The BLB Blog

The official blog of Blue Letter Bible

The Attributes of God: Omnipotent

Posted on Posted by

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
(Romans 11:36)

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.
(Ephesians 1:11)

[God’s Son upholds] all things by the word of His power.
(Hebrews 1:3)

And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
(Mark 14:36)

“Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for you.”
(Jeremiah 32:7)

“With God all things are possible.”
(Matthew 19:26)

“But our God is in heaven; He does what He pleases.”
(Psalm 115:3)

God has the unlimited power to accomplish anything that can be accomplished — this is termed omnipotence. The things God does are neither difficult nor easy for God; they are only either done or not done. This is because difficulty is a factor that comes about only through the potential for not accomplishing a task. This does not apply to God for potentials do not apply to Him — only actuals. God’s power to do all that He desires is the fuel for the engine of sovereignty, which accomplishes His providence. A senseless challenge to God’s sovereignty is the question of whether He can make a rock so heavy that he couldn’t lift it. This is a senseless question because the feat requested is not a thing to be accomplished through power, but rather by contradiction of reality — the equivalent of asking whether Homer could write an epic so long that he couldn’t read it.

 

Other attributes we’ve discussed so far:

[This post is adapted from Blue Letter Bible’s Theological FAQs page.]

Comments

  1. I appreciate the postings of God’s attributes. I already have a list of verses started for each attribute but don’t always have the same verses that BLB has. Thanks for the posting God’s attributes.

  2. I love BLB’s explaination of omnipotent, including: “Potentials do not apply to God; only actuals.”

  3. The “contradiction of reality” is that our infinite punishment tradition is just that! The reality that God is mighty enough to do what Jesus said He would do when He was lifted up has yet to be settled in the minds of most believers. He is powerful enough to drag all to Himself, so that God may be all in all.

    “God’s power to do all that He desires is the fuel for the engine of sovereignty….”

    Are we aware that in His soveriegn power and in His timing He will accomplish what He desires? “The Lord… is not willing that any should perish but that ALL should come to repentance”

Trackbacks