God Is Infinite
Part 2 of a 15-part series on the attributes of God.
God is infinite. This means He has always been. He is infinite in existence:
"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Psalm 90:2, KJV
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8, KJV
He is infinite in His reach:
"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." Psalm 139:7-10, KJV
He is infinite in His power and understanding:
"Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite." Psalm 147:5, KJV
Whatever the attribute of God, it is infinite — beyond all measure and comprehension.
God Transcends His Creation
Because God is infinite, we must also understand that He exists outside of creation. This is called "transcendence." God is not in creation — that would make Him finite. He exists outside and separate from His creation as a uniquely infinite Being. The disciples understood this when Jesus calmed the waters of Galilee.
"On that day, when evening had come, he told them, 'Let's cross over to the other side of the sea.' So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, 'Teacher! Don't you care that we're going to die?' He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Silence! Be still!' The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then he said to them, 'Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?' And they were terrified and asked one another, 'Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!'" Mark 4:35-41, CSB
Only an infinite, transcendent God can command the elements and expect them to obey. The last part of the book of Job is all about God's control over every aspect of creation. And the demons — God's sworn enemies — were duty-bound to bow before Him every time Jesus appeared. A God subject to creation, because He was part of it, couldn't hold that kind of sway over all things. Only an infinite God who exists outside of creation can do that.
What Does This Mean for Me?
Man is the only member of creation who can choose to worship God of his own free will. Man is the only member of creation God has chosen to redeem. Man is the only member of creation the Son of Man came to seek and to save.
The all-powerful, infinite God of heaven — who has no need of me — has troubled Himself to save me, and sacrificed His own Son to do it.
People get excited when a celebrity notices them. That's nothing compared to the infinite, eternal God noticing me.
"What is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him?" Psalm 8:4, CSB
"Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight. Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Luke 12:6-7, CSB
— Brother Glenn
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.