“With God, all things are possible.” Is this true? How can it not be true because it is in the Bible, and Christ Himself said it? It’s in Matthew 19. Yes, of course, it is true, but it also needs some clarification, and this is the purpose of Christianity Clarified. All things are possible with God, but what is meant by “things”? A “thing”, as referred to by Christ, has to do with an objective reality, that is, the existence of an object or condition that is real in existence, or can be real in existence. In other words, God’s ability to do anything is limited to a real, or potentially real, object or situation. Skeptics foolishly think they have God cornered and suppose they have disproved God’s ability to do anything. Nonsensical questions like: Can God make a rock so big He can’t lift it, because if He can’t make a rock that big, then He clearly can’t do everything? Or, if He can make that rock but, then, is unable to lift it, He can’t do everything. Got’cha. No, you don’t got’cha. Remember, God’s ability to do anything is limited to real, or potentially real, objects or situations. God deals in reality, not fantasy. A rock so big it can’t be lifted is not a real situation but a non-existent, illogical contradiction. Add to that the contradictory challenge, Can God square a circle? Well, if God can’t make a circle square, then he can’t do everything. But, a square circle is not a reality. It is a non-reality, a contradiction.
Still there are numerous other things God cannot do. God cannot lie. He cannot deceive. God cannot deny Himself. God cannot cease to be who and what He is. He cannot fail. He cannot do anything inconsistent with nature and character. So, when Christians make the assertion that God can do anything, the anything needs to be qualified.
Surely, Christ meant, in Matthew 19, that God can do things man cannot. Undeniably, the context indicates this by clearly saying, “With men, it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.” While God is unlimited in His power and is, thus, omnipotent, yet His doing of anything must comport and comply with the demands of His other attributes, including His holiness and righteousness. These, too, are abilities and attributes of God, and His possession of them is not partial but absolute. Every act of God, great or small, must comply with all that He is and all His attributes. No attribute of God negates another nor do any dominate another. And all that God is, He is all of the time. This concept refers to God’s immutability, an attribute to be discussed at a future session of Christianity Clarified.
CC-05-07
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