The God of the Bible, then, is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and
unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, goodness, and truth.
As every theory must begin with some postulate, this is the grand
postulate with which the Bible begins. This is the first point.
The second point concerns the origin of the universe. It is not eternal
either as to matter or form. It is not independent of God. It is not an
evolution of his being, or his existence form. He is extramundane as
well as antemundane. The universe owes its existence to his will.
Thirdly, as to the nature of the universe; it is not a mere phenomenon.
It is an entity, having real objective existence, or actuality. This
implies that matter is a substance endowed with certain properties, in
virtue of which it is capable of acting and of being acted upon. These
properties being uniform and constant, are physical laws to which, as
their proximate causes, all the phenomena of nature are to be referred.
Fourthly, although God is extramundane, He is nevertheless everywhere
present. That presence is not only a presence of essence, but also of
knowledge and power. He upholds all things. He controls all physical
causes, working through them, with them, and without them, as He sees
fit. As we, in our limited spheres, can use physical causes to
accomplish our purposes, so God everywhere and always cooeperates with
them to accomplish his infinitely wise and merciful designs.
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