Introduction: The God Who Comes Down

Among world religions, we notice a striking pattern: to reach God, humanity perpetually strives upward, through rituals, meditation, good works, or enlightenment. The Bible presents a radically different reality—a God who comes down. “God with us” isn’t just a comforting phrase; it’s the revolutionary truth that sets Christianity apart from every human religion. This is Immanuel—not a distant deity demanding we ascend to Him, but the sovereign God who descends in grace to seek and save His people. As Acts 17:27-28 declares, “He is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being.”

Immanuel: God’s Intimate Nearness Think of it this way: circles have a circumference and a centre. Where is God’s circumference? Nowhere. Where is God’s centre? Everywhere. He is as near to each of His chosen ones as if they were the only person in existence. This is not a God who waits on the mountaintop for worthy climbers, but One who comes down into our valleys of sin and death to reconcile us to Himself.

Bridging the Gap: God’s Sovereign Initiative in the Old Testament

Unlike the gods of human invention who demand that followers earn their way into divine favour, the God of Scripture demonstrates His sovereign grace by initiating contact with fallen humanity. He seeks fellowship with specific individuals while maintaining His absolute holiness and transcendence. Scripture affirms God seeks His people out, calling them out by name, irrespective of their spiritual condition:

• Adam: Rather than leaving Adam to hide in his shame, God sought him out in the garden, calling “Where are you?” This first demonstration of divine pursuit shows God’s commitment to restore fellowship even with those who’d rebelled against Him.
• Abraham: While Abraham was still an idolater in Ur, God sovereignly appeared to him and called him into covenant relationship. This unconditional election demonstrates how divine grace precedes any human merit or seeking after God.
• Jacob: Despite Jacob’s deceptive character, God appeared to him in a dream at Bethel and later wrestled with him at Peniel. These encounters show God’s persistent pursuit of His elect, even when they are running from Him.
• Joseph: In the depths of an Egyptian prison, God remained present with Joseph, giving him favour and interpreting dreams. This shows how God’s nearness transcends circumstances and human injustice to accomplish His sovereign purposes.
• Moses: God interrupted Moses’ self-imposed exile to commission him, appearing in the burning bush. Despite Moses’ protests and inadequacies, God’s persistent presence equipped him for the challenges ahead.
• David: Despite David’s grievous sins of adultery and murder, God took the initiative to send Nathan to restore him. This demonstrates how divine discipline flows from covenant love rather than mere judgement.
• Daniel and his friends: God physically manifested His presence in the furnace and sealed the lions’ mouths, showing His power to preserve His people even in extreme persecution.
• Isaiah: God’s calling of Isaiah before birth and his dramatic temple vision reveal both divine sovereignty in election and God’s holiness that doesn’t prevent His drawing near to sinful humans through gracious cleansing.

Immanuel: God’s Intimate Nearness This pattern of divine initiative powerfully demonstrates the Bible’s emphasis on God’s sovereign grace in salvation. Rather than waiting for fallen humanity to seek Him, God actively pursues His elect, working all things according to His eternal purpose in Christ.

The Seeking Saviour: Immanuel in the New Testament

The incarnation demonstrates God’s ultimate initiative in salvation—the Word became flesh, descending into our broken world to secure our redemption. In Jesus Christ, we see the perfect display of God’s sovereign grace, as He actively seeks and saves those whom the Father has given Him, not waiting for them to find their way to Him (John 6:37-39).

• The demon-possessed man (Mark 5): Jesus crossed a stormy sea specifically to reach one demon-tormented soul in the country of the Gadarenes. This dramatic pursuit shows how Christ sovereignly overcomes both natural and supernatural barriers to rescue His elect, even when they themselves are incapable of seeking Him.
• The Samaritan woman (John 4): Jesus deliberately went through Samaria, breaking cultural and religious barriers, to reach this social outcast at Jacob’s well. His sovereign timing and intentional engagement with her reveals how divine grace overcomes all human prejudices and religious divisions to accomplish God’s saving purpose.
• The disciples on the Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-35):Though these disciples were walking away from Jerusalem in confusion and unbelief, Jesus pursued them, joining their journey uninvited. His patient exposition of Scripture demonstrates how He illuminates minds and hearts, turning doubt into faith through His effectual teaching.
• Reinstating Peter and other disciples (John 21): After their cowardly desertion and denial, Jesus specifically sought out these failed disciples at the Sea of Galilee. By preparing breakfast and restoring Peter through a threefold affirmation of love, Christ shows how His gracious pursuit continues even after our greatest failures.
• Paul (Acts 9): While actively persecuting the church, Christ dramatically intercepted Saul on the Damascus road. This sovereign conversion of Christianity’s greatest enemy into its greatest apostle demonstrates how divine election operates independently of human merit or intention.
• Stephen (Acts 7): In his moment of martyrdom, Christ granted Stephen a vision of His glory, standing at God’s right hand. This extraordinary revelation shows how Christ’s sustaining presence remains with His people even in death, proving that nothing can separate us from His love.

These New Testament encounters powerfully illustrate the doctrines of grace. Each story demonstrates that salvation is not achieved through human effort or religious ritual, but through God’s sovereign, unconditional election and Christ’s effectual calling of His chosen ones. Faith itself is a gift of grace, produced by God’s initiative rather than human decision.

Immanuel: The Progressive Revelation of God’s Intimate Nearness

The Old Testament provides numerous promises and pictures of God’s nearness to His people. In Exodus 33:14, God assures Moses, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Isaiah 7:14 prophesies the coming Immanuel, while numerous Psalms celebrate the intimate presence of God with His people. These weren’t mere poetic expressions but covenantal guarantees of divine presence.

The pillar of cloud and fire served as an extraordinary (Exodus 13:17-22) visible manifestation of God’s presence during Israel’s wilderness journey. This phenomenon demonstrated God’s faithful guidance, protection, and presence with His covenant people 24/7. Yet significantly, while all Israel could see these signs, only Moses enjoyed direct communion with God—a limitation that pointed forward to a greater fulfillment.

Christ’s coming inaugurated a new and better covenant. While the pillar of cloud and fire was external and visible only to national Israel, the indwelling Holy Spirit provides an internal, personal, and universal presence for all God’s elect. Through the Spirit, we experience direct access to God without a mediator; internal guidance rather than external signs; personal communion rather than corporate observation; continuous presence rather than a localised manifestation; and heart transformation rather than mere physical direction. Yet even this blessed state is not the final chapter.

Revelation 21:3-4 promises an even bigger fulfillment: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.” This ultimate fulfillment will bring:

• Unhindered communion without the effects of indwelling sin
• Direct vision of God’s glory without need for faith
• Perfect fellowship without any separation
• Complete transformation into Christ’s likeness
• Eternal joy in God’s immediate presence

From the Reformed perspective, this progression demonstrates God’s sovereign plan to increasingly draw near to His people—from temporary appearances, to covenant signs, to incarnation, to indwelling Spirit, and finally to perfect eternal communion. Each stage reveals more of God’s grace while preserving His holiness, culminating in the perfect union of divine transcendence and immanence in the new creation.

This gives us profound hope—what we taste now through the Spirit is just a foretaste of the feast to come. Our present experience of God’s presence, wonderful as it is, creates a deeper longing for that day when we shall see Him face to face and know Him even as we are fully known.

Conclusion: The God Who Never Stops Coming Down

The contrast couldn’t be starker. While other religions present gods who must be appeased, approached, or achieved through human effort, the Bible reveals the God who initiates, pursues, and accomplishes salvation for His people. From walking in Eden’s garden seeking fallen Adam, to descending in fire on Sinai, to taking on human flesh in Bethlehem, to sending His Spirit at Pentecost, our God is always coming down.

This pattern will reach its glorious culmination when, as Revelation 21 promises, the New Jerusalem descends from heaven and God makes His dwelling permanently with His people. Then, finally, we will experience the full reality of Immanuel—God with us—in a way that exceeds our greatest expectations and deepest longings. This is the God of the Bible—the God who comes down, the God who stays near, the God who will make all things new.

 

Immanuel: God’s Intimate Nearness

Related FAQs

• If God is near, why can’t I feel His presence? Our experience of God’s presence isn’t dependent on feelings but rests on His unchanging promises and covenant faithfulness. Reformed theology emphasises God’s nearness is an objective reality secured by Christ’s work and the Spirit’s indwelling, not our subjective emotions. Just as a child is no less in their father’s house during moments they forget his presence, our Father’s nearness remains constant regardless of our emotional state.
• Does God’s nearness mean He approves of everything in my life? God’s nearness combines both intimate presence and holy scrutiny—He is near as both Savior and Sanctifier. His presence, like the sun, both warms and exposes, bringing both comfort to the repentant and conviction to areas requiring transformation. This understanding should lead us to both deep comfort and holy reverence, knowing that His nearness is always purposeful in conforming us to Christ’s image.
• How can God be both transcendent (holy, set apart) and immanent (near to us)? The Reformed tradition beautifully maintains both God’s absolute transcendence and His intimate immanence without compromising either. Through Christ’s mediatorial work and the Spirit’s indwelling, God remains the thrice-holy LORD while making His dwelling with His people. This mystery finds its perfect expression in Christ, who is both fully God and fully man, bringing heaven down to earth without diminishing divine holiness.
• If God is sovereign and transcendent, why does He bother drawing near to sinful humanity? God’s nearness to His people flows from His sovereign, electing love, not our worthiness or initiative. The Reformed emphasis on divine sovereignty actually heightens the wonder of His gracious condescension—the fact that the all-sufficient God chooses to draw near to His elect demonstrates the boundless nature of His grace. His drawing near is never out of need but always out of sovereign, purposeful love.

When we truly understand God’s intimate nearness, every moment becomes an opportunity for worship, and every place becomes holy ground. True godliness flows from the awareness of God’s intimate nearness.

 

Immanuel: God’s Intimate Nearness

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