God Is Omnipotent Series

Since the death of Comedian George Carlin who died of a heart attack at age 71 recently, several commentators have mentioned his impact. "Carlin’s worldview took a toll on him, as drug-use reportedly started the heart-problems that eventually killed him. Five years before his death, the "funny-man" voiced a very dark view: "I sort of gave up on this whole human adventure a long time ago," he said a couple of years ago. "Divorced myself from it emotionally. I think the human race has squandered its gift, and I think this country has squandered its promise”.

Commenting on the impact of this worldview one commentator said: "Here you see a man who is confronted with the disaster which autonomy has brought on our race. Carlin sees some of the bitter fruits of man’s rebellion against God. He longs for redemption. He sees that it will not arise from within us. Yet, like the classic definition of insanity, he has no prescription but more of the same”.

He was raised Roman Catholic, and probably thought (alas, wrongly) that this exposed him to Christianity, to Christ, to the Gospel. Thus he often expressed contempt for religion. Rejecting the fake, like so many he was inoculated against the real item. He misunderstood the nature of God and would often retell of his upbringing and the jokes that he responded with. One of his famous responses in being presented with the power of God was the retelling of the logical classic entitled the “Paradox of the Stone” which asks could God make a rock that is so big that He himself could not lift it? (http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2008/06/george-carlin-and-us.html)

Honest questions about the nature of God are reasonable, but the question is do we really want to know the answer. In Psalm 139, after having addressed God’s omniscience (vss. 1–6) and omnipresence (vss. 7–12), the psalmist now turns his attention to God’s omnipotence (vss. 13–18). Like in our previous discussions, there is not one Greek of Hebrew term that expresses the concept, but it is found thought the pages of Scripture

Revelation 19:6[6]Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. (cf. Gen. 17:1; Job. 9:19; Ps. 24:8)

• In the expression God the Almighty (el sadday), it expresses the Omnipotence of God. The word itself is a Latin theological term with two elements.

o It derives from the prefix Omni meaning all and the suffex Potence meaning power.

Definition: In summary form it is “God’s unlimited authority to bring into existence or cause to happen whatsoever he wills”.( Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Baker encyclopedia of the Bible. Map on lining papers. (1588). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House.)

How is God mighty?

Jeremiah 32:17 [17]’Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. (ESV) (cf. Gen. 18:14)

• God can do all things possible (Mt. 19:26; Mk. 10:27; Lk. 18:27).

• Although nothing is too hard for God, this does not mean that all things are possible, like logical contradictions (making a stone so big that He cannot lift it (known philosophically as the “Paradox of the Stone”, or making a square circle etc.)

• According to Thomas Aquinas’ understanding of omnipotence, “God is able to do anything possible, but not anything impossible, and creating a stone that God cannot lift is something impossible”. (http://www.existence-of-god.com/paradox-of-the-stone.html)

There is a moral limit on what He will do

Psalm 115:3 [3]Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. (ESV) (cf. Ps. 135:6).

• No one can hinder the actions of God (Isa. 43:13).

• It is important to note that God will not do certain things because it does not please Him.

• Since God is Holy, He cannot sin like lie (Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18). Since He is sprit (which we saw a few weeks ago) he cannot physically hunger or get sick. Since He is omniscient, (which we saw last week) he cannot learn or forget anything. Since He is eternal (which we will conclude our series by looking at next week) he cannot die, commit suicide, change the past, nor create another eternal God.

Given therefore what God can and cannot do in terms of His omnipotence, we see that He:

1) Creates and arranges our bodies within the womb (139:13–15)

Psalm 139:13-15 [13]For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. [14]I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. [15]My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.