God can do, accomplish, and rule over all things.

God can do all things

God is all powerful He knows all things eternally and unchangeably, but also God is omnipotent.

• Gen 18:14 - All thing is before making a miracle, God told Abraham “Is anything too hard for the Lord?

• Luke 1:37 – in fact “nothing is impossible with God”

• Jer 32:27 - infinite in power “I am the Lord, The God of all mankind is anything too hard for me?

• John 6:19, 11:43-44 – Over power the forces of nature

• John 6:19 – God walk on water

• John 11:43-4 – raised people from the dead

• Gen 1:3,6; 9:11 – God’s omnipotent power was manifested in the creation of the world from nothing

• 2 Cor 4:6 – Paul describes Him as “God who said, let light shine out of darkness”

• Heb 1:3 – the writer of Hebrews declares that God’s “sustaining all thing by his powerful word”

Now let us shift gear for a moment and consider the following:

God cannot do what is “actually” impossible to do. Since it is impossible for God to do things contrary to His unchanging nature, that He cannot do any contradiction thing.

• God cannot lie (titus 1:2) because it is impossible for God to lie (Heb. 6:18)

• 1 Sam 15:29 “He who is the glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.

Examples:

a. God cannot make a round square
b. God cannot make a triangle with 2 sides
c. God cannot create another God equal to himself
d. There is only one uncreated creator (Deut. 6:4, Isa 45:18)

Nonetheless, God can do whatever is possible to do. He can do everything that does not involve a contradiction. There are no limits to His power. The bible describes him as “almighty” (Gen 17:1, Ex 6:3, Num 24:4, Job 5:17)

God accomplishes all things

If God is sovereign overall things, it implies he can accomplish all things that he wills.

• Isa 14:24,27: “…surely as I have planned, so it will be and as I have purposed, so it will stand… For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out and who can turn it back?”

• Isa. 46:9-11 “…. My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please… what I have said, that will I do … “

• Eph 1:11: Paul adds “… who works our everything inconformity with the purpose of His will”

• Acts 4:28; 2:23: “… they did what your God power and will had decided before and should happen”

So a God who is before all things, beyond all things, creates all things, upholds all things, knows all things, and can do all things is also in control of all things is called the “Sovereignty of God” As the Westminster Confession of faith puts it “God from all eternity, did by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will. Freely, unchangeably ordain whatever comes to pass” Nothing catches God by surprise. All things come to pass as he ordained them from all eternity.

God rules over all things

The bible affirms God’s sovereignty in many ways.

• Ps. 48:2 Yahweh is “the great King”
• Ps. 29:10 “the Lord is enthroned as king forever”
• Ps 10:16 “The Lord is king for ever and ever”
• Ps 24:8 “the Lord is might in battle”
• I Chron. 29:11-12 “… everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours o Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are rulers of all things”

Now when we say that God “can” do all things, we mean that God can do all things that are logically possible, all things that makes sense, all things that are possible. Because God can do all things, and knows all things He cannot make mistakes, that is why in Heb. 6:18 “it is impossible for God to lie”, because lying in most cases has something to do with covering up our failures and sins, but God cannot make mistakes and hence it is not possible for him to cover up or lie simple because he never commit mistakes. Only human like us commit mistakes and most often we cover-up our sins (1 Sam 15:24)

Next, because God knows all things and can do all things. He cannot make mistakes, and the one mistake he can’t possibly do is to make self-contradictions.

1. He cannot contradict his own unchangeable nature which is “omniscience” (knowing all things) for him to do such a thing of covering up his blunder (lying). That is why in Titus 1:2 it says “…God cannot lie…” because for God to lies is to create a self-contradiction to his very own nature which is omniscience and perfection. So in Hebrews 6:18 is say in diff. tone “it is impossible for God to lie..”

2. Another contradiction a perfect, all knowing God cannot afford to do is to contradict Himself. Within Himself lies the very nature of knowing all things -> God doesn’t need to guess and hope and eventually commit mistakes by guessing. Doing all things -> God can do all things “in accordance to his very unchangeable attributes.

Another thing that God can’t do that confuses most detractors of believers is that God can’t do all things that are “actually impossible”

God cannot make Round Square. God cannot make triangles with 2 sides

With that in mind, let us settle down for a moment and ask a couple of practical questions.

If God can do all things that are logically and actually possible, then why is it that often times when we ask god for something through prayers things that are really logical and actually possible, He refuses to do for us?