For God to do anything that would violate his other attributes does not complement his power but destroys it. Can God create a rock so big that He cannot lift it? If God can do all things, does He also have the potential to sin? Matthew Barrett provides a fitting answer:īy asking such questions we are so amused and impressed by our own cleverness that we fail to see just how contradictory our words have become. Yet with the discussion of God’s omnipotence almost inevitably comes the question of hypothetical conundrums that seem to poke potential holes in His infinite power. ![]() Indeed, power is so intrinsic to God’s being that Jesus used Power as one of God’s names: “And Jesus said, ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven’” (Mark 14:62). Paul likewise rejoiced that God is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” ( Ephesians 3:20). Jesus Himself testified before His disciples that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:6), and Gabriel spoke similarly to Mary: “For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Psalm 147:5 declares, “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power his understanding is beyond measure.” Jeremiah prayed, “Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” (Jeremiah 32:17). Furthermore even as we are also told that the world was created through Jesus as the eternal Word of God, the Bible also declares that Jesus continues to uphold all of creation “by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). The first display of God’s absolute power is found in the opening verse of the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The Creator who formed all things out of nothing rightly deserves to be described as all-powerful. The biblical evidence for God’s omnipotence is a bit overwhelming but let us still attempt to put together a sample of texts. Whereas His infinite knowledge is omniscience and His infinite presence is omnipresence, His infinite power is His omnipotence or His almightiness. As we have noted with the last few attributes, God’s omnipotence is a particular branch of His infinitude. The equivalent term used within the Bible is almighty, which, of course, means to have all might. To say that God is omnipotent is to affirm that He possesses all power and that there is nothing impossible for Him. The next attribute in our study is the sovereign power of God, which we call omnipotence. Looking at one another, they asked themselves about their Teacher, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Yet even as their fear of the sea vanished, another fear rose in their minds. Obediently, the stormed ceased, and the sea calmed. But Jesus simply spoke to the wind and waves, saying, “Peace! Be still!” They roused Jesus awake, questioning whether He cared for them at all. Soon the storm raged so strong that even the experienced fishermen upon the boat feared for their lives. But then came the windstorm, and with wind came waves. After teaching all day long, He fell asleep in the boat, a pleasant moment of rest. ![]() ![]() Jesus Himself had commanded His disciples to go to the other side of the sea.
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