“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:23 NIV)
From a theological perspective, transcendence is outside the universe, time, and consciousness, while immanence exists within. When we speak of the transcendence of God, we are saying that this Higher power is beyond everything we experience or comprehend. When we speak of the immanence of God, we are talking about a personal God, an indwelling Spirit.
Most world religions agree on the transcendence of God. It is easier to accept that somewhere out there, beyond human understanding, there is an indescribable Energy. When bad things happen, a distant, detached, uninvolved God makes more sense than a loving God who is nearby but refuses to intervene. A personal, accessible God can be scary to some. It’s like living with a parent who is unpredictable. Can we trust that His plans will be for our best? Why would He allow so much suffering and injustice? And if God is immanent, why can’t everyone sense His presence?
I don’t know the answers to these questions.
I sense that God is both transcendent and immanent. He is beyond comprehension, but also accessible. He is bigger than the universe, yet He made himself small for our sake. I am taking God at His word. He is Immanuel. He is with us. He is for us.
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