We often think of relationships in terms of distance. They can be close or distant. To be human is to be close to the ones we love. I consider it a problem if I am with my wife for an hour and we never touch. I want to be close, and that closeness includes physical proximity, personal openness, and seeking Christ together.
This simple observation declares much more, of course. The triune God is intimate and close within himself, and he created us to be close to him. This heavenly pattern endures in our everyday life and relationships. It is built into our creation and re-creation. The whole history of redemption can be summarized as God bringing those who were once far off near forever by the blood of his Son (Ephesians 2:13). He gets the glory, and we get fullness of joy in his presence (Psalm 16:11). Just as faith enables us to see that “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1; see also Hebrews 11:3), so faith enables us to see how our natural desire for human closeness declares much about God.
Most of us would agree that this theology-of-nearness can be drawn from Scripture and has a
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