The Twin Truths of Divine Immanence and Transcendence: Creation, Laws of Nature and Human Freedom

Abstract

The concepts of divine transcendence and divine immanence are often taken to be antithetical. It seems that the more one is stressed, the greater the difficulty in allowing for the other. But there is no apparent tension between these twin truths in the biblical accounts, and classic Christian tradition has affirmed them both. In order to resolve the felt opposition between divine transcendence and immanence, the biblical Creator-creature pattern has to be taken as the starting-point to understand the God-world relationship. As the transcendent Creator, God is intimately present and active in his creation.