Thoughts from The Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Tuesday, 13 June 2023 12:03

Omnipotent God
When we say God is omnipotent, we mean that God is all-powerful. We have already established that God is omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipresent (all-present). However, in talking about God’s omnipotence, we must now make a theological statement. It seems obvious that God knows everything and that, as Spirit, He is fully present everywhere and at all times. But to say and affirm that God is all-powerful is to ascribe authority to Him.

As Creator of the universe, God has powerful authority over His own creation. Even His spoken word is powerful enough to create out of nothing–ex nihilo–everything. Psalm 29:3-6 testifies of God’s power over creation: “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the glory of God thunders, / the LORD, over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars…” Further into the psalm, the psalmist declares, “The LORD sits enthroned as king forever.” In Job 38, God is describing His unending authority to the frustrated Job, and in verses 8-11, God describes how He sets the limits for the sky and seas.

As King of the universe, God has absolute authority over earthly authorities. In fact, He is the one who rightly puts earthly rulers into place. He is powerful over every decision they make, righteously determining their ways. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will.” Romans 13 reiterates this: “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted [put there] by God.” Daniel 2 talks about God giving authority to kings and taking it away from them. Interestingly, in John 19, Jesus makes it clear that God gave authority to those who arrested and crucified Jesus. They would not have had power to do so if God had not given them that task.

As Lord of the universe, God has absolute authority over everything that comes to pass. He knows what will happen, yes. But he knows what will happen because He is the great Author of the greatest Story–the story of the gospel. No plans of His can be thwarted, changed, or ruined (Job 42:2). He wrote the beginning, and He wrote the ending. He has authority over every millisecond of every moment. And in the mystery of His grace, He makes His power known in the lives of His children. In fact, His power works within His children (Ephesians 3:20).
So what else must His children do but live lives that point to His great power?

-Audrey Christensen