When Solomon was dedicating the newly-built Temple - he asked this question in the midst of his prayer: "But will God really dwell on earth with men?" He goes on to explain that even the highest heavens cannot contain God - so how can we expect Him to be contained in a Temple...
It's a great question - that can be answered in two ways: the Omnipresence of God and the Incarnation of Jesus.
Omnipresence means that God is everywhere at all times. There is nothing that can contain him. While he has a form (or more specifically - while he can take a form), he is not limited by time or space as we are. This is not to be confused with the Eastern religious belief that God is in everything - but simply that God cannot be contained in anything - especially considering that he made everything we know.
The Incarnation is a theological term meaning that Jesus came down from Heaven and chose to live among us in the form of a human. I often say that Jesus is 100% God and 100% human - even though I don't fully understand how - that's what I believe (based on the Bible and centuries of Christian thought).
So to answer Solomon's question: Yes - God will choose to live among us! He has - he still is - and in the end - he will permanently make his dwelling place here - in the New Jerusalem - on the newly re-created earth. Praise be to God!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
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