Transcendence vs. Imminence

Transcendence-is being above and independent of the material universe. It can also be defined as lying beyond the ordinary range of perception. More simply, being preeminent or supreme.

Imminence-is being close to occurring. Synonyms of this word are nearness, coming, and convergence.

God has both of these two attributes. The transcendence of God is His "highness" and holiness.
When you go and see old cathedrals, you see how massive they are. The cathedrals were designed to make us feel small and to elevate our understanding of God's transcendent attributes. The same thing applies to old hymns and music. Hymns that are very complex and have multiple parts to it were there to represent God's transcendent attribute. J.S. Bach would compose his music for the glory of God. When you listen to the music he composed, you get the sense of mystery and reverence from the complexities in his music . The mystery in some of his music was to represent the things of God that we cannot perceive. The old hymns and cathedrals were both designed to represent God's transcendence.

While God is transcendent, He is also imminent. He is imminent in that we can relate to Him as Father. Contemporary christian music shows us the imminence of God. This style of music is not high and separate. It is close and common to us and easy to be accepted. That is what this style of music conveys. It conveys God as close and relevant to us.

While God has both of these qualities, we should not take Him lightly. We should not think of Him as one of us. Even though Christ came as a man, He was still God. When we approach God in prayer, we are coming before His throne of grace. Even though we have this privilege, we should still approach Him with reverence and awe because it is still a throne that we bow before.

(The following illustration I borrowed from Way of the Master Radio.)
Imagine that you were invited to visit the president of the United States. You go into the white house and meet him. When you would greet him you wouldn't say
"Hey dude, what's up?". You would most likely say "Hello Mr. President sir."
Even though he is still a normal person, his position makes us respect him.
Now this illustration breaks down on many levels, but the point is even though God is imminent. He is supreme and preeminent and not to be trifled with. Just as with the president, we should approach God boldly but also with reverence.


2 Corinthians 3:12
"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold."