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“There is nothing too hard for thee,” Jeremiah wrote of God (32: 17). Paul wrote of “…the exceeding greatness of his power” (Eph. 1:19). The Bible abounds with claims of God’s omnipotence, yet because of His very nature, there are some things God cannot do and still be God. The accurate statement of His omnipotence is that God is all powerful to accomplish all things that are consistent with His will and nature. What are some things God cannot do?
- God cannot sin. He cannot even be tempted to sin: “for God cannot be tempted with evil…” (Jam. 1:13). He varies not in sinless purity as “the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation” (v. 17b). In this trait lies the security of the universe. God loves even the most sinful and debauched, and He wants them to be saved.
- God cannot smile upon sin. Sin is the violation of God’s law (1 John 3:4). Sin is antagonistic to His nature, and He cannot abide its presence. Sin causes God to hide His face from us (Isa. 59:1) and not hear us (John 9:31). Calvary reveals at the same time God’s love for the sinner and His hatred of sin. Yet men continue in sin as if God is not concerned.
- God cannot save men apart from Christ. If He could have, He certainly would have done so. Those who glibly announce that God could have saved mankind by some other means, but He simply chose this way, make Him to be a cruel and heartless ogre. When the Lord prayed concerning the ordeal of Calvary, “If it be possible, let this cup pass away from me…” (Mat. 26:39, emph. DM) the certainty that there was no other way is forever settled. The principle of atonement requires the sacrifice of the perfect for the imperfect. Jesus was “…in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15b). He alone is thereby able to redeem sinners with His precious, sinless blood (1 Pet. 1:18–19). “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Heb. 2:3a). There is no escape from condemnation to Hell because of our sins if we reject the Christ, the only Savior (Heb. 10:26).
- God cannot force men to serve Him. He has imposed this limitation upon Himself. “Irresistible grace” is a fraud and a fiction. From the beginning God has given men the ability to choose. God allowed Adam and Eve to choose to obey or disobey Him (Gen. 2:17). Joshua exhorted Israel to choose whom they would serve (Jos. 24:15). Moses chose to suffer affliction with God’s people (Heb. 11:25). What glory would redound to God were we all robots with no ability to choose to serve Him? He is glorified when we choose to obey Him.
- God cannot lie. Though all men should be liars, God remains truthful (Rom. 3:4). It is impossible for Him to lie (Heb. 6:18a). This applies both to the Bible’s promises of Heaven and to its warnings about Hell. It is folly to imagine that God’s will concerning sin and judgment can be overturned.
[Note: I wrote this article for and it appeared in the Denton Record-Chronicle, Denton, TX, September 5, 2008].
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
