Reformed Church Box Hill

Scripture Alone

Faith Alone

Grace Alone

Christ Alone

Glory to God Alone

31 January 2021

The God without limits (God is Infinite – Pt 1).

“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven – what can you do? Deeper than Sheol – what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea” Job 11:7-9.

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable” Psalm 145:3.

“Lord, how great is our dilemma! In Thy presence silence best becomes us, but love inflames our hearts and constrains us to speak. Were we to hold our peace the stones would cry out; yet if we speak, what shall we say? Teach us to know that we cannot know, for the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Let faith support us where reason fails, and we shall think because we believe, not in order that we may believe. In Jesus’ name. Amen” (Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy, p.7).

     Q. What does it mean to say that God is limitless?

          A. To say that God is limitless means that He is infinitely boundless, incomprehensible, perfect, unchangeable, and incomparable in all His being, attributes, and works.

How can we begin to speak of someone who is beyond the ability of our words to express?  In our words and thoughts, we always need categories so that our mind can begin to understand what we’re talking about.  When I say the word “car”, for example, you can immediately associate that word with a slew of related concepts: “transport”, “movement”, “technology”, “roads”, “traffic lights”, and so on.  It is something we can very clearly grasp in our minds.  We can get our heads around the idea of a “car.”  The difficulty with beginning to speak about God is that He infinitely transcends all known categories.  

We need look no further than the very first words of the Bible to be confronted with this truth: “In the beginning, God created…”.  Immediately our minds are defeated aren’t they?  Life as we know it was created by God, but before even that God Himself existed.  But what does that truly mean?  How can our minds even begin to conceive of the possibility?  Existence before the universe even started?  It’s beyond anything that we’ve ever experienced!  And so those first words of Genesis reveal the truth very clearly: God stands outside of and above all our categories of thought, experience, and understanding. “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven – what can you do? Deeper than Sheol – what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea” (Job 11:7-9). “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3).  As King Solomon considered building the Temple, he thus rightly said: “But who is able to build Him (God) a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him?” (2 Chronicles 2:6).

The passages above clearly teach us that God is above and beyond our limits in every way – He transcends us.  To us, His greatness truly is “unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3).  But is it really true that He actually is limitless and infinite?  While scripture doesn’t use the word “infinite”, it does clearly express the idea in various ways.  For example, in Isaiah 40:28 God is called the “everlasting” God.  As an everlasting being, He is necessarily a being without limit or end to his existence.  His life is both limitless and infinite.  Psalm 147:5, in a similar way, clearly shows us that there is no limit to His understanding: “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure.”  His understanding, in other words, is infinite and limitless – it cannot be measured, for it has no bounds!  As you consider various other attributes of God, we see a similarly limitless nature in His being.  In the words of the theologian Matthew Barrett: “God is his perfections in infinite measure” (Barrett, None Greater, p.47).  God is His perfections in infinite measure.  As we come to know who God is, an infinite progression of new vistas open before us, continually declaring and revealing a broader view of His boundless excellence.

     Q. How ought we to benefit from the doctrine of God’s infinitude?

          A. The doctrine of God’s infinitude ought to humble us before God as our Maker, awe us by His majesty, inspire us in seeking Him, and increasingly delight us in knowing Him.

     Q. How ought the doctrine of God’s infinitude to humble us before Him and awe us at His majesty?

          A. By showing us that, as our Maker, God infinitely transcends us in every way, and that His excellence is beyond all human measure, limit, and comprehension.

When you meet another person who is obviously your superior, there is a certain awe that comes with it.  When we see sports stars excelling in their game, we marvel at what they can achieve.  If you were to meet one of those athletes, you might well be a bit star-struck! In the presence of God, however, we come before One whose excellence infinitely excels anything human.  A scientist may achieve great things, but can he set a new star in the heavens?  A biologist may make an astounding medical breakthrough, but could he conceive and design (much less construct!) an eye?  God’s infinite capacities are on display before us in all His creation.  His being and works operate on a far higher plane than mere human achievement, and yet He exceeds even this.  For example, can we begin to conceive of existence without time?  Can we get beyond even the dimmest idea of what it means for Him to exist as a spiritual being?  And as we begin consider His attributes, our mind bends further still.  For example, could we ever truly fathom an infinite mind?  Could we ever even begin to comprehend an all-powerful spiritual being?  We must confess that our frail minds are defeated before we even ask the question.  God’s excellency is beyond all measure and comprehension.

In our sinfulness, sadly, these things often fail to dawn upon our darkened hearts.  When we stand in the presence of human greatness, it unfailingly moves us in some way.   When we stand in the presence of divine majesty, which we always do, we might yawn and think about what’s for dinner.  Oh wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Why not pray with me now?

“Lord, we can speak theologically correct words about who You are. We can use words like “infinite” and get some sort of idea in our minds about what that means. But to be truly humbled and awed in Your presence, we need the gracious intervention of Your Holy Spirit.  Oh Lord, though we scarcely even know what we are asking for, yet we ask it still: show us Your glory.  Please bring us to our knees in worship and adoration by a true spiritual perception of Your majesty.  Cause us to be moved in our affection toward You as we begin to understand who You are.  Please cause us to know You, and transform our hearts and lives that we may be fully devoted to You in every way.  Lord thank You for making us.  Thank You for revealing Yourself to us, who are but dust in the scale, quickly blown away.  Thank You that You so far transcend us, and that we may seek You as our God through Christ Jesus our Lord. In His name we pray,  Amen.”