God is with us

[Chris]

I suppose I should start with what I think we all believe to be true.

God does not indwell the unsaved person.

    2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
 

God exists at all times at the same time.  God is present today and also exists prior to Abraham at this moment.


John 8:58 KJV
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.


The part I'm not understanding is if God is not in the lost person, how could you say he is everywhere?

I see now rereading psalm 139:8 that the passage could be believed to mean that if David were to be lost, dead and in hell, God would be there.

If that is what the verse is saying, I could understand the belief that God is present everywhere and even in the presence of evil.  I still would not understand how to reconcile God not being in the sinner and being present everywhere.  If that is what the bible teaches, I am not more wise than God.  He is right. I am wrong.

[anvilhauler]

I suppose I should start with what I think we all believe to be true.

God does not indwell the unsaved person.

    2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
 

God exists at all times at the same time.  God is present today and also exists prior to Abraham at this moment.


John 8:58 KJV
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.


The part I'm not understanding is if God is not in the lost person, how could you say he is everywhere?

I see now rereading psalm 139:8 that the passage could be believed to mean that if David were to be lost, dead and in hell, God would be there.

If that is what the verse is saying, I could understand the belief that God is present everywhere and even in the presence of evil.  I still would not understand how to reconcile God not being in the sinner and being present everywhere.  If that is what the bible teaches, I am not more wise than God.  He is right. I am wrong.

Although God is everywhere, under the old covenant a man (the high priest) met with God once a year in the holy of holies first in the tabernacle and then in the temple when that was built to replace the tabernacle.  Under the new covenant and following the rending from top to bottom of the curtain to the holy of holies when Christ was crucified, the Spirit of God no longer resides in a building made with the hands of man but now resides in us.  As under the old covenant there is a difference between God being everywhere because of His very nature and His wishing to personally reside in a particular place (i.e. in us) and being close to man. 

Although Christ is now in us we still pray to God the Father in Heaven (although He is one and the same) just as Jesus did even though He was God in the flesh.  Although God is in Heaven which is a different realm than the physical world we live in that doesn't mean that we need to look to the heavens and upper atmosphere and the starry host to talk to God as He is here and very close at all times.

I'll always have a particular impression of being surrounded by God.  When I was in reconnaissance (twelve in the recon platoon) we were on an excercise one day in the middle of nowhere in scrappy bush.  It came over the radio from the platoon commander that we were all to move to a particular map reference immediately.  What??  All that we were doing just called to an abrupt end like that.  We all met up and his patrol had just spotted a guy way out there planting marijuana.  The excercise was now to observe and move in on the guy by stealth.  We moved in from all directions and surrounded him and he was totally unaware that we were even there.  He probably thought the nearest people would have been miles and miles away.  The commander asked him "what do you think you're doing?"  The guy just about leapt out of his skin.  We were all totally cammed up and it was really entertaining to see the guy look around totally bewildered and see all of us standing around him in a circle and pointing M16's at him.  That was a good day.

You might not think God is there but He's all around you alright and much much closer than you might think.

Anyway, I hope you liked reading a little snippet of a part of my life when I was a soldier.

[Dee Babbitt]

Although God is everywhere, under the old covenant a man (the high priest) met with God once a year in the holy of holies first in the tabernacle and then in the temple when that was built to replace the tabernacle.  Under the new covenant and following the rending from top to bottom of the curtain to the holy of holies when Christ was crucified, the Spirit of God no longer resides in a building made with the hands of man but now resides in us.  As under the old covenant there is a difference between God being everywhere because of His very nature and His wishing to personally reside in a particular place (i.e. in us) and being close to man. 

Although Christ is now in us we still pray to God the Father in Heaven (although He is one and the same) just as Jesus did even though He was God in the flesh.  Although God is in Heaven which is a different realm than the physical world we live in that doesn't mean that we need to look to the heavens and upper atmosphere and the starry host to talk to God as He is here and very close at all times.

I'll always have a particular impression of being surrounded by God.  When I was in reconnaissance (twelve in the recon platoon) we were on an excercise one day in the middle of nowhere in scrappy bush.  It came over the radio from the platoon commander that we were all to move to a particular map reference immediately.  What??  All that we were doing just called to an abrupt end like that.  We all met up and his patrol had just spotted a guy way out there planting marijuana.  The excercise was now to observe and move in on the guy by stealth.  We moved in from all directions and surrounded him and he was totally unaware that we were even there.  He probably thought the nearest people would have been miles and miles away.  The commander asked him "what do you think you're doing?"  The guy just about leapt out of his skin.  We were all totally cammed up and it was really entertaining to see the guy look around totally bewildered and see all of us standing around him in a circle and pointing M16's at him.  That was a good day.

You might not think God is there but He's all around you alright and much much closer than you might think.

Anyway, I hope you liked reading a little snippet of a part of my life when I was a soldier.

Kevin, thank you for a very enjoyable snippet of your life when you were a soldier.  By your description, I was able to picture everything as it happened.  And it is helpful, and i am able to relate this to how God is around us.  And how those of us who are saved, He is much closer...He dwells in us. 

I am thankful to God, for giving Christopher and Kevin words of wisdom, and thankful for the discernment they have. 
The way their explanations come out, make it so clear to understand.

[anvilhauler]

Kevin, thank you for a very enjoyable snippet of your life when you were a soldier.  By your description, I was able to picture everything as it happened.  And it is helpful, and i am able to relate this to how God is around us.  And how those of us who are saved, He is much closer...He dwells in us. 

I am thankful to God, for giving Christopher and Kevin words of wisdom, and thankful for the discernment they have. 
The way their explanations come out, make it so clear to understand.

Thanks Dee.  It is good to know that even some words have made things more bearable at this difficult time you're having to go through.