How did God, become God?

This may sound stupid, but how did God, “become God?” IF he has always been, then how is there such a thing as time? I’m baffled. Thanks!

 

A:   This is indeed a super question! It has baffled philosophers and theologians alike since the beginning of time itself. But before I attempt to answer the question about the nature and quality of time, allow me to discuss a slice of God’s nature, namely God’s eternal attribute theologians like to call omnipresence. We’ll get to the issue of time in a bit.

The Bible does guarantee in one sense that God is always with you and me. No matter where we go or what we do, God is always present and watching. That is to say that God is everywhere—in my room as I type these words, in Washington DC, in the air and on the seven seas, and beside you right now. God is in all places at the same time. How can this be true? This is hard to grasp because it certainly is not true of you or me. When I am at home and in the kitchen, and my wife is in the bedroom, we are separated by space and time, and walls. Conversely, when we are walking hand in hand, we are together. Our physical togetherness all depends upon the distance of space. Not so with God. The rules of space, time, and physics don’t apply to or hinder God because God is beyond all those elements and laws.

To begin thinking about this concept, we can turn to modern science for a fun way to help validate this aspect of God. It’s called Quantum entanglement. It was first postulated by Albert Einstein in 1939. I found a simple explanation on Wikipedia that describes this phenomenon in the following way:

Quantum entanglement is the physical phenomenon that occurs when a pair or group of particles is generated, interact, or share spatial proximity in a way such that the quantum state of each particle of the pair or group cannot be described independently of the state of the others, even when the particles are separated by a large distance.

What that sentence basically said is that when two particles (photons, electrons, molecules, or even small diamonds) are connected through space and time, a change in one affects the change in the other instantaneously. The interesting thing about entanglement is that the particles can be separated more and more and more, and they can still be entangled. Distance does not seem to be a relevant factor. In a 2012 article in the Journal of Nature, two particles were separated by 88 miles, and they were still entangled and interacting with each other simultaneously. This was the case of a photon teleportation from one place to another. We are all familiar with this if you have ever seen a Star Trek episode where they “beam people up” from one place to another, and the distance does not play a part in the process.

Why is this interesting theologically, and how does it relate to the omnipresence of God? Omnipresence says that if God is in one place and he is interacting with people all around the world, somehow God is doing that instantaneously everywhere. This sounds strangely similar to the idea of entanglement. Now, I’m not saying God is an entangled particle, but if modern science tells us that particles can interact instantaneously and over variable distances, then we should not be surprised that a divine Creator like God could interact with humans over variable distances and do that simultaneously.

I know some will say that proofs by analogy are not actually proofs. I know this. What I am saying is this mysterious quality of God being everywhere at the same time has a precedent in modern science. Believe it or not, history proves that science, philosophy, and theology can co-exist. All three of these disciplines can and should be considered at the same time when considering the answers to life’s deep questions. Asking and answering the question of the presence of God in our lives constitutes one of those deep pursuits.

When thinking about the general omnipresence of God, two aspects are significant to consider. First, God is transcendent (that is, above, higher than, holy, and independent from all) to His creation, and second, God is immanent (that is, near, involved with, and empathetic to all) in relating to creation. Transcendence and immanence are different from one another and yet are both very important to understand when it comes to thinking about the general presence of God. Moses writes about both these when he says the Lord is “God in the heavens above (transcendent) and on the earth beneath (immanent).” Joshua 2:11.

According to the Bible, divine transcendence is the idea that God exists both above and independently from all creation. This means that God is completely different from and completely independent of the universe he created. We don’t believe that something was created from nothing. Rather, God created the universe of time, space, energy, and matter by his powerful spoken word. Hebrews 11:3 tells us that it is “by faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” We could spend a lot of time talking about that one verse, as there is a lot of science and philosophy in that deeply theological statement! Since he created everything everywhere, he can control creation as he pleases.

The Bible tells us that God dwells in unapproachable light. The whole universe, as incomprehensible in scale as it is, is too small to contain God’s immensity. We can no more catch a hurricane in a shrimp net or Niagara Falls in a coffee cup than we can grasp the infinity of God’s reality.

There is a lot more we could say at this juncture about transcendence. Entire books are dedicated to the subject, but these thoughts are sufficient for our purpose for now.

Juxtaposed and connected to the transcendence of God is the immanence of God, which refers to God’s relationship to the world – that he actively operates within it, sustains it as its effective cause, and is constantly present. For example, Hebrews 1:3 says that God, through Jesus Christ, is “sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Immanence is the balancing concept to God’s transcendence. 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 place Himself within the world – not something inherent to His being. While God is holy and far above (transcendent) this world, He has also chosen to place Himself in direct connection with (immanent) it as its creator, sustainer, and Saviour.

Immanence must be cojoined with transcendence. Divinity must be coupled with humanity, heaven must be balanced with earth, and God’s distance must be complemented by his nearness. All of this is necessary if we are to fully grasp the wonder and miracle of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

This is actually very good news and is central to the basic Christian belief system. This was radical news to the average person of the first century. The Greeks of that day believed that the mythical gods were transcendent but capriciously immanent. And this is still radical news for us today. The common deists of the 21st century believe God is transcendent but not at all immanent. That God may have begun all things, but he is in no way interested or involved in the world today. But the Bible makes it very clear that God can be and is, in fact, both transcendent and at the same time also present to us in a clear and evident manner. A sampling of two instances from Scripture that convey this truth. (There are indeed hundreds of verses that convey this truth!)

¹God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

¹⁵For thus says the high and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15

King David also states that God is present in every situation in all of creation at any given time.

¹³The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; From His dwelling place, He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth. Psalm 33:13-14

Omnipresence means that God is everywhere, not just that he has a throne in one place in the center of the universe and then is diffuse with distance like the power of the sun. Rather, his presence and power are everywhere, filling the whole world, from the furthest reaches of the universe to the smallest subatomic particles in your fingertip; God has chosen to be part of it all. We need to stop and meditate upon this truth because there are some stunning ramifications.

For starters, God’s presence everywhere means that he is never anxious, nor surprised, nor panicked. You probably know people who are panickers and walk around like they are in a constant state of shock. They are usually waiting for the proverbial “other shoe” to drop from the sky and go around in a state of doubt and suspicion. But God never says, “I didn’t see that one coming!” God the Father never has to huddle up the Trinity to figure something out that just happened. Why? Because he is everywhere at the same time. He always sees it coming.

This reality also means that whether your life is in the middle of a storm or you are on top of a mountain, you have not been forgotten, and God is not unaware of your situation. God not only sees you from heaven, but he is with you on earth, right beside you. Maybe you’ve been in a dark season of your life for years; the omnipresence of God means that God is with you, and you are not forgotten.

I think about how David writes about this amazing and beautiful reality in Psalm 139.

⁷ Where could I go from your Spirit? Where could I run and hide from your face? ⁸ If I go up to heaven, you’re there! If I go down to the realm of the dead, you’re there too! ⁹ If I fly with wings into the shining dawn, you’re there! If I fly into the radiant sunset, you’re there waiting! ¹⁰ Wherever I go, your hand will guide me; your strength will empower me. ¹¹ It’s impossible to disappear from you or to ask the darkness to hide me, for your presence is everywhere, bringing light into my night. ¹² There is no such thing as darkness with you. The night, to you, is as bright as the day; there’s no difference between the two. Psalm 139:7-12 TPT

The good news is that you can take comfort in the fact that God sees you, knows you, and cares about you right where you are, wherever you are. Even amidst your greatest fears, failures, and sins, God’s grace and love are there with you through it all. That is an amazing thought in itself: that nothing is hidden from God’s view, not even our innermost thoughts.

Now, with these thoughts, we can get to the issue of time and creation.

What Christians call ‘creation’ is fundamentally, inescapably, and entirely temporal. Humans, too, are temporal beings. As such, understanding the nature of time has been a philosophical pursuit since the pre-Socratic philosophers. Theologians have not been exempted from this interest, and thus, unsurprisingly, reflection on God’s relation to time similarly spans back many hundreds of years. In fact, one might argue that the topic ‘God and Time’ underlies almost all key theological debates, for two reasons. First, because the nature of God’s relation to time concerns the relationship between creator and creation, a core component of the bedrock of theology. Second, because understanding whether God is temporal or atemporal (an adjective that means existing outside or independent of time. It describes something that is unaffected by the passage of time, timeless, or unchanging, meaning it cannot be pinned down to a specific era or chronological sequence) enables insight into what the mind of God might be like. Determining God’s temporal status can inform us about issues ranging from incarnation to omniscience, from divine action to omnipotence. Thus, understanding the topic ‘God and time’ is integral for many (arguably most) important theological pursuits.

To begin with, what is time, and why are we subject to its oftentimes harsh burdens? After his conversion from atheism, C.S. Lewis discovered some comforting truths about time and the limits of time’s constraints. I have aimed at answering this question with as many of Lewis’ remarks on the subject as possible, and I have found him extremely helpful and useful in understanding the issue. I hope you’ll agree!

Each year, the four seasons seem to pass more rapidly. Before I knew it, my parents got old and passed away, and I had grown children of my own. In retrospect, it all happens in the proverbial flash. Ultimately, there will come a day when each of our lives reach their own “winter,” and even our most precious memories drift away from us in time’s relentless breeze.

As you think about your own life, do you sometimes think too much about the Past or the Future, and not chiefly attend to the Present and Eternity?

Lewis answers that very question in his essay “Historicism.” He acknowledges that too often we become slaves to the regrets of our past and the dread of challenges awaiting us in the future. He reminds Christians that “God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4). Therefore, Lewis encourages us to throw off the bondage of past and future, since “where, except in the present, can the Eternal be met?”

Janie Cheaney recently wrote “Eternity in Our Hearts” for World Magazine. Inspired by Saint Augustine and C.S. Lewis, it is subtitled “What if time astonishes us because we are meant to one day live outside of it.”

In Mere Christianity, Lewis describes our universal human experience. “Our life comes to us moment by moment. One moment disappears before the next comes along, and there is room for very little in each. That is what Time is like.” He then describes just how limited our perspective is.

And of course, you and I tend to take it for granted that this Time series – this arrangement of past, present, and future – is not simply the way life comes to us but the way all things really exist. We tend to assume that the whole universe and God himself are always moving on from past to future just as we do. But many learned men do not agree with that. Almost certainly, God is not in Time. His life does not consist of moments following one another.

If you picture Time as a straight line along which we have to travel, then you must picture God as the whole page on which the line is drawn. We come to the parts of the line one by one: we have to leave A behind before we get to B, and cannot reach C until we leave B behind. God, from above or outside or all around, contains the whole line, and sees it all.

In Miracles, C.S. Lewis describes God’s transcendence over time as our Creator’s “eternal Now.” It is probable that Nature is not really in Time and almost certain that God is not. Time is probably (like perspective) the mode of our perception. There is, therefore, in reality, no question of God’s at one point in time (the moment of creation) adapting the material history of this universe in advance to free acts which you or I are to perform at a later point in Time.

To Him, all the physical events and all the human acts are present in an eternal Now. The liberation of finite wills and the creation of the whole material history of the universe (related to the acts of those wills in all the necessary complexity) is to Him a single operation. In this sense, God did not create the universe long ago but creates it at this minute – at every minute.

That is pretty deep. The sort of stuff that philosophers love to ponder and debate. Even before his conversion to Christianity, while still clinging to his formal atheism, Lewis contemplated time’s role in existence. In 1918, he wrote to his close friend Arthur Greeves about these matters.

You see the conviction is gaining ground on me that after all Spirit does exist; and that we come in contact with the spiritual element by means of these “thrills.” I fancy that there is Something right outside time & place, which did not create matter, as the Christians say, but is matter’s great enemy: and that Beauty is the call of the spirit in that something to the spirit in us. You see how frankly I admit that my views have changed.

Sheldon Vanauken (1914-1996) was an American author who preserved in A Severe Mercy several of C.S. Lewis’ letters of consolation following the death of Sheldon’s wife. In some ways, the Vanauken story foreshadowed Lewis’ own marriage and widowhood. Pointing toward the Resurrection, Lewis wrote the following.

You say the materialist universe is “ugly.” I wonder how you discovered that! If you are really a product of a materialistic universe, how is it you don’t feel at home there? Do fish complain of the sea for being wet? Or if they did, would that fact itself not strongly suggest that they had not always been, or would not always be, purely aquatic creatures?

Notice how we are perpetually surprised at Time. (“How time flies! Fancy John being grown-up & married! I can hardly believe it!”) In heaven’s name, why? Unless, indeed, there is something in us which is not temporal. C.S. Lewis writes much more about time, but we will conclude here with two passages that use the metaphor of author to describe God’s nature. The first comes from an essay entitled “The Seeing Eye.”

My point is that, if God does exist, He is related to the universe more as an author is related to a play than as one object in the universe is related to another. If God created the universe, He created space-time, which is to the universe as the metre is to a poem or the key is to music.

To look for Him as one item within the framework which He Himself invented is nonsensical. If God – such a God as any adult religion believes in – exists, mere movement in space will never bring you any nearer to Him or any farther from Him than you are at this very moment.

You can neither reach Him nor avoid Him by travelling to Alpha Centauri or even to other galaxies. A fish is no more, and no less, in the sea after it has swum a thousand miles than it was when it set out.

This final quotation appears in Mere Christianity. It is most certainly true, and I hope that all who read this post will come to celebrate this joy. Both now, and for eternity.

God is not hurried along in the Time-stream of this universe any more than an author is hurried along in the imaginary time of his own novel. He has infinite attention to spare for each one of us.

He does not have to deal with us in the mass. You are as much alone with Him as if you were the only being He had ever created. When Christ died, He died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only man in the world.