How I Used Truth - Lesson 5 - Annotation 2
What do we mean when we speak of God "immanent" in man and in the universe?
2. When we speak of God as "immanent" in man and in the universe we mean that God remains within or indwells every atom of creation as the life, substance, and intelligence of its existence. The word immanent comes from Latin "immanens," meaning "to remain in or near; remaining or operating within the subject considered; indwelling; inherent." Thus God, as Creator, is inherent in all creation, including man. Charles Fillmore states very clearly in Talks on Truth, page 9, that,
"God is Spirit, infinite Mind, the immanent force and intelligence everywhere manifest in nature." (Talks on Truth 9)
In words attributed to a philosopher of the seventeenth century, this same idea is presented as follows:
"God is the indwelling and not the transient cause of all things. Whatever God is, is in God and nothing can exist or be conceived without God."
God did not create the universe and then leave it to get along as best it could, dependent on its own resources. God constantly remains within to sustain and maintain all that He has created. God is ready, willing, and able to provide anything and everything that man and the universe need for a full and free expression of the plan for which they were created. It is God's plan, purpose, or will that all demands shall be met and full satisfaction be attained by man and all the rest of creation.
"God is not only the creative cause of every visible form of intelligence and life at its commencement, but each moment throughout its existence He lives within every created thing as the life, the ever-renewing, re-creating, upbuilding cause of it. He never is and never can be for a moment separated from His creations" (Emilie Cady Lessons In Truth 2:16).
Even though God is immanent or indwelling in all creation, as the Creator He is always greater than what He has created. He is forever the supreme Source from which everything proceeds. God, then, is both transcendent and immanent. It means a great deal to us as students of Truth to realize that God is not only transcendent but also immanent. We come to see that affirmations are our recognition of God's presence in us and in our world. When we affirm, "God is my health," we recognize the truth of this statement. We realize that if God indwells us, then He is the life that produces health in our body. If we affirm, "God is the source of my abundance," we know that if we work with His laws governing substance, then prosperity will manifest in our affairs.
If, however, we think of God as being separate from us or from any of His creations, it is a different matter. Since, in such a case, we do not know the immanent Presence of good within, affirmations indicating His omnipresence are not completely accepted by us. Then we may wonder why our prayers or affirmations do not seem to bring the results we desire. Perhaps we would do well to look closely into what we have accepted as our belief about God. We may find that we have not completely accepted the idea of His immanence.
"God is Spirit, it is plainly taught, and the omnipotent, omnipresent essence from which all things proceed. Both science and religion agree on the fundamental fact that God is the source of all creation. Just how God puts Himself into His creation is not so universally understood or accepted. But Paul says that God is in us all and through us all and above us all; that is, God saturates us" (Atom Smashing Power of Mind 59).
The text states on pages 56 and 57 that each individual will recognize God indwelling more or less according to his own stage of soul unfoldment, or his needs of the moment (How I Used Truth 56). Many times when we turn to God for help we are not recognizing Him as our "all-sufficiency in all things" so much as the particular good we desire at that time. If, for instance, there has been a yearning of the soul for purity (or, as the text points out, "sanctification" -- making holy or whole), then we will recognize God's presence as holiness within us. However, this may not include the realization that God as life is also the source of all health. Another may so recognize God as his health, but not be aware that He is also the presence of holiness within to guide his footsteps aright. We may accept God as holiness within us, and as the life that produces health, vitality, strength of body, yet not know God as the source of our supply. The one who has come to know God as his unfailing support, as the source of his prosperity, may not have come to the conclusions reached by others. All of these realizations are only partial, but as the title of the lesson brings out, God is our "all-sufficiency in all things." God is not just holiness (wholeness) from a moral standpoint, nor life from the standpoint of health, nor the storehouse of abundance; He is all of these, and more. God is all!
The scriptural promise concerning health is given in Jer. 30:17, "For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith Jehovah." For prosperity we read, "As long as he sought Jehovah, God made him to prosper" (II Chron. 26:5). The King James Version of the Bible attests to the holiness of God in these words: "Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous: and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness" (Psalms 97:12). Knowing God as our "all-sufficiency in all things" we may turn to Him for guidance in any endeavor. We may say in the words of Solomon, "Give me now wisdom and knowledge' (II Chron. 1:10).
Our "growing up" spiritually includes expansion of our belief of God, for our understanding must reveal Him as immanent in all creation, Then no matter what the need of man or of any part of the universe, we recognize God as the "all-sufficiency in all things."
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Preceding Entry: What is it that is capable of supplying each soul with the fulfillment of its own particular desires in abundant measure?
Following Entry: What is divine substance, and what is its relation to manifest objects?
