Knowing a Powerful God

This expert summary delves into the biblical doctrine of God’s omnipotence, exploring how His infinite power defines His nature, fuels the universe, and transforms the lives of believers. The insights presented emphasize that knowing God’s power is essential for dynamic Christian worship, encouragement, and effective ministry.

The Definition of Divine Power: Omnipotence Explained

The Bible uses the unique term “omnipotent” to describe God, signifying that He is all-powerful. The term combines the biblical root Omni (meaning all) and potent (meaning power). This concept is so central that George Frederick Handel incorporated the phrase “Lord God omnipotent Reigns” into his famous Hallelujah Chorus.

From the creation account in Genesis to the description of the Throne of God in Revelation, scripture dedicates attention to God’s omnipotent and sovereign power, which serves to energize all His other attributes.

What God Can Do: Infinite Capability

The sources highlight four foundational truths demonstrating the limitless nature of God’s power:

1. God Can Do All Things: Revelation 19:6 proclaims the voice of a great multitude saying, “Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent Reigns“. There is nothing that can be conceived of that God cannot do.
2. Nothing Is Too Hard for God: Luke 1:37 affirms that “With God nothing will be impossible“. Since He commands all power in the universe, He can do whatever He chooses. The prophet Jeremiah prayed, “O Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You“.
3. Everything Is Done with Equal Ease: Unlike finite human beings who face degrees of difficulty (e.g., struggling to open a sealed jar versus taking a tissue from a box), God operates without degrees of difficulty. He performs one task as easily as another, holding omnipotent energy in His hand. Abraham and Sarah learned this lesson when God promised them a child in their old age, asking, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”. Jesus echoed this, stating that while entering heaven is impossible for man, “With God all things are possible”.
4. God Never Gets Tired or Weary: Isaiah 40:28 describes the Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator, saying, “Neither faints nor is weary“. His understanding is unsearchable.

The Boundaries of Divine Nature: What God Cannot Do

Although God is described as able to do all things, there are certain actions He cannot perform because they would contradict His immutable nature. Asking if God can do something inconsistent with His character (like making a “square circle” or a rock He cannot lift) is considered a flawed, illogical, and self-refuting question.

God’s omnipotence is guided by His nature. Therefore, the Bible reveals specific acts God will never commit:

• God cannot lie: Titus 1:2 states that God, “who cannot lie,” promised eternal life before time began. Lying would be inconsistent with His nature.
• God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt others: James explains that God is immune from temptation because He is holy. While God may test believers to make them better, He will never tempt them toward evil to make them worse.
• God cannot deny Himself: Performing any of these actions would violate who He is.

Four Irrefutable Evidences of God’s Power

For those seeking evidence of God’s immense power, the sources provide proofs that are “as wide as the universe and just as limitless as the galaxies”. Four key demonstrations stand out:

1. Creation: God’s eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen and understood through what has been made. God spoke, and the world came into being; He commanded, and it stood fast. The sources assert that believing God spoke the world into existence makes more sense than modern evolutionary explanations.
2. Preservation: The God who created the universe is the one “in whom all things consist,” meaning He is the “glue that holds it all together”. This preserving power extends to the individual believer: Isaiah states that even into old age and gray hairs, God sustains, carries, and rescues His people. If God can hold the world together, He can handle the life of any believer.
3. Resurrection: The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the greatest evidences of God’s power. The power exerted to raise Christ from the dead is the “incomparably great power for us who believe”. God reversed the process of death and decay, causing Christ’s lifeless body to walk again. Jesus was not merely resuscitated but resurrected with a glorified body incapable of pain, sickness, or death.
4. Transformation (Salvation): The greatest constant demonstration of God’s power is the power of transformation. Romans 1:16 declares that the gospel of Christ is the “power of God to Salvation”. For individuals who come from difficult backgrounds, God’s power is visibly displayed when He reaches down and completely transforms their life.

Accessing and Applying God’s Power in Christian Life

Understanding God’s omnipotence must lead to practical application in the life of the believer, impacting worship, hope, and ministry.

1. Energize Worship

Studying God’s attributes, including His power, deepens one’s knowledge of Him. The principle holds true: the more you know about God, the more you love God, and the more you love God, the more you want to worship God. Worship songs remind believers of the greatness of the omnipotent God—the Creator, Sustainer, and Source of the Resurrection.

2. Encourage Walk

The power of God encourages the believer’s walk. The “God of Hope” fills believers with joy and peace through believing, allowing them to abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Empower Work (The Danger of Fleshly Effort)

Christians are emphatically warned that they cannot do the work of God in their own power. Attempting to serve God through self-reliance, increased hours, or secular strategies (like holding “positive mental attitude seminars” in churches) leads to struggle and failure. Such efforts only achieve what human strength can do, never what God can do.

The correct method is to strenuously contend with “all the energy Christ so powerfully Works in me,” relying on accessed divine power rather than personal stamina.