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Therefore, the proper questions relative to God's power would be: (1) Can any other entity (or alleged deity) create a rock too heavy for
God to lift and (2) Can God create a rock too heavy for any other entity (or deity) to lift? The answers are no and yes. Thus, no other
entity (or deity) can exert any power over God and claim to be more powerful than God.
St. Augustine, in City of God, argued, instead, that God could not do anything that would make God non-omnipotent:
For He is called omnipotent on account of His doing what He wills, not on account of His suffering what He wills not; for if that
should befall Him, He would by no means be omnipotent. Wherefore, He cannot do some things for the very reason that He is
omnipotent.
Thus, Augustine argued that God could not do anything or create any situation that would in effect “make God not God.” So, for
example, God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Num. 23:19), he cannot be tempted by evil (James 1:13), he cannot disown himself (2 Tim. 2:13),
etc…
“In the end, we cannot define precisely what God is able to do. But we are confident that he can do everything Scripture describes him
as doing, and much more. And we know that the only preventers are his own truth, righteousness, faithfulness, and so on. That fact
should assure us that God is entirely competent to accomplish all his righteous, loving purposes.” ~ John Frame, on “God’s Power” in
The Doctrine of God.
“LORD” English rendering of several Hebrew and Greek words. Generally, the term refers to one who has power or authority.
Jehovah (or Yahweh; Hebrew YHWH, which basically means “self-existent”) is the name of God most frequently used in the Hebrew
Scriptures. “Lord” or “LORD” commonly represents it in the English translations. The Jews meticulously avoided every mention of it and
substituted in its stead another word, Adonai. They also combined Adonai with YHWH which produced the term Jehovah.
The importance of the name cannot be overstated. Exodus 3:14 give us a clue to the meaning of the word. When Moses received his
commission to be the deliverer of Israel, God, who appeared in the burning bush, communicated to him the name to give as the
credentials of his mission: God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” (Heb. ehyeh asher ehyeh); and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons
of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (NASB). In both names, ehyeh and YHWH, the root idea is that of uncreated existence. When it is
said that God’s name is I am, simple being is not all that is affirmed. He is, in a sense, in which no other being is. He is, and the cause of
His being is in Himself. He is because He is. Exod. 6:3, “By my name, Lord, I did not make myself known to them” (NASB), does not imply
that the patriarchs were completely ignorant of the eternal existence of God. It simply means that previous to their deliverance from
Egyptian bondage they had no experiential knowledge of such redemption. Under Moses they were to experience deliverance and have
the redemptive power of God made real to them and the redemptive name of God entrusted to them. Previously, as shepherds in
Palestine, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had known God as El Shaddai (“the Almighty,” Gen. 17:1), proving His power, but not in this kind of
redemptive relationship. This name affirms God’s lordship over His people (Exod. 34:23), as well as His power over the whole creation
(Josh. 3:13). Also, by this name God avows His superiority over all other gods (Deut. 10:17).
Adonai is another important designation for God as Lord in the OT. It derives from the Hebrew word Adon, an early word denoting
ownership and absolute control. Adon is not properly a divine title as it is used of humans in some places. It is applied to God as the
owner and governor of the whole earth (Ps. 114:7). It is sometimes used as a term of respect (like our “sir”) but with a pronoun
attached (“my lord”). It often occurs in the plural. Adonai is, in the emphatic form, “the Lord” – so many regard this title as the plural of
Adon.
“Lord” or “Master” (Gk. kurios, “supreme”) signifies the one to whom a person or thing belongs, the master, the one having disposition
of men or property, such as the “owner of the vineyard” (Matt. 20:8; 21:40; Mark 12:9; Luke 20:15); the “Lord of the harvest” (Matt.
9:38; Luke 10:2); the “master of the house” (Mark 13:35); “Lord of the Sabbath” (Matt. 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5), who has the power
to determine what is suitable to the Sabbath, and to release Himself and others from its obligation. This title is given to God, the ruler of
the universe, both with the definite article ho kurios (Matt. 1:22; 5:33; Mark 5:19; Acts 7:33; 2 Tim. 1:16, 18) and without the article
(Matt. 21:9; 27:10; Mark 13:20; Luke 2:9, 23, 26; Heb. 7:21).
Discussion questions:
Do you find the doctrine of God’s almightiness comforting or discouraging?
How could God’s almightiness be an encouragement to those suffering? How could it be a discouragement?
What about human responsibility? Do you find it hard to reconcile God’s almightiness with human responsibility (i.e., the
significance of decisions and actions)?
What about prayer? Do you find this doctrine promoting a life of prayer or stifling?
1. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (1046–1047). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.