神的無所不在  The Omnipresence of God

作者: 史鮑爾 (R.C. Sproul) 译者: 姚錦榮

摘自《神學入門》《Essential Truths of the Christian Faith》P39 ,更新傳道會出版

所謂靈魂出竅，只是一種幻覺而已。有人宣稱他能夠離開身體，漫遊美加，行訪印度、不用坐火車，駕飛機，乘輪船，說這話的人若不是自欺，就是個騙子。再說，縱使一個人的靈魂真能出竅，漫遊地球各處，這行程也只限於一次去到一個地點。人的靈魂是有限的，無論現在或將來，人的靈魂都不能在同一時間出現在不同的地點。只有無限的靈才無所不在（omnipresence)。

談到神的無所不在，我們通常是指神存在於所有的地方，沒有一個地方是神不在那裏的，也就是說，神無處不在。但從另一面而言，神是個靈，祂不像其他物體那樣占用空間，祂不具占用空間的物性。要理解這個似非而是的概念，我們便需要以另一個維度的觀念來思考，神與我們的阻隔不是因時間或空間所造成的阻隔；要想與神相會，不是「哪裏」或「何時」的問題。要想進到神的面前，我們就得進入另一個不同的維度。

第二個有關神無所不在的問題也是我們常常忽略的，「無所」不單指神的處所，也指神在一處的量度：神不單存在於所有的地方，祂也是豐豐滿滿地存於每一個地方，我們稱此為無垠性（immensity)。住在紐約和莫斯科的信徒，能同時享受到同一位無垠的神。神的無垠性不是形容神體積之大，而是說祂有能力，能全然而豐滿地存在於每一處地方。

神無所不在的教義使我們對祂心生敬畏。然而這教義不但使人敬畏，也帶給人安慰。我們可以確信，神對我們每時都有不分割的關注。我們不用列隊候駕，也不用安排約會朝見神；當我們與神相會時，祂不會被地球上別處的事情打擾，以致無暇理會我們。但這教義對不信神的人來說，卻不是安慰的信息，因為人無法逃離神的面，宇宙中沒有一個角落是沒有神的----------連地獄中的惡人也並不是和神分離的，他們只是遠離神的福氣而已，神的忿怒不停地隨著他們。

大衛在詩篇很多地方宣揚神無所不在的榮耀，其中一段詩句概括地講述了這教義的精華：「  我往哪裡去躲避你的靈？我往哪裡逃躲避你的面？ 我若升到天上，你在那裡；我若在陰間下榻，你也在那裡。我若展開清晨的翅膀，飛到海極居住，就是在那裡，你的手必引導我，你的右手也必扶持我。」（詩一三九7－10）

總結

1. 只有無限的靈才能無所不在。

2. 神不受時間和空間的限制。神的實存是超越時間和空間的。

3. 神的無所不在包含祂的無垠性，這是指神能在所有時間和所有空間中都豐滿的存在。

4. 神的無所不在對信徒來說是一種安慰，對於不信的人卻是可怖的。

思考經文

王上八27；伯十一7-9；耶廿三23-24；徒十七22-31

14. THE OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD

Astral projection is a fantasy. People may make claims that they can leave their bodies and make junkets to California or India and return without the benefit of trains, planes, or ships, but they are either deluded or deceitful when they make such claims. Yet even if the soul or spirit of a person could be so “projected” to wander the globe, such trips could include only one stop at a time. Our human spirits are still finite spirits and are not now, nor ever will be, capable of being in more than one place at the same time. Only an infinite Spirit is capable of omnipresence.

When we speak of God’s omnipresence we usually mean that His presence is in all places. There is no place where God is not. Yet, as spirit, God does not occupy any place, in the sense that physical objects occupy space. He has no physical qualities that can occupy space. The key to understanding this paradox is to think in terms of another dimension. The barrier between God and us is not a barrier of space or time. To meet God, there is not a “where” to go or a “when” to occur. To be in the immediate presence of God is to step into another dimension.

There is a second aspect to God’s omnipresence that we often overlook. The “omni” relates not only to the places where God is, but also to how  much of Him is in any given place. God is not only present in all places but God is fully present in every place. This is called His immensity. Believers living in New York enjoy the fullness of the presence of God while believers in Moscow enjoy that same presence. His immensity, then, does not refer to His size, but to His ability to be fully present everywhere.

The doctrine of God’s omnipresence appropriately fills us with awe. In

addition to the reverence it engenders, the doctrine also proves to be

comforting. We can always be certain of God’s undivided attention. We don’t ever need to stand in line or make an appointment to be with God. When we are in God’s presence, He is not preoccupied with events on the other side of the world. The doctrine is, of course, not at all comforting to the nonbeliever. There is no place to hide from God. There is no corner of the universe where God is not. The wicked in hell are not separated from God, only from His benevolence. His wrath is with them constantly.

David, who often extolled the glory of God’s omnipresence in the Psalms, gives us a poetic summary of this doctrine: Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and You right hand shall hold me. (Psalm 139:7-10)

Summary

1. Only an infinite Spirit can be omnipresent.

2. God is not bound by time or space. His Being transcends time and

space.

3. God’s omnipresence includes His immensity by which He is able to be present in His fullness at all times and in all places.

4. God’s omnipresence is a comfort to the believer and a terror to the

unbeliever.

Biblical passages for reflection:

1 Kings 8:27

Job 11:7-9

Jeremiah 23:23-24

Acts 17:22-31