Is God really Omnipotent?

[devin553344]

I've started to realize that God may not be fully omnipotent. For instance he doesn't make the world a perfect place, but heaven he does? He doesn't answer all prayers? So is he omnipotent?

Can you prove that He is omnipotent?

 

[thisgal]

Is this the definition you're speaking of? Defining terms is important in this question.

om·nip·o·tent
/ˌämˈnipəd(ə)nt/
adjective

1. 1.
   (of a deity) having unlimited power; able to do anything.

 

[Basil the Great]

I do not believe that we can prove that God is omnipotent, anymore than we can prove His existence. Yes, I know that some ponder if perhaps God is not omnipotent. Rabbi Kushner did so in his famous book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. However, it seems to me that any God who created this Universe and who has sustained it for apparently millions/billions of years, must be omnipotent.

 

[devin553344]

Is this the definition you're speaking of? Defining terms is important in this question.

om·nip·o·tent
/ˌämˈnipəd(ə)nt/
adjective

1. 1.
   (of a deity) having unlimited power; able to do anything.

Yes

 

[devin553344]

I do not believe that we can prove that God is omnipotent, anymore than we can prove His existence. Yes, I know that some ponder if perhaps God is not omnipotent. Rabbi Kushner did so in his famous book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. However, it seems to me that any God who created this Universe and who has sustained it for apparently millions/billions of years, must be omnipotent.

Yeah but to create the galaxy one only needs to create an explosive weapon powerful enough that it would create a galaxy. We as humans have created nuclear weapons that demonstrate similar effects. And we are not omnipotent.

Does God really sustain the galaxy, allowing comets and asteroids to destroy it? Allowing super novas to destroy solar systems?

 

[Basil the Great]

God has allowed small sections if the Universe to be destroyed, but he has sustained the Universe as a whole, as far as we can tell anyway.

 

[miamited]

Hi devin,

I think you're confusing what one actually does with what one is capable of doing.

I've had quite a few traffic violations in my 63 years of living. I've found that if I'm reasonably friendly with the officer who stops me, my chances of getting off with a warning are greatly enhanced. Now, just because an officer gives me a warning instead of the speeding ticket that I readily admit that I rightly deserved, does that mean he doesn't have the power to give me a ticket?

God can rid this world of sin. In fact, He did once do it. It was through a great flood. God can rid a city of sin. In fact, He once did that also. However, after the flood, if you've read the Scriptures, God said that He would not destroy the earth again until the last days. The problem that you might find, if God did just step out into the middle of life every 10 years or so and once again rid the earth of sin, is that you and I likely wouldn't be around any longer. I know, and it is my testimony, that if God would have come to rid the earth of sin more than 20 years ago, and I'm now 63, I'd have been long gone by now.

Keep this in mind. Nothing is impossible for God. However, whether He will work out the impossible in some display for each and every person and generation of the earth to prove Himself, isn't on His agenda of things to do. So, be careful in mocking God and telling Him that He couldn't be all powerful if He couldn't rid the earth of sin. He just might do it! You won't withstand His wrath!

BTW, according to the Scriptures, God did make the world a perfect place. Mankind has destroyed that perfection. God can and will make it perfect again, but He is being patient that some may come to know and acknowledge the truth so that those few won't be destroyed. When God first cleansed the earth of sin, only eight people were left. I believe that God is looking for a larger harvest the next time.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

 

[devin553344]

God has allowed small sections if the Universe to be destroyed, but he has sustained the Universe as a whole, as far as we can tell anyway.

Sure, but the dinosaurs were destroyed. And that allowed mankind to be dominant. Also Noah was saved and God destroyed the wicked from off the earth. Did God save the wicked? Of course not, He simply saved Noah and his family and the animals in the Ark. Is that omnipotent evidence?

 

[Basil the Great]

I do not think that God allowing or causing parts of His creation to be destroyed is evidence for or against His omnipotence.

 

[devin553344]

Hi devin,

I think you're confusing what one actually does with what one is capable of doing.

I've had quite a few traffic violations in my 63 years of living. I've found that if I'm reasonably friendly with the officer who stops me, my chances of getting off with a warning are greatly enhanced. Now, just because an officer gives me a warning instead of the speeding ticket that I readily admit that I rightly deserved, does that mean he doesn't have the power to give me a ticket?

God can rid this world of sin. In fact, He did once do it. It was through a great flood. God can rid a city of sin. In fact, He once did that also. However, after the flood, if you've read the Scriptures, God said that He would not destroy the earth again until the last days. The problem that you might find, if God did just step out into the middle of life every 10 years or so and once again rid the earth of sin, is that you and I likely wouldn't be around any longer. I know, and it is my testimony, that if God would have come to rid the earth of sin more than 20 years ago, and I'm now 63, I'd have been long gone by now.

Keep this in mind. Nothing is impossible for God. However, whether He will work out the impossible in some display for each and every person and generation of the earth to prove Himself, isn't on His agenda of things to do. So, be careful in mocking God and telling Him that He couldn't be all powerful if He couldn't rid the earth of sin. He just might do it! You won't withstand His wrath!

BTW, according to the Scriptures, God did make the world a perfect place. Mankind has destroyed that perfection. God can and will make it perfect again, but He is being patient that some may come to know and acknowledge the truth so that those few won't be destroyed. When God first cleansed the earth of sin, only eight people were left. I believe that God is looking for a larger harvest the next time.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

Thanks Ted, I've noticed that God didn't create perfection and we are proof of that. If he were omnipotent wouldn't we all be perfect? And perhaps he will make us all perfect? No, for the devil, beast and false profit will spend eternity in hellfire. He does create things that aren't perfect. If he was truely omnipotent wouldn't his creations be perfect?

 

[devin553344]

I do not think that God allowing or causing parts of His creation to be destroyed is evidence for or against His omnipotence.

Why not just create heaven and perfect people to fill it? And create no evil thing? I don't understand.

 

[miamited]

Thanks Ted, I've noticed that God didn't create perfection and we are proof of that. If he were omnipotent wouldn't we all be perfect? And perhaps he will make us all perfect? No, for the devil, beast and false profit will spend eternity in hellfire. He does create things that aren't perfect. If he was truely omnipotent wouldn't his creations be perfect?

Hi devin,

No, man was given, just like the angelic realm, free choice to follow the truth of God or not. Obviously Eve didn't. Adam and Eve were both created perfect.

Consider a car. An auto manufacturer creates and manufactures a vehicle that is perfect for what it is created for. However, as the miles and the years roll by on the car, it begins to wear out and is no longer the 'perfect' car that it was when it was new. Adam and Eve were similarly created perfect. However, choices that they made destroyed that perfection. Just as the Scriptures tell us, the entire creation is groaning because of the sin problem.

Smart as we believe ourselves to be, we don't really have a clue of all that was unleashed and changed when sin entered the physical realm in which we live. Somehow, you seem to equate being made perfect with 'always remaining perfect'. I don't think that's the case. However, for those who believe and are born again, God holds out perfection again at some later point in time.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

 

[Basil the Great]

Who does understand? We humans cannot fully understand the Infinite. If anything, God is mysterious. That is for certain.

 

[devin553344]

Hi devin,

No, man was given, just like the angelic realm, free choice to follow the truth of God or not. Obviously Eve didn't. Adam and Eve were both created perfect.

Consider a car. An auto manufacturer creates and manufactures a vehicle that is perfect for what it is created for. However, as the miles and the years roll by on the car, it begins to wear out and is no longer the 'perfect' car that it was when it was new. Adam and Eve were similarly created perfect. However, choices that they made destroyed that perfection. Just as the Scriptures tell us, the entire creation is groaning because of the sin problem.

Smart as we believe ourselves to be, we don't really have a clue of all that was unleashed and changed when sin entered the physical realm in which we live. Somehow, you seem to equate being made perfect with 'always remaining perfect'. I don't think that's the case. However, for those who believe and are born again, God holds out perfection again at some later point in time.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

Thanks Ted. I am wondering. If Adam and Eve were created perfect, then how did Satan exploit an imperfection in Gods creation. Isn't that what Satan did? Prove that there was an imperfection that could be exploited?

Then perhaps God intentionally created something that was imperfect. To show us good and evil. perfect and imperfect?

I'm still wondering if God is omnipotent as I didn't remember any scriptures that said He was?

 

[devin553344]

Who does understand? We humans cannot fully understand the Infinite. If anything, God is mysterious. That is for certain.

Yes I agree, is there any scriptures that speak of Gods omnipotence?

 

[BobRyan]

I've started to realize that God may not be fully omnipotent. For instance he doesn't make the world a perfect place, but heaven he does? He doesn't answer all prayers? So is he omnipotent?

Can you prove that He is omnipotent?

he created all life on Earth and Sun and moon in a literal 7 day creation week according to the "legal code" in fact "in stone" of Ex 20:11. So "yes" He is all powerful.

God DID make Earth a perfect, sinless, peaceful , sorrow-free, torment-free place -- until Adam of his own free will chose to forfeit it all

Gen 2
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Ex 20
11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

 

[devin553344]

he created all life on Earth and Sun and moon in a literal 7 day creation week according to the "legal code" in fact "in stone" of Ex 20:11. So "yes" He is all powerful.

God DID make Earth a perfect, sinless, peaceful , sorrow-free, torment-free place -- until Adam of his own free will chose to forfeit it all

Thanks BobRyan, that does speak of omnipotence to me.

 

[Jonaitis]

I've started to realize that God may not be fully omnipotent. For instance he doesn't make the world a perfect place, but heaven he does? He doesn't answer all prayers? So is he omnipotent?

Can you prove that He is omnipotent?

I find it interesting that people who deny Calvinism must consistently deny the omnipotence of God as this OP has proven. If God didn't decree all the events in human history for some particular purpose, then everything is contingent and God is struggling with how things are turning out against him. The fall was then a mistake that he is trying to fix, and Jesus died hoping that someone would receive him. It is the consistency of such theology...

 

[devin553344]

I find it interesting that people who deny Calvinism must consistently deny the omnipotence of God as this OP has proven. If God didn't decree all the events in human history for some particular purpose, then everything is contingent and God is struggling with how things are turning out against him. The fall was then a mistake that he is trying to fix, and Jesus died hoping that someone would receive him. It is the consistency of such theology...

I don't believe in predestination. I believe people make their own destiny and are free to choose. But I'm starting to believe in the omnipotence of God. I see that if you look at the entire bible it may suggest an omnipotent God is in power.

 

[Jonaitis]

I don't believe in predestination. I believe people make their own destiny and are free to choose. But I'm starting to believe in the omnipotence of God. I see that if you look at the entire bible it may suggest an omnipotent God is in power.

Predestination affirms choice and responsibility, I think many people miss that...

But, if you are finding answers to your question, I hope it leads you to see God is in control