What does it mean that God is omnipresent?

Answer

The prefix omni- comes from Latin and means “all.” Therefore, stating that God is omnipresent means that God is present everywhere. In various faiths, God is seen as omnipresent. In Judaism and Christianity, this belief is divided into the transcendence and immanence of God. While God is not completely merged with creation (pantheism), He is present everywhere at all times.

God’s presence is constant throughout all creation, although it may not manifest uniformly to everyone simultaneously. There are moments when He is actively present in one situation but may not reveal His presence in another circumstance elsewhere. The Bible illustrates that God can be visibly present to an individual (Psalm 46:1;Isaiah 57:15) and present in every situation across creation at any moment (Psalm 33:13-14). Omnipresence is God’s attribute of being present in all time and space dimensions. Although God is present in every time and place, He is not confined to any specific location. God is omnipresent, existing everywhere and at every moment. No particle is too small for God to be fully present, and no galaxy is too vast for God to encompass. Even if creation were removed, God would still be aware of it, as He knows all potentialities, whether realized or not.

God is inherently present in every aspect of the natural order, in every way, time, and location (Isaiah 40:12;Nahum 1:3). God is actively present in each historical event as the providential guide of human affairs

(Psalm 48:7;2 Chronicles 20:37;Daniel 5:5-6). God is particularly attentive to those who call upon His name, intercede for others, adore Him, petition, and earnestly pray for forgiveness “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”, (Psalm 46:1). Most importantly, He is present in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ “and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.”, (Colossians 2:19), and mystically present in the universal church that spans the earth and against which the gates of hell will not prevail.

Just as God’s omniscience presents apparent paradoxes due to human mind limitations, so does His omnipresence. One significant paradox is the presence of God in hell, where the wicked suffer the relentless fury of God due to their sin. Many argue that hell is a place of separation from God “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”, (Matthew 25:41), and if so, then God cannot be in a place separated from Him. However, the wicked in hell endure His eternal anger, as Revelation 14:10 describes the torment of the wicked in the presence of the Lamb. The idea of God being present where the wicked are said to be departed causes consternation. Nevertheless, this paradox can be explained by the fact that God can be present—since He fills all things with His presence “and he is before all things, and by him a…”

All things consist.” (Colossians 1:17) and upholds everything by the word of His power, “who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” (Hebrews 1:3)—yet He is not necessarily everywhere to bless.

Just as God is sometimes separated from His children because of sin, “Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 52:9), and He is far from the wicked, “The LORD is far from the wicked: But he heareth the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15:29) and orders the godless subjects of darkness to depart at the end of time to a place of eternal punishment, God is still there in the midst. He knows what those souls suffer who are now in hell; He knows their anguish, their cries for respite, their tears and grief for the eternal state that they find themselves in. He is there in every way as a perpetual reminder to them of their sin which has created a chasm from every blessing that might be otherwise granted. He is there in every way, but He displays no attribute other than His wrath.

Likewise, He will also be in heaven, manifesting every blessing that we cannot even begin to comprehend here; He will be there displaying His manifold blessing, His manifold love, and His manifold kindness—indeed, everything other than His wrath. The omnipresence of God should serve to remind us that we cannot hide from God when we have sinned.

Even though darkness may surround us (Psalm 139:11-12), we can still turn back to God through repentance and faith without needing to physically move. “For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the souls I have made” (Isaiah 57:16).