The Omnipotence of God

[mindlight]

I have always assumed the omnipotence of God and it seems clear in scripture to me. e.g. :

Our Lord God Almighty reigns - Rev 19 v 6

"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32 v 27

But other Christians are telling me I am wrong about this and there is a growing army of people who question omnipotence on the basis of extreme suffering for example. If Gods in charge and he's benevolent then he would not have allowed my pain -sort of thing.

One example is God At War by Gregory A. Boyd
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Boyd_(theologian)

1) Is omnipotence an artificial concept added by the influence of Greek philosophy on the early church?
2) Is the future set according to Gods purpose or is it open?- Open Theism etc
3) If God is omnipotent why does he not always answer a prayer for healing from a believer who is living a righteous life?
4) To what extent does Gods respect for freewill constrain His omnipotence. Does this moral constraint in God render Him less than Omnipotent?
5) Does the experience of evil or pain by Christians always have a reason for it in Gods overall plan or is it just randomn stuff that Christians need to call on God to be able to handle?

 

[Dark_Lite]

Omnipotence is entirely detached from any concept of good, evil, love, or hate.

Benevolence, on the other hand, is another story.

 

[chestertonrules]

I have always assumed the omnipotence of God and it seems clear in scripture to me. e.g. :

Our Lord God Almighty reigns - Rev 19 v 6

"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32 v 27

But other Christians are telling me I am wrong about this and there is a growing army of people who question omnipotence on the basis of extreme suffering for example. If Gods in charge and he's benevolent then he would not have allowed my pain -sort of thing.

One example is God At War by Gregory A. Boyd
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Boyd_(theologian)

1) Is omnipotence an artificial concept added by the influence of Greek philosophy on the early church?
2) Is the future set according to Gods purpose or is it open?- Open Theism etc
3) If God is omnipotent why does he not always answer a prayer for healing from a believer who is living a righteous life?
4) To what extent does Gods respect for freewill constrain His omnipotence. Does this moral constraint in God render Him less than Omnipotent?
5) Does the experience of evil or pain by Christians always have a reason for it in Gods overall plan or is it just randomn stuff that Christians need to call on God to be able to handle?

By omnipotence do we mean God can do all things that can be done, or that God can do all things?

The classic, "can God make a rock so big that he can't pick it up?" dilemma.

I believe God can do all things that can be done, but I don't think a creature with free will can be made to always make healthy choices.

In addition, given the irrelevancy of our suffering on earth when compared to eternity, I don't think human suffering is a compelling factor for judging God's mercy, justice, or power.

 

[Sphinx777]

Omnipotence (from Latin: Omni Potens: "all power") is unlimited power.

Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence to only the deity of whichever faith is being addressed. In the philosophies of most Western monotheistic religions, omnipotence is often listed as one of a deity's characteristics among many, including omniscience, omnipresence, and omnibenevolence.

 

[Hentenza]

I have always assumed the omnipotence of God and it seems clear in scripture to me. e.g. :

Our Lord God Almighty reigns - Rev 19 v 6

"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32 v 27



But other Christians are telling me I am wrong about this and there is a growing army of people who question omnipotence on the basis of extreme suffering for example. If Gods in charge and he's benevolent then he would not have allowed my pain -sort of thing.

Omnipotence basically means that God can do anything that is possible to do. What it doesn't mean is that God must do all that He can do. God is free not to use His omnipotence whenever he desires. God is free to limit the use of His power but He is not free to limit the extent of His power. God must know all that he knows, but God does not have to do all that He can do.

God has no potentiality, only pure actuality. What has no potentiality has no limits at all, since potential is what limits a being. It follows that God has no limits of any kind except those that He chooses to impose. He is unlimited in His power according to His nature.

One example is God At War by Gregory A. Boyd
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Boyd_(theologian)

1) Is omnipotence an artificial concept added by the influence of Greek philosophy on the early church?

No. Omnipotence is clearly shown in scripture well before the influence of Greek philosophy.

2) Is the future set according to Gods purpose or is it open?- Open Theism etc

God know the future, the past and the present. All at the same time. Foreknowledge, however, is different from Him affecting everything that happens. He knows the future but we do not.

3) If God is omnipotent why does he not always answer a prayer for healing from a believer who is living a righteous life?

Loaded question and circular logic. If God is the only being that knows our hearts and condition then how does any of us know that the person praying is living a righteous life? God ordained prayer as a means to communicate with Him in humility. It doesn't mean that all prayers will be answered just because we wish it. We only know the portions of His plan that He has revealed to us. God also has perfect wisdom, however, we, as created beings, do not have perfect wisdom. His ways are not our ways.

4) To what extent does Gods respect for freewill constrain His omnipotence. Does this moral constraint in God render Him less than Omnipotent?

Another fallacy. God either has omnipotence or He doesn't. God can't have a portion of omnipotence. That is a category fallacy.

5) Does the experience of evil or pain by Christians always have a reason for it in Gods overall plan or is it just randomn stuff that Christians need to call on God to be able to handle?

I am only going to quote scripture here.

Romans 5
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

 

[mindlight]

Omnipotence is entirely detached from any concept of good, evil, love, or hate.

Benevolence, on the other hand, is another story.

So it's never a moral question as to whether God should act in a particular situation?

But there are ethical dilemmas in why a loving God allows evil?

 

[mindlight]

By omnipotence do we mean God can do all things that can be done, or that God can do all things?

The classic, "can God make a rock so big that he can't pick it up?" dilemma.

I believe God can do all things that can be done, but I don't think a creature with free will can be made to always make healthy choices.

In addition, given the irrelevancy of our suffering on earth when compared to eternity, I don't think human suffering is a compelling factor for judging God's mercy, justice, or power.

I suppose this is a question of terms. Can I make a rich man give to a poor man? Yes of course I can with taxes, Robin Hoods and a gang of ruffians to physically force him to hand out his gold to a queue of orphans and widows. Can I make him give his gold away out of love for people with less advantage than himself - no probably not. So even more so on the scale of Gods power. God can force objectives through but cannot force the heartfelt compliance of the free agents he has created.

Also agree with the point about eternity. But we still need His grace and mercy to get through the tough stuff even if we know in the grand scheme of things it's not as devastating as it often feels at the time.

 

[mindlight]

Omnipotence basically means that God can do anything that is possible to do. What it doesn't mean is that God must do all that He can do. God is free not to use His omnipotence whenever he desires. God is free to limit the use of His power but He is not free to limit the extent of His power. God must know all that he knows, but God does not have to do all that He can do.

God has no potentiality, only pure actuality. What has no potentiality has no limits at all, since potential is what limits a being. It follows that God has no limits of any kind except those that He chooses to impose. He is unlimited in His power according to His nature.

This is an excellent post. Thank you.

Do you believe that God cannot create something that he has never created before and therefore experience something he has never experienced before. Does the application of his creativity to doing a new thing mean that he finds some new way to express the glory of His Trinitarian nature in his interaction with this new thing. Is God open ended , not in his nature but in the things that he can do. Can God do something he has never done before?

No. Omnipotence is clearly shown in scripture well before the influence of Greek philosophy.

God know the future, the past and the present. All at the same time. Foreknowledge, however, is different from Him affecting everything that happens. He knows the future but we do not.

Loaded question and circular logic. If God is the only being that knows our hearts and condition then how does any of us know that the person praying is living a righteous life? God ordained prayer as a means to communicate with Him in humility. It doesn't mean that all prayers will be answered just because we wish it. We only know the portions of His plan that He has revealed to us. God also has perfect wisdom, however, we, as created beings, do not have perfect wisdom. His ways are not our ways.

Another fallacy. God either has omnipotence or He doesn't. God can't have a portion of omnipotence. That is a category fallacy.

I am only going to quote scripture here.

Romans 5
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Agreed about Greek philosophers coming after biblical thoughts on omnipotence. Also it's clear the bible says omnipotence- the questions are really to do with what we mean by that.

Romans 5 speaks quite powerfully about the value of suffering as an aid to transforming characters to be like Christ. In this sense God may use pain to mould us purposefully. But did God use Auschwitz as a part of a controlled plan?

Our thoughts are not always God thoughts so we need to trust him rather than rely on our own understanding. But he has given us an agency he appears to respect even when we are total fools with it. Is this a constraint on what God can do and therefore on what the Bible must mean when it says that God is Almighty and can accomplish all things?

God has set some features of the future e.g. the second coming and judgment day will happen. But is it all set according to his purpose , does everything have a reason in his plan? Does he purpose to dam those who will not be saved for instance while seeing to it that those who will be saved are miraculously guided to paradise?

 

[mindlight]

Omnipotence (from Latin: Omni Potens: "all power") is unlimited power.

Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence to only the deity of whichever faith is being addressed. In the philosophies of most Western monotheistic religions, omnipotence is often listed as one of a deity's characteristics among many, including omniscience, omnipresence, and omnibenevolence.

To consider the omnipotence of God without reference to his other attributes would be a distortion.

But that the word is not found in scripture and is from another language means that we need to be able to prove it is warranted by the biblical realities it purports to summarise and not something imported from the presupposition pools and values of that gentile roman culture. What Roman soldiers, emperors and governors like Pilate meant by power is of course different from what the Bible understands it to be and what the life of Christ modelled to us.

 

[Hentenza]

This is an excellent post. Thank you.

Do you believe that God cannot create something that he has never created before and therefore experience something he has never experienced before. Does the application of his creativity to doing a new thing mean that he finds some new way to express the glory of His Trinitarian nature in his interaction with this new thing. Is God open ended , not in his nature but in the things that he can do. Can God do something he has never done before?

Since God can do anything that is possible to do then He could certainly create something that He has not created before. I wouldn't know what that would be though.

Agreed about Greek philosophers coming after biblical thoughts on omnipotence. Also it's clear the bible says omnipotence- the questions are really to do with what we mean by that.

Romans 5 speaks quite powerfully about the value of suffering as an aid to transforming characters to be like Christ. In this sense God may use pain to mould us purposefully. But did God use Auschwitz as a part of a controlled plan?

Our thoughts are not always God thoughts so we need to trust him rather than rely on our own understanding. But he has given us an agency he appears to respect even when we are total fools with it. Is this a constraint on what God can do and therefore on what the Bible must mean when it says that God is Almighty and can accomplish all things?

God has set some features of the future e.g. the second coming and judgment day will happen. But is it all set according to his purpose , does everything have a reason in his plan? Does he purpose to dam those who will not be saved for instance while seeing to it that those who will be saved are miraculously guided to paradise?

I could only guess as to how Auschwitz factors into God eternal plan. Historically many good things have come from very bad things. Maybe now the world knows the terrible acts and crimes against humanity that emanated from the holocaust and will take steps to prevent a recurrence. I am really guessing here though.

I am in full agreement with you that God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. God has infinite wisdom so who am I to question His actions.