Intimacy and transcendence sound like opposites, and they are in most instances. In our relationship with our Creator, however, they become a perfectly balanced paradox. That is, two truths held in tension. Our Creator, and the journey of living life in relationship with the One who made us, is full of many of these seemingly opposing truths that hold together.
Transcendence is about living and experiencing things beyond what is “normal.” I think of the planets and stars as transcendent. In some ways we are nothing like our Creator. The prophet Isaiah 55:6-8 tells us what the Lord has to say about how we relate to His ways.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Then when we look at our eternal relationship with God we see an intimate relationship:
“Praise the Lord!
For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice,
and let us give honor to him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
and his bride has prepared herself.
8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. Revelation 19:6-8
All creation honors our transcendent God. Why? Because it is time for the marriage feast. Jesus, is the Lamb of God and those us who follow Jesus are His chosen Bride. The relationship between a Bride and Groom is intended to be the most intimate. At the marriage feast of the Lamb we see intimacy and transcendence come together.
In Ephesians 1:13-14 we see that followers of Jesus are sealed with the Holy Spirit. I will risk the analogy of this seal being like a spiritual tattoo on our being. The same One who made everything and who is outside of time and space, also lives within us. When we come into relationship with Jesus, intimacy and transcendence come together in our spirit being.
Do we become robots? No! We have a personal relationship with the only one who understands it all. Even with the Holy Spirit of our Creator living in us we still do not always understand His ways. We can, however, rest and rely on the intimate relationship of our perfectly loving bridegroom to guide and care for us. Intimacy and transcendence come together, again.
“This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. “Colossians 1:26-27
Everyone is invited to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb…are we ready? Do we hunger and thirst for eternal intimacy?
Abba, Help me to keep my eyes on You, my eternal prize. Thank you that I am sealed eternally in relationship with you. I want more. May I always be ready for the feast! And may I learn daily how to better live in the paradox of intimacy and transcendence together. Amen
What’s transcendence mean and how are you using this word in relationship to God almighty? I just want clarification
Hi Pam, Thanks for letting me know it was not clear. In Short: Totally other. So almighty and holy that without Jesus we would not be able to have any contact with our Creator. The divide is so great, and yet This Creator made us with relationship, not only in mind, but actually as the goal. When Eve was decided and Adam disobeyed we humans were thrown out of the garden, the place of intimacy with God. We used our free will to choose poorly. But before we were separated God made promises, the biggest being we would be restored to relationship with our Creator (Gen 3:15) through the Messiah, who turned out to to be Jesus of Nazareth.
Again, Thanks for asking!
You are in HIS embrace,
Andrea