The Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence of God

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AN ESSAY BYJohn M. Frame 

DEFINITION

The three “omni” attributes of God characterize him as omnipotent, all-knowing, and all over the place current. Every of those entails the opposite two, and every gives a perspective on the all-embracing lordship of the true God.

SUMMARY 

Omnipotence implies that God is in complete management of himself and his creation. Omniscience means that he’s the last word criterion of reality and falsity, in order that his concepts are at all times true. Omnipresence implies that since God’s energy and data prolong to all elements of his creation, he himself is current all over the place. Collectively they outline God’s lordship, and so they yield a wealthy understanding of creation, windfall, and salvation.

Introduction

The prefix omni means “all,” so the three divine attributes in our title might be paraphrased by saying that God is “omnipotent, all-knowing, and all over the place current.” Allow us to have a look at these individually.

Omnipotence

Scripture affirms God’s omnipotence by saying that God does no matter he’s happy to do (Psa 115:3; cf. Isa 55:11 and Jer 32:17). Nothing is simply too arduous for him (Gen 18:14). His phrase isn’t void of energy, so when he speaks, every thing in creation obeys him (Isa 55:11). After all, creatures do disobey him in a single sense; that’s the essence of sin. However God has management even over sinful actions (Psa 105:24-25Gen 45:5-8Exod 4:21Psa 105:24-25Rom 9:18Acts 2:23, 4:28). He ordains sinful, disobedient actions for his good functions. So his phrase at all times prevails, and we are able to belief that His prophecies at all times come to move (Deut 18:21-22).

Typically we infer from these passages that God “can do something.” However that doesn’t fairly replicate the complete biblical instructing. There are issues that God can not do. He can not lie (Titus 1:2, cf. Num 23:19), nor, equally, can he carry out any immoral motion. Since God is completely holy and good, he can not do something evil. And, since he’s excellent reality, he can not do issues which can be logically contradictory, like making spherical squares. His reality is an ideal consistency of thought and motion. Nor can God do issues inappropriate to his nature as God, like shopping for footwear or celebrating his birthday.

So how ought to we outline God’s omnipotence extra exactly? I feel probably the most useful definition of God’s omnipotence is that this: that he has full and complete management over every thing. This consists of the smallest particulars of the pure world, just like the falling of a sparrow or the variety of hairs that develop in your head (Matt 6:26-30, 10:29-30). Even the occasions we name random, that we ascribe to likelihood, are actually God at work (Prov 16:33). That features not solely the small issues, but additionally the large issues (which, in any case, are accumulations of small issues). He determines what nations will dwell wherein territory (Acts 17:26). He decides what king is to rule, and when, and the place (Isa 44:28). He decides whether or not the needs of a ruler will stand or fall (Psa 33:10-11). And he determined, as soon as, that depraved individuals would take the lifetime of his pricey Son, in order that we sinners would possibly dwell (Acts 2:23-24).

God guidelines not solely the necessary occasions of human historical past but additionally the lives of particular person individuals. He knits us collectively in our moms’ wombs (Psa 139:13-16). He decides whether or not we’ll journey or keep house (Jas 4:13-17). He controls even the selections of depraved individuals, as we noticed above. However he additionally exerts his energy to save lots of sinners, to deliver forgiveness and new life (Eph 2:8-10). Our salvation is completely the work of God’s energy, by no means our personal work. We imagine in Christ as a result of he has appointed us to everlasting life (Acts 13:48) and since he has opened our hearts to imagine (Acts 16:14-15; cf. John 6:44, 65Phil 1:29).

So his energy is common: it controls every thing within the universe (Lam 3:37-38Rom 8:28Eph 1:11Rom 11:33-36).

Omniscience

Now allow us to have a look at God’s omniscience. God’s energy is just not a blind energy. Every thing God does has an clever objective, a particular objective. And since, as we’ve seen, God’s energy is common, so is also his data. In figuring out his personal intentions, God is aware of every thing in himself, in his creation, and all through historical past. Scripture usually refers back to the universality of God’s data (Psa 147:5John 21:17Heb 4:12-131Jn 3:20). It usually mentions that God is aware of detailed happenings on earth, even sooner or later (1Sam 10:21Kgs 13:1-42Kgs 8:12Psa 139:4Acts 2:23, 4:27-28).

Some theologians1 have referred to passages like Gen 18:20-21 as instructing God’s ignorance. However Scripture assumes God’s omniscience pervasively, and it’s way more seemingly that such passages must be interpreted constantly with that assumption. In Gen 18:20-21, for instance, God doesn’t admit ignorance, however declares that he’s gathering information for an indictment, getting ready the depraved cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for judgment.

Certainly, God’s omniscience is predicated on his authority, for he’s the supreme decide of all issues, and he’s the last word customary of what’s true and false. Not solely does God know what’s true, however he’s the very nature of reality. Fact is what he’s (as John 14:6). So it’s inconceivable that he may very well be fallacious about something.

God’s data is a treasured blessing to God’s individuals. Psa 139 emphasizes how deeply God is aware of us, wherever we’re. “Such data is simply too fantastic for me; it’s excessive; I can not attain it” (v. 6). God’s data of us pursues us wherever we might go: to heaven, to the grave, to nice distances, to darkish locations (vv. 7-12). He knew us when he was forming us in our mom’s womb (vv. 13-16), and he knew, even again then, daily of our lifetime on earth (v. 16). Depraved individuals ought to properly be terrorized by this doctrine; however to the Psalmist God’s data of us is fantastic and good (vv. 17-18), and he prays that God will draw on this data to steer him to repentance and forgiveness of sin (vv. 23-24).

Omnipresence

Now, God’s omnipresence—his presence in each place and time. To say that God is “current” is to say that he’s right here with us, actually right here, not absent. Generally we join an individual’s presence along with his physique, as when a instructor takes attendance and says that Jimmy is “current” as a result of his physique is in his seat. However God doesn’t have a physique; he’s immaterial. So how can we inform when God is current or absent?

Scripture’s reply is that God is current all over the place, as a result of, as we now have seen, his energy and data are all over the place. If each occasion, all over the place, takes place by God’s energy, and if he has exhaustive data of every thing his energy has delivered to move, then definitely he’s not absent, however current in every occasion, although his presence is just not fairly the identical because the presence of bodily beings. So God’s omnipotence and omniscience indicate his omnipresence.

His omnipresence is a presence each in place and in time. Psalm 139 signifies that God is current in each place. He’s the creator of the heavens and the earth, and so he’s in each location. He’s additionally the creator of time,2 the one with out starting or finish. So he has been current on the earth since its creation, and there’ll by no means be a time from which he’s absent. In Scripture, he freely enters historical past and interacts with creatures. Supremely, he entered human historical past in Jesus Christ, the place he died and rose once more to save lots of us from our sins.

So God’s omnipresence is not only a theoretical conclusion. It’s a treasured reality of redemption. Though we now have sinned and deserve God’s judgment, God involves his trustworthy individuals and declares to them “I will likely be with you.” Because of this God is right here, wherever we’re, but additionally that God is on our facet. He’s with us, to not destroy us, however to forgive and to save lots of us from sin. So this “with you,” this redeeming divine presence, is discovered usually in Scripture as his gracious promise. To Isaac, God mentioned, “I will likely be with you and can bless you” (Gen 26:3) and that language usually kinds the idea of God’s redemptive covenant. The center of the covenant, God’s redemptive promise, is that “I will likely be your God, and you can be my individuals,” a treasured togetherness of God along with his individuals (Exod 6:72Cor 6:16; cf. Gen 17:7Exod 6:7, 29:45Lev 26:12Jer 7:23, 11:4, 24:7, 30:22Ezek 11:20, 14:11, 36:28, 37:27Heb 11:16Rev 21:3). It mustn’t shock us {that a} biblical title for Jesus is Immanuel, God with us (Isa 7:14Matt 1:23). Because the Previous Testomony tabernacle was a spot for God to dwell along with his individuals, so Jesus, the Son of God, “tabernacled amongst us” (John 1:14).

After all, God additionally might be mentioned to be current to the depraved, and that could be a fearsome and terrible factor (Rev 1:7). However whether or not for good or for sick, God is current all through heaven and earth, to hold out his personal functions.

Unity of the Omni-Attributes

We’ve seen that the three omni-attributes of God are fairly inseparable. Since God’s energy is purposeful and common, it implies his omniscience. And since God’s omnipotence and omniscience are common, we should conclude that he’s omnipresent. We might observe additional that since God is omnipresent, all his attributes are omnipresent as properly—his energy and data, in addition to his reality, love, grace, eternity, infinity, and so forth.

So the omni-attributes are like the opposite attributes of God, inseparable from one another and from him. As theologians say, God is “easy.” His attributes aren’t separable elements of him. Somewhat they’re methods of characterizing God as an entire, methods of describing his nature.

Subsequently, the omni-attributes are methods of talking of God’s Lordship. “Lord” is the phrase that Scripture makes use of over 7,000 occasions to call him. The theological time period “sovereignty” is equal to lordship. I’ve argued elsewhere3 that Scripture usually defines God’s lordship as his “management, authority, and presence.” As we now have seen, this triad is equal to the three omni-attributes. God’s omnipotence is his management over all issues. His omniscience is his authority to declare what’s true. And his omnipresence is his actual existence in each time and place. So after we discuss God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, we’re speaking about his lordship.

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