God Is Not the Man Upstairs

Many people casually refer to God as “the man upstairs,” as if He were just slightly above us in rank or reach. This diluted theology minimizes the vast chasm between God’s nature and ours, reducing His character to someone marginally greater—a divine peer rather than the infinite Creator. It assumes that if we stretch ourselves tall enough, we could almost see Him eye to eye. But God didn’t make us almost like Him—we were made in His image, not the other way around.

In this mistaken way of thinking, we rank beings in a neat progression: plants < animals < humans < angels < God. While that may hold at some points, the leap between angels and God is not just another rung on the ladder. God is not the next step up—He is in a category all His own. He is not incrementally superior; He is infinitely greater. To think of Him as just slightly above us is to profoundly misunderstand who He is. God is not the man upstairs. God is transcendent.

The Transcendence of God

To grasp God’s transcendence, we must step back and see Him for who He truly is—gloriously beyond us. God is not merely bigger than we imagined; He is immeasurably more. The transcendence of God means He surpasses all creation in being, worth, and power. As the only uncreated being, He alone stands outside the limits of time, space, and human experience.

This is not about God having a better view from a higher floor—it’s about His utterly unreachable worth. His nature is not just majestic; it is beyond description. And yet, in our speech and worship, we often attempt to shrink Him down to our size. Whether it’s calling Him “the man upstairs” or treating Jesus like a homeboy, we trivialize the Holy One.

When Worship Lacks Awe

Our worship often reflects a diminished view of God—lifeless, vague, and unworthy of the One we claim to praise. We sing songs so emotionally shallow and lyrically empty that we could swap out “God” for “baby” and pass them off as pop music. Is it any wonder that our faith feels thin and our gatherings uninspiring?

Our prayers, too, have lost their reverence. Yes, God is our Father—but He is also our Father in heaven. There should be both intimacy and awe in our conversations with Him. If we wouldn’t speak flippantly to a respected earthly parent, how dare we speak lightly to the Holy One enthroned in glory?

Even our sermons often drift from reverence. When the focus becomes more about us than about God, we’ve missed the point. A sermon without the weight of God’s majesty is just a self-help talk—and if we could help ourselves, we wouldn’t need a Savior. Before we’re told what to do, we must be reminded of who God is.

The Urgent Need for Awe

When we fail to sing, pray, preach, and live in a way that magnifies the transcendent greatness of God, we do a disservice to everyone around us. If the church treats God casually, we can’t expect the culture to treat Him seriously. If God’s people shrink Him, how will the world ever see Him rightly?

There is none higher than God. There is none greater. He is not marginally more impressive—He is infinitely more. We need to recover our awe. We must wake up to the staggering reality of the God we claim to worship. When we begin to grasp His transcendence, it will shatter our small perspectives and reshape our lives with holy wonder.