The omnipotence of God means that He is all-powerful. God does not only have power: He has all power (Heb. 1:3, Ps. 147:5, Job 42:2, Jer. 32:27). The power of God is not received from any source outside of Him. God has power in Himself and is not in need of any power to be granted unto Him. His power is infinite like His being.
This power equally exists in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three Persons of the Trinity are omnipotent. Compared to many other attributes of God, this attribute is more understandable: power is a communicable attribute, meaning He also grants power to His creation. Even when God bestows power on His creation, however, His power is not completely shared with them. God grants the measure of power that He desires, to the extent that He wills, to different creatures, according to His good pleasure. Yet He never runs out of power Himself.
The omnipotence of God remains the same even after delegating power to His creation. The power of God can be observed even in the first chapter of the Bible when He created all of the celestial bodies from nothing by the power of His Word. The Scriptures are our witness to this glorious might of our God and Savior: He is not only the sole creator but also the sustainer of all the created order (Heb. 1:3). His power governs the cosmos by preserving order and sustaining everything, keeping all of the planets from crashing into each other and protecting all of the stars from being engulfed by a black hole.
Our God holds the sun in the sky so that the earth is not destroyed, even as He maintains the proper place of the earth in orbit. The Lord prevents the earth from flying into the sun. Such power is far beyond our comprehension.
The power of God is not only made manifest in creation, but also redemption. God also has the power to save His elect from sin and eternal condemnation. We can witness the power of God on the cross.
The cross is thought by many to be a symbol of the weakness of Jesus, yet we often fail to recognize His power displayed on Calvary. He bore the eternal wrath of God the Father for His people on the cross completely (Isa. 53:10). Only Jesus in His omnipotence could have carried such immense affliction in only three hours to satisfy divine justice.
He possesses the power to save His people from their unregenerate state. He subdues them in their rebellion in order to grant them new birth. His purpose cannot be thwarted through the resistance posed by human depravity. His power can also be seen in His keeping the elect from falling from the state of grace into eternal condemnation. He guards them by His strong arm to prevent them from losing their salvation until death, so that they may reach glorification.
The omnipotent power of God can also be witnessed in the final judgment when Jesus will sentence His enemies to Hell. When the time comes, no man, fallen angel, or even the devil will be able to stop God from driving all rebels into hell.
Consider also the story in the Gospel accounts of a man possessed by a legion of evil spirits (Mark 5:1-20). The story is a display of divine power, in which Jesus casts out a legion from a man by sending the evil spirits into a herd of pigs, which are afterward driven into the water. The God who threw the legion of evil spirits into the water will likewise show His wrath by throwing all rebellious spirits into Hell. Even if all of the creatures come together, all of these would not be able to thwart the hand of God from throwing His enemies into the fiery fire of His omnipotent wrath.
This attribute should increase our faith and grant us greater assurance. This truth should lead us to the recognition that our God is mighty enough to protect and provide for us, and that nothing is impossible for Him.
We should have greater assurance of our future glorification because we have the knowledge that our God, who is almighty, has promised His elect eternity with Himself, and that He is strong enough to keep them in the faith and to do according to His promise. Samuel Rutherford once said: “My faith has no bed to sleep upon but omnipotence.” I pray that this might be true for all of us who know Christ.
This power equally exists in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three Persons of the Trinity are omnipotent. Compared to many other attributes of God, this attribute is more understandable: power is a communicable attribute, meaning He also grants power to His creation. Even when God bestows power on His creation, however, His power is not completely shared with them. God grants the measure of power that He desires, to the extent that He wills, to different creatures, according to His good pleasure. Yet He never runs out of power Himself.
The omnipotence of God remains the same even after delegating power to His creation. The power of God can be observed even in the first chapter of the Bible when He created all of the celestial bodies from nothing by the power of His Word. The Scriptures are our witness to this glorious might of our God and Savior: He is not only the sole creator but also the sustainer of all the created order (Heb. 1:3). His power governs the cosmos by preserving order and sustaining everything, keeping all of the planets from crashing into each other and protecting all of the stars from being engulfed by a black hole.
Our God holds the sun in the sky so that the earth is not destroyed, even as He maintains the proper place of the earth in orbit. The Lord prevents the earth from flying into the sun. Such power is far beyond our comprehension.
The power of God is not only made manifest in creation, but also redemption. God also has the power to save His elect from sin and eternal condemnation. We can witness the power of God on the cross.
The cross is thought by many to be a symbol of the weakness of Jesus, yet we often fail to recognize His power displayed on Calvary. He bore the eternal wrath of God the Father for His people on the cross completely (Isa. 53:10). Only Jesus in His omnipotence could have carried such immense affliction in only three hours to satisfy divine justice.
He possesses the power to save His people from their unregenerate state. He subdues them in their rebellion in order to grant them new birth. His purpose cannot be thwarted through the resistance posed by human depravity. His power can also be seen in His keeping the elect from falling from the state of grace into eternal condemnation. He guards them by His strong arm to prevent them from losing their salvation until death, so that they may reach glorification.
The omnipotent power of God can also be witnessed in the final judgment when Jesus will sentence His enemies to Hell. When the time comes, no man, fallen angel, or even the devil will be able to stop God from driving all rebels into hell.
Consider also the story in the Gospel accounts of a man possessed by a legion of evil spirits (Mark 5:1-20). The story is a display of divine power, in which Jesus casts out a legion from a man by sending the evil spirits into a herd of pigs, which are afterward driven into the water. The God who threw the legion of evil spirits into the water will likewise show His wrath by throwing all rebellious spirits into Hell. Even if all of the creatures come together, all of these would not be able to thwart the hand of God from throwing His enemies into the fiery fire of His omnipotent wrath.
This attribute should increase our faith and grant us greater assurance. This truth should lead us to the recognition that our God is mighty enough to protect and provide for us, and that nothing is impossible for Him.
We should have greater assurance of our future glorification because we have the knowledge that our God, who is almighty, has promised His elect eternity with Himself, and that He is strong enough to keep them in the faith and to do according to His promise. Samuel Rutherford once said: “My faith has no bed to sleep upon but omnipotence.” I pray that this might be true for all of us who know Christ.
About The Author
JOEL RIAZ
1689 Federalism | Amillennialism | General Equity Theonomist
Joel Riaz lives in Abbottabad, Pakistan, with his wife, Irum. Having grown up in a Christian community, Riaz is well-acquainted with the Christian Faith and is the first person in his community to embrace Reformed Baptist Doctrine. He serves as an elder at Jesus The Holy Lamb, a Reformed Baptist Church.
1689 Federalism | Amillennialism | General Equity Theonomist
Joel Riaz lives in Abbottabad, Pakistan, with his wife, Irum. Having grown up in a Christian community, Riaz is well-acquainted with the Christian Faith and is the first person in his community to embrace Reformed Baptist Doctrine. He serves as an elder at Jesus The Holy Lamb, a Reformed Baptist Church.
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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.
Copyright © 2023 by Grace and Truth Press L.L.C. and Joel Riaz / All rights reserved. No portion of this article may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.
Copyright © 2023 by Grace and Truth Press L.L.C. and Joel Riaz / All rights reserved. No portion of this article may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
Posted in Soteriology, Theology Proper
Posted in Omnipotence, Creation, Sovereignty, Assurance, Wrath
Posted in Omnipotence, Creation, Sovereignty, Assurance, Wrath
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