Q: In Matthew 19:26, Jesus says, With God, all things are possible. The same sentiment is expressed in Genesis 18:14, Job 42:1-2, Jeremiah 32:17 and 32:27, and in the parallel-passage in Mark 10:27. But some other passages contradict this by mentioning some things that God cannot do.
A: Lets look at those other passages.
Judges 1:19 -- "And the Lord was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron." -- The promise that all things are possible with God does not mean that all victories are immediately achieved with minimal effort. Eventually the inhabitants of the valleys were subdued; just not in the first stages of the occupation-stage of the Conquest.
Mark 6:5 -- "And he could there do no mighty work." -- The passage proceeds to say that Jesus laid His hands upon a few people and healed them. The reason why Jesus could perform only a few mighty works in Nazareth seems to be related to the citizens doubtfulness about Jesus. Most of them seemed to have possessed an attitude not of faithful trust in Jesus, or even of neutral hope, but of skepticism, unbelief, and a refusal to give Him an honest chance. And, though faith was not always required for the performance of a miracle -- after all, Jesus raised the dead, withered the fig tree, predicted Saint Peters fish, and performed other such miracles requiring no faith on the part of their beneficiaries -- it seems that God required on this occasion that the people possess a modicum of willingness to receive the benefits of His power through Jesus, and they did not. In other words, Jesus could not heal them, not because of any failure or deficiency on His part, but because they did not give themselves an opportunity to be healed. God was with Jesus, but the people who refused to ask Jesus to heal them were not with God.
Heb.6:18 -- "It was impossible for God to lie." -- This verse speaks not about what is possible for people to do with God, but of what God Himself can or cannot do. So its a non sequitur as far as the alleged contradiction with Matthew 19:26 is concerned. Still, readers may understandably wonder how an omnipotent God cannot lie. The resolution has something to do with the nature of God as the basis of truth. God cannot be a liar in the same way that two different mathematical amounts cannot be equal amounts. /If/ one is inconsistent, then one can say that 2+2=4 and 2+2=5, but not if one is inconsistent. So, I think its fair to say that an inconsistent deity could do some things which a consistent deity could not do -- just as a competent mathematician cant do some things that an incompetent mathematician could do. But such variety of power is actually a symptom of imperfection, and God is perfect. Thus He cannot lie.
In what sense, then, is God omnipotent? In the sense that God has the power to do anything He wants to do. But as a good and consistent God, He will never desire to lie.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
A: Lets look at those other passages.
Judges 1:19 -- "And the Lord was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron." -- The promise that all things are possible with God does not mean that all victories are immediately achieved with minimal effort. Eventually the inhabitants of the valleys were subdued; just not in the first stages of the occupation-stage of the Conquest.
Mark 6:5 -- "And he could there do no mighty work." -- The passage proceeds to say that Jesus laid His hands upon a few people and healed them. The reason why Jesus could perform only a few mighty works in Nazareth seems to be related to the citizens doubtfulness about Jesus. Most of them seemed to have possessed an attitude not of faithful trust in Jesus, or even of neutral hope, but of skepticism, unbelief, and a refusal to give Him an honest chance. And, though faith was not always required for the performance of a miracle -- after all, Jesus raised the dead, withered the fig tree, predicted Saint Peters fish, and performed other such miracles requiring no faith on the part of their beneficiaries -- it seems that God required on this occasion that the people possess a modicum of willingness to receive the benefits of His power through Jesus, and they did not. In other words, Jesus could not heal them, not because of any failure or deficiency on His part, but because they did not give themselves an opportunity to be healed. God was with Jesus, but the people who refused to ask Jesus to heal them were not with God.
Heb.6:18 -- "It was impossible for God to lie." -- This verse speaks not about what is possible for people to do with God, but of what God Himself can or cannot do. So its a non sequitur as far as the alleged contradiction with Matthew 19:26 is concerned. Still, readers may understandably wonder how an omnipotent God cannot lie. The resolution has something to do with the nature of God as the basis of truth. God cannot be a liar in the same way that two different mathematical amounts cannot be equal amounts. /If/ one is inconsistent, then one can say that 2+2=4 and 2+2=5, but not if one is inconsistent. So, I think its fair to say that an inconsistent deity could do some things which a consistent deity could not do -- just as a competent mathematician cant do some things that an incompetent mathematician could do. But such variety of power is actually a symptom of imperfection, and God is perfect. Thus He cannot lie.
In what sense, then, is God omnipotent? In the sense that God has the power to do anything He wants to do. But as a good and consistent God, He will never desire to lie.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
