As we continue to examine some of God's characteristics, I think we can all agree that if there is one thing God is, it is powerful [even the Demons know this and tremble!]. But only God is Omnipotent [all powerful] which means it is an INCOMMUNICABLE trait that is not shared with humankind. The good news is that He does give us power in a COMMUNICABLE fashion [finite, human amount] and that is enough to walk this earth in victory. In fact, later when we look at Jesus, the news gets even better, because we are reminded that we are not powerless even though we are not omnipotent.
The Bible is riddled with Scripture after Scripture after Scripture detailing God's power from the Red Sea Parting in a triumphant Exodus to a nation coming forth from Sarah's barren womb to the very creation of Heaven, earth and humankind etc. etc. etc. and there is no way that I can encapsulate all of them here. So, let us take a brief look at a powerful passage that has really resonated with me this past week.
2 Samuel 5:24 NLT
"When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.”
The context surrounding this passage is a murky tale of struggle around the changing of the guard, conquering of enemies and claiming territory. Two dynasties, the house of Saul and the house of David, have been battling for the throne of Israel, king Saul is now dead and David has finally been crowned king of Israel. Family dysfunction went and would continue to go to the extreme; betrayal came and would continue to come to the forefront; yet in the midst, the all-powerful, great and mighty one true living God's power proved victorious. As always, I encourage you to go back and read the entire chapter; in fact, this story needs about two to three chapters read before and after it to get a firm hold on the soap opera"ish" scenario--> Just read the entire book while you're at it [sorry, I like homework!]. David has captured Jerusalem and is now preparing to conquer the Philistines, a reoccurring foe. How is God's omnipotence displayed? David will and you can:
Safely shelter in God [vs. 9, 17].
Seek God's advisement [vs.10, 19, 23].
Listen to and obey God's advisement [vs. 3, 20-21, 23, 25].
Watch God fulfill His promise by going ahead as a PRESENT Protector [vs. 24, see blog #3].
See enemies defeated victoriously by God.
Luke 9:1 NASB
“And He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.” [emphasis mine]
We couldn't speak of God's omnipotence without talking about the most wonderful way He displayed it through Jesus and shared it with us communicably through the Name of Jesus and by His Holy Spirit. Jesus died on the cross but rose again in ALL POWER, defeating Sin, Death and the Grave and then our mighty Lord Jesus sat down! At the right hand of the Father, Jesus is alive and will forever reign. This passage is one of many throughout the Gospels [Matthew, Mark, Luke and John] where He is training and preparing His Disciples for when He is no longer physically there. They and all born again Believers would/will receive the indwelling gift of His Holy Spirit to infuse them with power, among many other things. Furthermore, the most important thing the Disciples have before going out to spread the Good News of the Gospel is the Name of Jesus. This Name that is above every other name and at which every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord gives us two things; authority and power to do God's Will in ways that our mere minds [and probably the Disciples in the verse] cannot fathom.
And this Holy Spirit power He speaks of is not some little old power, it is power that mightily exercises authority over something. The original Greek is a verb called dunamai [δύναμαι]: To be able [ability]; to have power; and be empowered to act because of authorization. Jesus' Name is that authority and the Holy Spirit is that power. In the simplest terms, "I am powerful"; "I have the power" or "I am able, I can". Masterpiece, please know that this power is also wise. We will see in future discussions of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus always exercised wisdom and His Holy Spirit is the wise Counselor who speaks only the Truth [remember God the Father is omniscient {all-knowing} --> therefore God the Son {Jesus} and God the Holy Spirit are omniscient]. That means you, masterpiece, Jesus follower, not only walk in authoritative power, but you should exercise that power with wisdom. Here's an everyday example; my TV powers on because I wisely paid my electric bill. The key to remember is that God goes ahead of us to fight, His Son Jesus won the war and sits reigning beside Him and has delegated authorized power to us through His Holy Spirit to fight and win here on earth.
God says to His masterpieces, not only am I your powerful Father, but I am your powerful Father that equips you with power and authority to overcome anything the Devil may throw at you [remember the Demons know and tremble]. On those days when I may be feeling powerless and defeated, I am reminded that my Lord and Savior Jesus took and holds all the keys that held me bound and I can confidently and boldly walk uprightly and victoriously through life as a child of the Most High God. Shhh......, I think I hear the sound of marching feet; here comes the Lord of Heaven's Armies...
Takeaways for you to remember:
#1. Incommunicable – Only God has and can possess these traits.
#2. Communicable – Traits shared with us in finite, human amounts.
#3. Omnipotent - All powerful.
Yours in Christ!
Dr. Quahana
Want to enjoy some of the Scriptures inspiring this entry? [NLT version unless otherwise noted.]
References:
1) Enns, Paul. The Moody Handbook of Theology. Moody Press. Chicago. 1989.
2) Erickson, Millard. Who’s Tampering with the Trinity? An Assessment of the Subordination Debate. Kregel. Grand Rapids, MI. 2009.
3) Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2003.
4) Packer, J.I. Knowing God. Intervarsity Press IVP Books. Downers Grove, IL. 1973.
5) Strong, J. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Abingdon Press. 1890.
6) Thayer, J. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers. 1995.
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