The Omnipotence of God

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear; now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration…

“Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.”^[1]

Understanding the Omnipotence of God

Most of us are very familiar with verses in the Bible that speak of the extent of God’s power. For example:

• Psalm 147:5: Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
• Mark 10:27: Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
• Ephesians 3:20: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

We see God’s omnipotence displayed throughout Scripture, including in the creation and sustaining of the universe, the Exodus, the Incarnation, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, and the enduring influence of the church.^[2]

Is "Omnipotent" a Biblical Term?

While you won't find the specific word "omnipotent" in the Bible, the concept is central to the nature of God. Scripture frequently refers to Him as El Shaddai, or "God Almighty."

• Genesis 17:1: “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.”
• Isaiah 6:5: “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips... and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
• Amos 4:13: “He who forms the mountains... the Lord God Almighty is his name.”
• Revelation 1:8: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John Frame notes: “Omnipotence means that God is in total control of himself and his creation…. This includes the smallest details of the natural world.”^[3]

What God Cannot Do: Defining Divine Power

To say that God can do absolutely anything is a common misconception. The truth is that God cannot and will not do anything that contradicts His character. To deny one part of Himself would negate His deity. As theologian Allen Killen explains, “God’s omnipotence does not mean that He can do anything whatsoever, since His omnipotent power is governed by His will, and this in turn is governed by His character.”^[4]

Key limitations consistent with God's nature include:

• God cannot lie: (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18)
• God cannot do evil: Since He is perfectly holy and good, He cannot act against His nature.
• God cannot be logically contradictory: He cannot make "round squares" or other logical impossibilities.
• God cannot be tempted: (James 1:13)

Addressing Common Skepticism

Skeptics often pose the dilemma: “Can God make a rock so big that He can’t move it?” R.C. Sproul clarifies that this is a false dilemma because it assumes omnipotence means God can do anything, including destroying His own nature. “God cannot build a rock so big that He could not move it... If God ever built such a rock He would be creating something over which He had no power. He would be destroying His own omnipotence.”^[8]

The Practical Application of Divine Power

Ultimately, divine omnipotence is a comfort to the believer. Dr. William Lane Craig asserts: “God is adequate to all your needs. We serve an omnipotent God. There is no prayer too hard, no need too great, no temptation too strong, no misery too deep but that God is not adequate to meet your needs in that situation.”^[9]

Endnotes

1. Joachim Neander, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” public domain.↑
2. Portions of this section based on Chad Brand, et al., eds., “Omnipotence,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), pp. 1220–1221.↑
3. John Frame, “The Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence of God,” https://pjcockrell.wordpress.com/2020/03/24/the-omnipotence-omniscience-and-omnipresence-of-god/.↑
4. R. Allan Killen, “Omnipotence,” in The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, ed. Charles F. Pfeiffer, Howard F. Vos, and John Rea (Moody Press, 1975).↑
5. E. McChesney, “Omnipotence,” in The New