God is omnipotent, or, to put it in a challenging way, all-powerful. This word is Latin in origin and means “almighty” or “omnipotent” (omni = all, potens = powerful). However, what does it mean to argue that God is omnipotent or all-powerful?
What does the Bible say about omnipotence?
The Bible frequently talks about God’s power. For example:
- Exodus 15:6 states, “Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy; your right hand, glorious in power.”
- According to 1 Chronicles 29:11, “Everything in the sky and on earth is yours, O LORD, including greatness, power, glory, triumph, and majesty. O LORD, the dominion is yours, and you are elevated above everyone else.
- According to Psalm 29:4, “The voice of the LORD is full of majesty; it is a powerful voice.”
- Raising your eyes to the sky, Isaiah 40:26 asks, “Who created these? He who calls each one of them by name, bringing forth their host by number, and by the might of his might, so that not a single one is absent.
Power in saving from Egypt
Here, we witness the power of God’s personification (1 Chronicles 29:11), the might of his voice (Psalm 29:4), and the power with which He works (Isaiah 40:26), both in creation and in salvation (Exodus 15:6). In fact, the Bible makes numerous references to God’s power in relation to his ability to deliver Israel from Egypt:
- “But I have raised you [Pharaoh] up for this purpose, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed throughout the earth,” reads Exodus 9:16.
- Exodus 14:31 states that “the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses because they saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians.”
- “That your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations,” says Psalm 67:2.
Therefore, even though it is evident that God possesses absolute power (see also Psalm 115:3), God’s strength is frequently demonstrated in reference to salvation; this was the case both at the crucifixion and during the Exodus (as seen in the Exodus verses above).
- “But we proclaim Christ crucified, a blind guide for the Jews and foolishness for the Gentiles, but Christ the strength and wisdom of God for those who are called, both Jews and Greeks,” says 1 Corinthians 1:23.
- “Because the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God for us who are being saved,” says 1 Corinthians 1:18.
Power at the cross
Ironically, the thing that appears to us to be the weakest and most ridiculous—Christ’s cross—is where God’s might is most evident! This, however, should instill tremendous confidence in Christians: God, in his omnipotence, has preserved us and will carry us to our everlasting inheritance.
Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, “according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Thus, we should interpret God’s omnipotence to mean that He has the ability to achieve everything He pleases, with a special emphasis on bringing about redemption.
It’s important to note before we go that even though God is all-powerful, there are some things He just cannot accomplish! God, for example, cannot lie or sin because it would be against his own nature to do such a thing. Consequently, we ought to interpret God’s omnipotence as meaning that he is capable of doing whatever that is in line with his holy will and character.
