Author: Jasmin Koso
Panentheism (pan-en-theism = all in God) is the most complete way of looking at God.
It includes God's transcendence (This means that God is immeasurably greater than the possibility of our knowledge and understanding. God's essence is unknowable), as well as God's immanence (This means that God is present in the world/universe. God's actions or "energies" are knowable).
As such, panentheism is very Christian!
According to the panentheistic understanding, God is present in every particle, in every atom, in every photon, in every thing and living being, in every thought and memory, in every soul. In everything existing. Everything is in God because He gives existence to everything and gives life to everyone.
Everything is according to God, from God, from God and in God, and at the same time God is immeasurably higher than everything that exists.
To paraphrase Meister Eckhart...: A small drop is part of the ocean, but the ocean does not need a drop to exist. Likewise, everything that exists has a divine source and exists in God, but God does not need any of that to be and remain God. Everything is therefore divine, but not equal to God.
That is why it is a great stupidity, in the style of New Age or simplified shallow pantheism, to say "I am God".
My hope for the universal salvation/restoration of humanity and everything existing in Christ is connected with panentheism.
First of all, both the early church fathers and teachers believed in "apocatastasis". It is the Greek term used in Acts 3:21 for "restoration of all things"
God is in everything, everything is in God and everything is divine. Therefore there can be no Hell because there can be no place without God. God is the absolute reality and there is nothing outside of God.
No soul, in which God is, which is of God and in God will never finally perish or cease to exist. All that is divine continues to exist and live in some form. Nothing is ever lost. It can only be renewed and transformed.
