Hi Gino,
Thank you for your comments. Concerning the impact of the incarnation
on the omnipresence of Jesus Christ, we should first ask whether it is
even possible for Jesus Christ to choose to be entirely in one place at one time? Or, because He is also God, is it impossible for Him not to be omnipresent?
Before I give you my answer to that, let me give you a parallel
situation: Omniscience is another attribute of God. So why do we hear
Jesus saying the following:
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matthew 24:36.
But how can this be if God is omniscient and Jesus is God? Or, did
Jesus choose to enter into a certain level of ignorance when He became
incarnate?
Because I believe in the Trinity, I have no problem with the concept of
Jesus purposely confining Himself to the parameters of a human body. For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 1:37.
Only Jesus (not the whole Godhead) became like us. And He is still a man today.
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same;
that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death,
that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all
their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining
to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that
he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that
are tempted. Hebrews 2:14-18.
It
is because of His willingness to become like us that I believe that the
incarnate Jesus was not in more than one place at one time. It was a
matter of choice.
Your Question
You asked: "Yes, as incarnate, he was fully man, but he was still fully God. He never ceased being God, therefore he always was and always will be omnipresent. How can the omnipresent God not be in heaven?"
And you cited this passage in support: Jesus
answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest
not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do
know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If
I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye
believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. John 3:10-13.
Please
take a closer look at verse 13. It says that no man has ascended into
heaven except the one who came down from heaven. Well, at the time of
this conversation with Nicodemus, had Jesus Christ ascended into
heaven?
NO, and He would not do so until after His death and resurrection.
(See John 20:17.) So, Jesus is speaking about a future event here.
Now, after His ascension, He can be found in heaven.
The Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent Trinity
So, let's switch gears and talk about the divine nature of the
Trinity. I agree with the basic tenet that God is omniscient,
omnipotent and omnipresent. So, how can I reconcile this to what I have
just said about Jesus Christ?
Well, it is my understanding that the Godhead is the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit. But for the sake of this discussion, please allow me to
call the Son "the Word." (Because Jesus became the Son at the
incarnation, but He preexisted as the Word.) I believed that these
distinctions in the Godhead must be maintained.
" There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Ephesians 4:4-6.
So, the Father is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, but as the
Father.
The Word is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, but as the Word.
The Spirit is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, but as the Spirit.
The Omnipresent Word
Although there is only one Spirit in the Godhead, I think that people
assume that the Word must be omnipresent in the same way as the Holy
Spirit. I do not believe that is the case.
In some mystical way, Jesus the Word is also the word of God oral and
written. We know that the word of God is eternal. (See Isaiah 40:8.)
We know that the word is alive and powerful. (See Hebrews 4:12.)
And that all creation was made by the Word and the word. (See Genesis
1:1-3; Psalm 33:6; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-20.) And that we come to
faith through hearing the word. (See Romans 10:17.)
Remember that the word of God does not become void. (See Isaiah
55:11.) Once it is expressed, it is here to stay. It is omnipresent.
"What
and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It
is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:62-62.
See,
He said that His words are spirit! And that is how Jesus Christ can be
in one place and at one time, and still be omnipresent. His words
every single one of them are and will be omnipresent.
" God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 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; Being made so much better than the angels, as he
hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." Hebrews
1:1-4.
Jesus upholds "all things by the word of his power." Clearly, the
Word is omnipresent through the word.
Conclusion
I
hope that this post made sense; this is a difficult subject. I
heartily agree that we human beings will never be able to comprehend God
fully. And to be honest, that is a comfort. I wouldn't want God to be
simple enough for me to understand :)
God bless you in your studies.
Lisa Taylor