The word “omnipotent” originated from two Latin words: omnis, which means all, and potens, or poetntia, which denotes power. As God possesses the traits of omniscience and omnipresence, it implies that if God is sovereign and eternal, which we believe He is, then God must indeed be omnipotent.
Yes, God has complete control over everything at all times and in all circumstances. So, what does the Bible really mean when it says that God is all powerful or omnipotent? What different facets of God’s omnipotence exist? And are God’s capabilities limited in any way?
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Is God All-Powerful?
Consider eternal life and the power God held at the beginning of time. God was the sole being who existed before creation and hence possessed all power. Nothing could stop Him from doing anything.
God, on the other hand, had to give up some of His power in order to create free beings. It might be more accurate to argue that the Almighty God transferred some of His authority. God has given us a small amount of “controlling power” in the form of our freedom.
To allow His creation to be liberated, God spoke and freely granted us a share of His authority, giving up His capacity to “always have His way.” Man’s freedom[1] must infer that the free individual can choose their very own path that may or may not accord with God’s. For God to be constantly in charge and still let free beings have some influence is utterly impossible. As a result, when God “lends” His power away, He can no longer use it.
Even if He is not actively exercising all authority at the moment, He is the most powerful being. God remains the world’s dominant force, and only He knows what the world would be without His continual, holy influence.
What Does It Mean God Is All-Powerful Or Omnipotent?
God’s omnipotence proclaims that He possesses ultimate power over all things and is the origin of all power. He is boundless in His might, knowledge, righteousness, love, and ability to carry out His sovereign plan. There are reasons why the everlasting God is omnipotent.
1. God Created The Universe
Nowhere does God’s omnipotence shine brighter than in creation. When God simply spoke, “Let there be,” it happened (Genesis 1:3, 6, and 9). Man needs resources and tools to produce; God only had to speak, and through the power of His utterance, everything came into existence. As Psalm 33:6 says, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and their heavenly host by the breath of his mouth.”
The source of man, the sun, stars, moon, earth, plants, and animals have all been objects of universal curiosity among men throughout history. This is answered in Jeremiah 32:17, “You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm.”
According to the Bible, God created everything in nature from nothing. Whoever designed the universe could accomplish everything He set His heart to. In line with this, nothing is too challenging for God, as evidenced by creation (Job 36:26–33; Acts 17:15, 17:24).
2. God Rules The Universe
God’s power stretches to leaders and governments (Daniel 2:21), as He limits or allows them to go their own way in accordance with His plans. In relation to Satan and his demons, He has unbounded authority. Satan’s assault on Job was restricted to specific behaviors. He was bound by the omnipotence of God (Job 1:12; 2:6). Pilate, Jesus Christ reminded him, had no authority over Him unless handed to him by the Lord of all power based on John 19:11.
God dominates the universe since He created everything, as declared in Acts 17:24–25, and 28. Only He possessed the ability to succeed. Therefore, only He has the authority to rule it, and only He deserves such authority. In reality, everything in nature came from the Creator of all things.
He owns all in heaven and on earth. Every good thing comes from Him. God has proven His claim to oversee the universe throughout history and has penalized men who refuse to acknowledge His authority (2 Chronicles 20:6).
3. God Dominates The Powers Of Evil
Despite how tragic life may seem right now, compassion, peace, and hope will win out. God’s grace can vanquish anything, regardless of how severe your sin is or how heavy your shame and guilt are. You can be freed from the chains that bind you, thanks to the One who overcame sin and death and mocked Satan and his demons. If your heart truly asks Him, He has the ability to provide you with complete spiritual freedom and enlightenment.
Just before He died, Jesus declared, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31). Jesus Himself was going to deliver the judgment that you and I deserved. And, while God demonstrated His supremacy over demons and Satan by exiling them from heaven, Christ’s sacrifice defeated and insulted the forces of darkness.
4. God Delivers People From Sin
God has the ability to either punish or reward. Accordingly, He prefers to give rewards. However, the issue is that every person has sinned and requires punishment (Romans 3:23; 6:23). We need God’s power since a human can’t save himself on his own. As shown in Hebrews 7:25, “He is able to save completely those who approach God through Him.” To make this happen, He had to pass away as a sacrifice and take our penalty (John 3:16; 1 Peter 2:24).
Jesus Christ’s blood is the only force capable of delivering people from sin. The entire earth should obey what our God has commanded and declared in the Bible. When the followers of Jesus sincerely believe in God’s ability to save, those people will obey and honor Him, according to Matthew 28:18–20.
Only God, if He is the God of power, can redeem us from our sins. And if He has the authority that the Bible portrays, nobody will dare deviate from what He advises doing in order to receive salvation. However, according to His word, Jesus’ blood only offers conditional salvation. Hearing, believing, repenting, confessing, and being baptized are all necessary steps. Consequently, we need to lead a devoted life.
5. God Performs Miracles
Jesus Christ is almighty because he is God incarnate. His power can be seen in the miracles He performed, such as healings (John 4:46–54; 5:1–9; 9:1–11, 30–38; Mark 2:1–12), feeding the five thousand (Mark 6:30–44; Matthew 14:13–21; 15:32–39), soothing the storm (Mark 4:37–41; Matthew 14:22–33; 8:23–27), and raising Jairus’s daughter and Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38–44; Mark 5:35–43; Acts 9:36–42)—which is an example of His intense power over life and death.
Additionally, while God has performed miracles through human agents, the power itself originates from God. According to Jeremiah 32:17, 20, and 22 in Old Testament Wonders, nothing is insurmountable for God.
He demonstrated this by performing magnificent miracles to bring Israel out of Egypt. God also inflicted severe plagues on Egypt, including the death of the firstborn and the river turning to blood. Nonetheless, Israel was spared the plagues. God parted the Red Sea, allowing Israel to cross on dry land while the army of Pharaoh drowned when attempting to cross.
Miracles were intended to validate God’s word and demonstrate God’s might. In John 20:30–31, “By the time the New Testament was written, God had already amply demonstrated His deity in the Old Testament.” However, men needed evidence that Jesus Christ was God and that the Holy Spirit inspired the authors who wrote the New Testament. That’s why miracles were performed.
What Are The Different Sides Of God’s Omnipotence?
The omnipotence of God has two sides. Firstly, He is free to act in any manner that corresponds with who He is. Secondly, He can execute all necessary things, including His intentions and will for us. As 2 Corinthians 9:8 reads, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
Are There Limits To What God Can Do?
When we talk about God’s unlimited power, we’re talking about God’s unfathomable ability to uphold His unwaveringly holy character and keep His word. In other words, His mercy, justice, love, grace, and truth are the means through which His omnipotence is contained and manifested.
God’s power has limited Himself to actions that are consistent with His just and loving nature. God’s strength is therefore confined within himself. He is incapable of wickedness or irrationality. He cannot break His promise. God is mighty when it comes to carrying out what is good, yet He lacks the ability to do what is evil.
God’s power will never fade, and neither will His love for us. Therefore, we can declare with assurance, “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies” (Psalm 118:6–7).
Conclusion
We must recognize God as the Almighty, who is all-powerful and omnipotent. Take into account the authority God possesses as the Creator and Ruler of all things, the only One who is competent to perform miracles, pardon sin, and grant people everlasting life.
This will encourage us to huddle beneath the protection of our loving Father’s wing, fully aware that He is greater than anything and capable of withstanding any challenge we may face. Furthermore, He has vowed to stay. We can stand confident and strong, knowing we belong to the God who keeps control over all, regardless of how messy our situations are, how noisy the entire planet is, or how unclear our future seems.
