FWIW, I just don't see how God can be thought of as inside of or existing within that which He has made; i.e., the Creation. Like man, the Creation itself seems to have the nature of imago Dei — i.e., the image or reflection of its Creator.
It's like with a great artist, who is inevitably reflected by his canvas. Thus one can easily distinguish between a Rembrandt and a Van Gogh, for instance. But neither artist is ever really "in" his canvas....
Plus, God's Name is I AM THAT I AM. Thus He describes Himself as pure Being — and not existence at all. Existence is derivative of Being, and a participation in it. Being is eternal and absolute; existence is finite and contingent. Plus this Holy Name also strongly suggests to my mind that God is entirely self-subsistent, sui generis; that is, He has no cause outside of Himself. Ergo, He is the prime mover, the uncaused cause of all that there is, on earth and in Heaven.
Jeepers, I seem to be waxing philosophical here today! Forgive me; I dust off the great Greeks every now and then.... LOLOL!
Thank you so very much, dearest sister in Christ, for your lovely, gracious essay/post!
This is beautifully said and will be a regular meditation for me:
Remembering why I missed your insight bb. Thanks for the ideas and I couldn’t agree more!