One mind-bending thing about God is that he is both transcendent (way up there) and adjacent (nearby)
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Though we've already given it away in the sub-title, here's a quick riddle for you:
What (or who) is both up and down at the same time?
It can't be a ladder. It can't be an elevator. It can't be a building. It can't be a gauge. It can't be an arm. No, all of these examples can exist only in one position or another, up or down.
The answer? God
Only God can at one and the same time be up while also being down.
The Triune God (Father, Son, and Spirit) is both transcendent (beyond the universe or material existence) and adjacent (within the limits of possible experience or knowledge). He is both above the sun and under the sun.
He is beyond all the turmoil of this world, yet he is also in the middle of it with us.
Why does it matter? Because if God was just up there, we could not have a relationship with him. He would not be accessible to us. He would be unknowable and unrelatable.
This is exactly the concept that many people have of God. He's like like the boss of a big company whose office is up on the highest floor of the building and the door is always closed and locked.
That's not God.
But if he were just down here, this would also be a problem. If he completely abandoned his throne in Heaven and lived only on earth, that would limit his perspective and power to care for his Creation.
That's not God either.
Heaven Came Down
In Jesus, God descended to meet us where we live. He left his glorious space in the heavenlies to come meet us in our space on this sin-cursed planet. It was quite a drop, to say the least.
But he didn't just hurry down and save us and then rush back to his lofty perch on high. No, he lingers with us. He remains. By his Spirit, he abides with us. As my kids would say, he's hanging out with us.
There's a beautiful description of this mysterious truth in Isaiah 57, where the prophet says:
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
"I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite. -Isaiah 57:15
The "and" is highlighted because it joins two seemingly paradoxical statements, that God is "in the high and holy place" and also with the "lowly." How amazing it is that God is beyond the galaxies, but he's also down here in the dirt. He is large and in charge yet he is with the humble, the downtrodden, and the broken-hearted. He exists in the sweet by and by, but he's also here in the nitty gritty grind.
So, is God up there or down here? Praise him, he is both up there and down here.
One and the Same
At the end of the Bible, there's a beautiful promise that one day God will create a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem. At that point, his throne will come down and suddenly what was up there will be down here, right in front of us, within view and within our reach.
And someone will say:
"Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." (Revelation 21:3-4)
And the riddle will be solved for eternity.
It's a new day with God. Run with it.
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