God's Omnipotence - Lesson Plan
The state of being all-powerful which theology ascribes to God; God is all powerful. You could think of it like this: when
God flexes, whole solar systems pop up in His biceps.
God has various names which go with His various attributes. God’s name Almighty means “the mighty one” and is
probably derived from the verb meaning “to be strong”. The word “Almighty” is
used only about God in the Bible, and is found fifty-six times. It is the name
of God that goes with the attribute of omnipotence. God revealed Himself as the
Almighty One to Abraham Gen. 17:1,to Moses, to believers .
Some people devise questions to try to
“logically” prove God cannot be all powerful such as, “Can God create a stone
so large that He could not lift it?” It is a self defeating question. I tell
people that ask me that question, “Yes. God can create a stone so large that He
couldn’t move it, but He could also move it.” A self defeating question
deserves a self defeating answer. God cannot be put into the limitations of our
minds. To apply our puny logic to God, we would first have to have a thorough
understanding of God, but we cannot possibly fully understand God because He is
so much bigger and so much more powerful than us.
However, it does not mean that because God is
all powerful He can and does do anything or everything.
A more thorough definition might be: “God is
all-powerful and able to do whatever he wills. Since his will is limited by his
nature, God can do everything that is in harmony with his perfections.”
Omnipotence has two kinds of limitations: self-imposed
limitations and natural limitations.
Self-imposed limitations include those things He
has not chosen to include in His plan which he might have included as long as
they were not contrary to His nature. He did not choose to spare His Son; He
did not choose to save all people; He did not choose all nations in Old
Testament times; He did not choose Esau. Though He could have done any of these
things without being inconsistent with omnipotence, He did not choose to do so
in His plan. Questions like, Can God make 2 + 2
= 6, do not reduce His power but prove it - He made it 4 and no one can change it.
God has chosen for 2+2 to = 4 and it
will remain so because He has made it that way in His plan.
The natural limitations include the things God
cannot do because they are contrary to His nature. He cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18 it is impossible for
God to lie) He cannot be tempted to sin (James
1:13: Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being
tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not
tempt anyone.), He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot
deny Himself). More importantly, God cannot ever make wrong right, but He did –
as part of His plan - make a way of escape from the penalty of doing wrong.
But, these natural limitations do not limit His power. So,
how can God be both limited and unlimited? Because God is not like us; the
impossible is possible with God including being both limited by His nature and
unlimited in power. That is part of
His power. The Bible often tells us that all things are possible for God (Luke
1:37 The angel Gabriel said: “For nothing will be impossible with God”; Matthew 19:26 (camel – eye of needle) And looking at them
Jesus said to them, “With people this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible.”), and that God’s power exceeds what humans can ask or
think (Eph. 3:20 20Now
to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,
according to the power that works within us,).
In the Bible we find God’s omnipotence is not
just a subject to learn about — it is a force to be reckoned with. God’s power
is revealed in God’s creating the universe and keeping it going (Jer. 32:17 Ah
Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power
and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, ; Heb.
1:3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact
representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power),
in God’s deliverance of Israel from Pharaoh’s
forces, (ex 15:2 the children of Israel sang, “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I
will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him”). in the conquest
of Canaan (Deut. 3:22 Moses told
Joshua, “Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is
the one fighting for you.’), in the incarnation (Luke
1:35 “The
angel (Gabriel) answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;”), in Jesus Christ’s
death on the cross (1 Cor.
1:18 “18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but
to us who are being saved it is the power of God. “), and in the ongoing ministry of the church (1 Cor.
2:3-5 I was with you in weakness and in fear and
in much trembling, 4and my message and my preaching were not in
persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of
power, 5so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men,
but on the power of God.; ).
Since God is able to do as He pleases, and has
the power to fulfill His promises, the doctrine of God’s omnipotence becomes a
source of great comfort for the believer (cf. Gen. 18:9 – 15 9Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he
said, “There, in the tent.” 10He said, “I will surely return to
you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And
Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. 11Now
Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. 12Sarah
laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my
lord being old also?” 13And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did
Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so
old?’ 14“Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the
appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will
have a son.” 15Sarah denied it however, saying, “I
did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”; 1 Pet. 1:5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain
an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not
fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of
God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.).
In the past, God’s power was seen in ways like Creation
– today He is still keeping everything going. In the past God’s power was seen
by His delivering Israel
from Egypt
– today God is still delivering people from the power of sin.
The greatest display of His power was the
resurrection of Christ from the dead (2 Cor. 13:44For
indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power
of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of
the power of God directed toward you.).
For the believer, God’s power relates to the
Gospel (Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.),
to his security, to the promise of our future resurrection and to daily living.
Because God is so powerful, as Christians, we
have nothing to worry about. That’s why worry is a sin; it’s doubting God’s
Omnipotence. But, we can see clearly from scripture that God has a plan, a plan
that includes our salvation, our future with Him, and a plan for us, here, now,
to grow us in godliness. And, He has the power to execute His plan and make it
happen. There is nothing to fear.
Handout Answer Key
Almighty
Bible
Logic / Reason
Self Imposed
Natural
Nature
Lie
Tempted
Deny Himself
Nature
Power
Possible
The Universe / Everything
Egypt / Bondage / Slavery
the Incarnation
Salvation
Church
Comfort
The execution of the Plan of Salvation - The Gospel
Fear
|
