Have you heard the fallacious, hypothetical question, “Can God create a rock so heavy that He could not lift it?” How do we answer such a question?
The Omnipotent God
The Bible clearly teaches that God is not limited by space, time, and circumstances, and so God declares in His Word that He is the omnipotent God. Jeremiah the Prophet wrote “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me” (Jer 32:27), and Jesus says much the same thing when speaking to a man; “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt 19:26). Again, Jeremiah writes, “Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” (Jer 32:17). Isaiah the Prophet tells us, “Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing” (Isaiah 40:26), and “My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together” (Isaiah 48:13). The fact is, there is no limit to God’s power.
The Omnipotence Paradox
The Omnipotent Paradox dates back to the 12th century to Averroës who asked, “Could an omnipotent being create a stone so heavy that even they could not lift it?” This would be like seeking an answer to the question, “What would happen if an irresistible force were to meet an immovable object?” This statement seems to make sense at first, but upon closer examination, we must ask if there is a force that is irresistible, and if there was, then there can be no immovable object. Both cannot be true because if an irresistible force does exist, then there cannot be an immovable object. The point is an object cannot in principle be immovable if a force exists that can in principle move it.
Inherent Problems
One of the problems with this hypothetical question is that even God cannot make a square circle or a two-side triangle. This isn’t possible because God doesn’t have sufficient power to make it be, but rather, it’s a logical contradiction to have a two-sided triangle, so it does not mean that God doesn’t have sufficient power, but rather, God will not do anything that’s possible according to his nature (like God cannot lie). St. Thomas Aquinas sees the problem as a failure to properly understand what omnipotence is. That is, logical impossibilities cannot fall under the definition of omnipotence, like God not being able to make a square in the shape of a circle. It would be like someone telling you that they always lie. How can you believe what they just said then, because if they say they always lie and tell you that, then they have just demolished their statement by telling you the truth?
Paradox Solved
The truth is that physical or material objects are not infinite, but God is both infinite and omnipotent. That makes the “Omnipotent Paradox” a logical fallacy. It’s not so much that there are things that God cannot do, but there are things that God chooses not to do. For example, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it” (Num 23:19). This truth is repeated by the author of Hebrews, who wrote that it is “by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb 6:18). For the children of God, they have God’s promise and have “hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” (Titus 1:2). It’s not God’s nature to lie as it is the very nature of man. These are the questions that Bible critics or skeptics of God ask in order to prove that God either doesn’t exist or He’s not omnipotent. Impossibility is not based on the amount of power one has, but rather, it is based on what is really possible, so the question itself is based upon a false idea. For example, God cannot deny Himself (Heb6:18)
Conclusion
Tragically, atheists try to use this false argument to disprove God, but thankfully, most atheists steer clear of this type of reasoning to prove that God does not exist. His inability to contradict His divine character does not mean that He isn’t omnipotent. What it does mean is that unbelievers simply suppress the knowledge of God (Rom 1:18), even though “what can be known about God is plain to them” (Rom 1:19) because “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Rom 1:20). Even “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1), so only a fool would believe that God does not exist (Psalm 14:1).
Article by Jack Wellman
Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.
1. Savage, C. Wade. “The Paradox of the Stone” Philosophical Review, Vol. 76, No. 1 (Jan., 1967), pp. 74–79 doi:10.2307/2182966.
