A God Who Informs
On many occasions, I have preached that God is more love than anything else, but is that true? When we look past these sayings and realize that the world around us, God’s creation, is based on one form of information or another, who He foundationally is becomes clear – His greatest attribute is the ability to comprehend He is love, which is sensory stimuli based on information.
At its root, information is the foundation of everything that can be known, judged, and comprehended by our cognitive engagement with the environment. As I reflect on this, I see how information isn’t just a tool or resource; it’s the very heart of the creator of the universe. If not, how does our cosmos exist at all? An intrinsic part of God’s nature.
Creation is Based on a Spoken Word
In creation, God first said, "Let there be light," and there was light (Gen. 1:3). In this act, the Godhead used spoken information to shape the cosmos and everything in them. Of course, this is not the end of that creative story, and the Genesis narrative must be combined with the gospel of John 1:1-3 to see the entire picture.
God’s omniscience, which is knowledge of everything that can be known, further reinforces that informational exchange is fundamental to His nature. The Lord God possesses all knowledge, from the largest cosmological phenomenon to the smallest fractal reality. It is information, as well, which sustains what the spoken word of information created.
Our ability to comprehend and engage with our surroundings, and its creator, is deeply rooted in what I call the cosmological consciousness construct. I see consciousness as an information-processing system, enabling us to perceive, interpret, and respond to internal and external stimuli.
Neurologically, our brains are complex information networks, where neurons communicate through electrical impulses that transmit information shaping the experience of living.
The Precise Information of Math and Science
When I read God’s Word, which is the most important information ever produced to explain the “live” experience, my brain processes a form of divine information. This is more than just an intellectual exercise; it’s a spiritual one. Of course, I would not claim that anyone can intellectually engage with the Lord on a level necessary to understand everything!
As I consider the universe, I’m in awe of how information is expressed in mathematical equations that solve almost every need humankind has for physical life. Mathematics is the language of creation and foundationally supports the physical world we see. But it’s not just the physical universe where information is crucial; it’s also central to our spiritual lives as well.
God is Love But Love is Information
God's love, perhaps the most profound expression of divine information, is more than just an emotion. It’s a conscious act, and as we know, conscious experience is based on processing information to form a worldview and a live experience.
When one loves, they process information about others, their needs, desires, and feelings, and then respond in ways that reflect the attributes of God, which we call fruits of the spirit. Love, as described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, is a choice, the result of information being applied in a way that honors God and serves others but does not seek to control them.
Jesus said the greatest love we can show to one another is laying our lives down (for our friend). This is exactly what He did on the cross at Calvary, and it was no accident that He called His disciples ‘friends’ before He died for the whole world. This includes anyone who will avail themselves of the love of Christ and receive eternal life.
Omniscience is the Basis of All Information
Omniscience is the concept that God knows everything there is to know and could possibly be known. More plainly, this information is the basis for all that we experience, including God Himself.
The knowledge of omniscience can only come with the sharing of God’s Word as presented in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Of course, the Old Testament is among this knowledge as well, but even then, and according to Jesus, it spoke of Him prior to His arrival on Earth in the New.
When we attempt to imagine information on such a macro scale, it becomes apparent that God-level intelligence (omniscience) is necessary not only to conceive of but to create and maintain such a vast creation based on, first, His holiness, but practically on science, math, and physics as we understand them.
Our Bodies Process Information
I truly understand that God is love; I get it. However, love, the word, the emotion it evokes, and the concepts it presents are all based on information and the ability to process it.
To say God is information does not lessen the reality that He is fundamentally information because when we see the macro, we cannot escape the fact that our bodies, physically, are information-processing machines. I am not attempting to suggest some form of transhumanism because that is an entirely different concept.
However, how we process the information, as well as the manner in which we respond to it, determines how (and where) we transition when we die. We are created through an exchange of biological and chemical information between a male and female.
When we are preparing to be born alive, the woman’s body processes information, telling her it is time to bring forth the child into the world. All the while, and for nine months, the embryo and later fetus are growing into a viable human being through biological and chemical informational processes.
Conclusion
God is information, and I understand the argument that He can always be all things (like love) – point taken. However, there is no other way for humankind to interact with consciousness than on a foundation of informational exchange. If there is another argument based on facts to counter this, I would love to hear it because I am sure there are items I am not considering.
Even then, the act of understanding one cannot know all things is a form of information itself. Furthermore, the cognitive ability to consider such shortcomings is a process of informational processing as well. It seems no matter which way we turn, information is required, even to interact with salvation through Jesus Christ.
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