What are the implications of God being infinite, unlimited, and unmeasurable?
The Implications of God Being Infinite, Unlimited, and Unmeasurable
A Graduate-Level Study in the Nature and Attributes of God
The infinity of God is not simply a poetic abstraction—it is a foundational doctrine that shapes all Christian theology. To say that God is infinite is to say that He is unbounded in being, knowledge, power, and presence. In every attribute, He is limitless, not simply in degree but in essence. He is not simply “more” than us—He is categorically different.
As Louis Berkhof defines it in his Systematic Theology:
“The infinity of God is that perfection of God by which He is free from all limitations. He is in no way limited by the universe, by this time-space world, or confined to the universe.”
This attribute is intimately connected to His other perfections. In Baptist theology, especially as shaped by historic confessions such as the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, God’s infinity is part of His aseity (self-existence), immutability, and perfection.
1. God's Infinity Is Absolute and Incommunicable
Unlike any created being, God is not bound by space, time, matter, or logic in the way creation is. As the Creator, He exists independently of all things.
Isaiah chapter 66, verse 1 says:
"Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?'"
This passage communicates both God’s transcendence and His freedom from spatial limitation. His being is so vast and immeasurable that even the highest heavens cannot contain Him (cf. 1 Kings chapter 8, verse 27).
The phrase “unmeasurable”, as applied to God, differs from our human usage. We may say that something is unmeasurable due to lack of precision or the limitations of our instruments—but God is logically unmeasurable, because He is boundless. He has no quantifiable essence.
2. God’s Infinity Necessitates the Perfection of All Attributes
Infinity is not an attribute added to others—it defines them all. If God is truly infinite, then all of His attributes must be infinite. He cannot be partially omniscient, or almost omnipotent.
As Berkhof rightly observes, it is not logically possible to have selective infinity—all of God’s perfections must be infinite, or none of them are.
This is demonstrated in Scripture:
God is infinite in power (omnipotence)
Jeremiah chapter 32, verse 17 says:
"Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You."God is infinite in knowledge (omniscience)
Psalm chapter 147, verse 5 says:
"Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."God is infinite in presence (omnipresence)
Psalm chapter 139, verse 7 says:
"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?"
The interconnectedness of His infinite attributes affirms that God is perfect in all His ways, lacking nothing and limited by nothing.
3. God Is the Necessary Being—The "I AM"
The infinitude of God makes Him ontologically necessary. In philosophical terms, He is the uncaused First Cause, the ground of all being, and the reason anything else exists.
Exodus chapter 3, verse 14 records God’s declaration to Moses:
"And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."'"
This profound name—I AM—indicates pure existence, self-sufficiency, and unchanging being. God is not a being among others—He is Being Itself, the One by whom all other beings are sustained.
This is reinforced in Colossians chapter 1, verse 17:
"And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."
4. God Is Distinct from Creation but Actively Present in It
God’s infinity also confirms that He is not part of creation (refuting pantheism), but also not distant from it (refuting deism). He is both transcendent and immanent—outside of creation and yet present in it.
Acts chapter 17, verse 28 declares:
"For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'"
The infinite God is both beyond all and within all—not in essence, but by upholding and sustaining.
Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3 says:
"Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power..."
5. Infinity and the Personal Nature of God
God’s infinitude is not impersonal. He is not a faceless force or a vague essence. He reveals Himself as personal—one who speaks, acts, judges, loves, and redeems.
Genesis chapter 1, verses 26 through 27 tells us:
"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...'"
"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
God is personal, relational, and communicative. The infinite God is also knowable, not fully, but truly, as He reveals Himself.
This is the mystery and glory of the Trinity: one infinite, eternal God who exists in three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Spirit—each fully and equally God, yet without division.
6. No Other Being Can Be Infinite
Only God can be truly infinite. All created beings are necessarily finite because they derive their existence from Him.
Romans chapter 11, verse 36 states:
"For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."
To be infinite is to be uncaused, self-sufficient, and without boundary—qualities that cannot apply to any created entity, no matter how powerful or spiritual. Angels, humans, and the universe itself are finite and dependent.
7. Practical Implications for Worship and Life
Worship becomes awe-filled: We do not worship a god we can measure, dissect, or fully comprehend. We fall down before the infinite, holy, personal Creator, who deserves all glory.
The gospel becomes magnificent: The infinite God, who fills all things, stooped low to become man in Jesus Christ. The incarnation of Christ is the greatest condescension in history.
Prayer becomes confident: We pray to One who knows all, can do all, and is present everywhere. There is no request too complex or too small.
Humility becomes essential: We cannot approach the infinite God with pride. As Romans chapter 11, verse 33 exclaims:
"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!"
Conclusion: The Infinite God Is the Foundation of All Reality
God’s infinity means He is limitless in being and perfection. He is not defined by His relationship to the universe—the universe exists in relation to Him. He is the unmeasurable standard by which all truth, power, and glory are known.
He is the I AM—perfect, personal, self-existent, and sovereign.
As Psalm chapter 90, verse 2 says:
"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God."
Let our response be to trust Him, worship Him, and stand in awe of Him—forever.
