God, but not with man.

"The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also give their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God.

"Unto what shall I liken these kingdoms, that ye may understand?

"Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these, hath seen God moving in his majesty and power.

"I say unto you, he hath seen him; nevertheless, he who came unto his own was not comprehended.

"The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God; being quickened in him and by him.

"Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, and that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me, otherwise ye could not abound."^[A]

[Footnote A: Ibid. Sec. lxxxviii:41-50.]

A more complete or thorough-going statement of the ever-whereness of God in the world, accompanied with the idea of power—God immanent, dynamic, as well as present,—I do not remember to have seen.