“Omnipresence” means that God, in His whole Being, is everywhere present at all times. The Scriptural basis for this doctrine is found in Psalm 139. David asks God the question, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” (verse 7, NIV). The answer, he explains, is nowhere. In the highest reaches of the heavens, or in the lowest depths of the earth, God is there and cannot be escaped.
Omnipresence does not mean that God is in everything, or that He is everything. God is not a tree or rock or ocean. He is totally apart from these things. God is not the mind or soul of the universe. Yet the Bible does reveal that God is more present in certain places and areas such as His throne in Heaven (Revelation 4:2), and in the believer (Galatians 2:20). Jesus, in the Great Commission, tells us that He is with us always (Matthew 28:20). God’s presence in Hell does not include fellowship with those in that place (2 Thessalonians 1:9), but He is still there (Revelation 14:10).
As a spirit Being, He is not limited by time or space. While we build houses of worship, they are for our convenience, not God’s. We never come into His presence nor ever leave His presence, for it is impossible to do so. However, there is little doubt that God is closer in fellowship in a small but constant gathering of faithful believers than He is to a group of cold attenders in a large and impressive church building.
The importance of this doctrine for the Christian is that he can be in any situation in life and still know that God is present with him. For the unbeliever or the disobedient Christian, the doctrine is a warning that, along with God’s universal knowledge, there is no way of escape from God. Jonah tried to flee from God by sailing away, yet he soon found out that God could find him anywhere. A “secret place” apart from God does not exist.
Omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence all are parts of God’s limitless nature. These doctrines remind us that God is so very much opposite of human beings and the rest of His creation, and call for our exclusive and boundless praise. “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things: to Whom be glory for ever” (Romans 11:36).