While there are many
theological hypotheses and models to describe God, I have found this
one to be the most useful for my own personal understanding. Is it
absolutely necessary to one's salvation to understand God in this
way? No, of course not. But it does take all available data into
account, and in my opinion has great explanatory power, which is what
a good hypothesis should do.
First, we start with
“In the beginning God created...” Scripture teaches us that God
created the heavens and the Earth from nothing. If we are to
understand this as absolute nothing, then this is impossible.
Absolute nothing in the strictest sense is an impossibility because
prior to creation God was all that existed. It is therefore
impossible for God to create from absolute nothing if absolute
nothing does not exist. Therefore we must understand “nothing”,
not in the absolute sense, but in the sense of “no other created
thing.” This frees us to understand that during the creation event,
God used His own existence as the foundation for all created
existence.
How is this
possible?
Modern theoretical
physics tells us that all matter and energy in existence are
essentially one dimensional energy strings vibrating at a certain
frequency and with a certain spin. The differences in frequency and
spin determine which particle the string becomes. Those vibrations
are waves.
Here's the thing, in
order for any kind of a wave to exist, it must pass through a medium
as the wave is actually just a rhythmic disturbance moving through
the medium in question. For example, a sound wave must have air in
order to exist; an ocean wave must have an ocean in order to form, a
ripple in a pond must have a pond, etc.
Therefore, it isn't
too much of a leap to suggest that the medium in which all
“particles” of creation vibrate in order to achieve their “form”
is God Himself. This automatically gives us the divine attributes of
Omnipresence, Omniscience, and Omnipotence. He is literally
everywhere and is in full “physical” contact with everything and
everyone, thus He is fully aware of everything that has happened and
as it is happening, and furthermore because of His relationship to
the creation, nothing is outside the scope of His power in terms of
modifying that creation in any way He sees fit.
This explanation
also fulfills the requirement that God be transcendent. That is, God
is unlike any created thing. He is completely “other”. It also
explains why no one has seen God (in terms of God the Father) at any
time. It is physically impossible for a created being to observe God
the Father in His “natural” state as that natural state
encompasses the observer's own existence.
The consequence of
this is that He knows everything every human being knows, and feels
everything every spiritual being, human being, animal, and plant
(i.e. every living thing) feels at all times. This direct, constant
contact with those thoughts and feelings would immediately result in
absolute compassion and understanding for those beings. What affects
us affects Him.
The Scriptures are
also clear that God is Eternal, without beginning and without end.
The first part of this is satisfied by the fact of His absolute mono
existence prior to the creation event. God is all that existed prior
to the existence of space and time.
Modern theoretical
physics teaches us that space and time are not separate entities but
merely four related dimensions among eleven. We know that all of
creation moves along at least these four dimensions, but prior to
creation, those dimensions could not have existed because God was all
that existed. Therefore, God is not bound by this dimensionality, and
does not move through it, rather these dimensions and everything
existing along them move through Him. Therefore, even if space and
time should cease their movement and cease to exist, this can in no
wise affect the existence of God.
This also leads to
the requirement that God be immutable. That is, He does not change.
Change requires movement of position from one point to another,
whether it is a point in time or a point in space. As was previously
stated, time and space move through Him. Therefore, He remains static
and motionless while the creation moves through Him.
The doctrine of the
Trinity teaches that God is three persons or hypostases in one being
or existence. The description I have given covers the first person of
the Trinity, that is, God the Father.
The second person of
the Trinity, God the Son, is, for lack of a better way of saying it,
God's avatar which He uses to allow His creation to interact with Him
on their terms. Ultimately this avatar was incarnated into a union of
God and human being, the God-Man Jesus Christ, for the purpose of
delivering humanity from their inherited malfunction.
The third person of
the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit, proceeding from God the Father, is
what is seen as the movement of God within His creation. The best way
I can explain this is by observing the sun. It appears to be in
motion across the sky, when in fact, relative to the Earth, the sun
is stationary and the Earth is in motion. Therefore, what we perceive
as His motion is in fact our motion as we interact with Him through
space and time.
For me, this model
fulfills all the theological requirements taught in the Christian
faith about the “what” of God. It also builds a picture of a God
who cannot truly be understood or contained by the human mind, but
who is immanently near and can fully understand and empathize with
us. Is it perfect? No, of course not. But as I stated at the
beginning, it is useful for my own personal understanding as
something my mind can at least work with in getting to know Him. I
hope it helps whoever reads this as well.
