The Omnipotence of God

By Ben R. Vick, Jr.

Balaam, the prophet from the east, exclaimed, "...according to this time it shall be  said of Jacob and of Israel. What hath God wrought~!" The Hebrew word which is translated, "wrought" is defined by Strong's dictionary as "to do or make (systematically and habitually), especially to practice..." The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament tells us that "the word is used sixteen times in reference to God's work and twenty-two times to man's work. When it is applied to God, it is primarily God's acts in history, not his acts in creation.

The word omnipotence means all powerful. God is all powerful, and this can be seen in his many works, beginning with the creation of the world. Paul wrote, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (~Romans 1:20~).

As on looks at this world he sees God's power manifested in many ways. From the vastness of the universe with its orderliness to the smallest cell viewed under the microscope, God's power can be seen. This world did not come by accident. Order and symmetry has never come from chaos. Atheists concocted the idea of a Big Bang theory. It is false. It is about as credible as to believe that a monkey would sit down at a computer and produce the unabridged dictionary. The view is illogical and silly. If one desires to know how all came into being, just read the Bible. Read Genesis One. The Psalmist wrote, "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Psalm 33:6-9).

Not only can God's power be seen in his wonderful creative acts, but also His sustaining power. The writer of Hebrews penned, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, [emphasis BFV]when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:1-3). By Him all things consist (Colossians 1:16-17). The Greek word here translated "consist" means "to hold together, to have one's proper place" (Thayer). The sun is in its proper place. The planets orbit around the sun in their proper place. The earth in relationship to the sun is in its proper place. Imagine what it would be like if the earth were any closer to the sun, or any farther away from the sun. If it were any closer, we would burn up; if it were any farther away, we would freeze. The fish and birds have their proper places. God has determined the bounds of our habitation. By God's word the heavens and earth are kept in store until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men (~2 Peter 3:7~).

God's power can be visualized through the eye of faith in the universal flood which came in Noah's day. Peter wrote concerning the scoffers: "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men" (2 Peter 3:5-7).