The Need for Immanence

During his discussion with the philosophers of the day on Mars Hill, as reported in Acts 17, Paul quotes their own poets to make his point.  Speaking of God as an intimate presence, the poet celebrates this divine immanence in which we “live and move and have our being.”   With every breath we partake of divine connection.

This immediate and personal sense of Spirit has been largely lost in contemporary evangelical theology.  Or rather, it has been overshadowed by an unhealthy emphasis on God-as-literally-anthropomorphic.  A figure of speech has too often become a literal God.  And this has impoverished and distorted how we attempt to live the teachings of Jesus.

As a counterbalance to this current pendulum swing toward anthropomorphism, The Immanence Bible in Verse (TIBIV) intentionally emphasizes God as divine Immanence.  In these selected passages from TIBIV, we consider Jesus’ teaching afresh.  We listen to the poetry and the Breath of Immanence in his words.