Divine Omnipotence
The Father Almighty, able to do all that befits his own nature
Divine omnipotence is the conviction that God is able to do all things consistent with his own nature. The Apostles' Creed names him 'Father Almighty,' confessing a power without rival or limit from outside. Theologians have generally understood this not as the power to do the self-contradictory or to act against his goodness, but as the boundless capacity of the Creator to accomplish all that he wills.
How it traveled
- RomansCorinth · 67explains
- MatthewAntioch · 80explains
- RevelationPatmos · 100explains
- The Resurrection of the DeadAlexandria · 190explains
- Against Heresies: Book IILyons · 202explains
- Against Hermogenes.— · 220explains
- Of the Manichæans.— · 220explains
- On the Resurrection of the Flesh.— · 220explains
- The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and EusebiusCaesarea · 339explains
- The HexæmeronCaesarea (Cappadocia) · 379explains
- The Catechetical Lectures of S. CyrilJerusalem · 386explains
- Exposition of the Christian FaithMilan · 397explains
- The Homilies of St. John ChrysostomConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- Homilies on First CorinthiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- City of GodHippo Regius · 430explains
- Expositions on the Book of PsalmsHippo Regius · 430explains
- The ConfessionsHippo Regius · 430explains
- Concerning the Nature of Good, Against the ManichæansHippo Regius · 430explains
- On the Holy TrinityHippo Regius · 430explains
- The EnchiridionHippo Regius · 430explains
- Against the Epistle of Manichæus, Called FundamentalHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise on Nature and GraceHippo Regius · 430explains
- Reply to Faustus the ManichæanHippo Regius · 430explains
- The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of TheodoretCyrrhus · 458explains
- MonologiumCanterbury · 1109explains
- Treatise on The One God (QQ[2-26])Paris · 1274explains
- Treatise on the Conservation and Government of Creatures (qq[103]-119)Paris · 1274explains
- Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59)Paris · 1274explains
- Treatise on the Work of the Six Days (qq[65]-74)Paris · 1274explains
- Treatise on The Creation (QQ[44-46])Paris · 1274explains
- Treatise on the Sacraments (qq[60]-90)Paris · 1274explains
- Discussion: Second PartWittenberg · 1546explains
- Book First. of the Knowledge of God the CreatorGeneva · 1564explains
- Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from ItGeneva · 1564explains
- a careful and strict inquiry into the prevailing notions of the freedom of willNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Dissertation on the End for Which God Created the WorldNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Seventeen Occasional SermonsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Fifteen Sermons. On Various SubjectsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Seven Sermons. On Important SubjectsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- The great christian doctrine of original sin defendedNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
Key passages(20)
The Problem of Pain · C. S. Lewis
Treatise on The One God (QQ[2-26]) · Thomas Aquinas
I answer that, All confess that God is omnipotent; but it seems difficult to explain in what His omnipotence precisely consists: for there may be doubt as to the precise meaning of the word 'all' when
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Treatise on The One God (QQ[2-26]) · Thomas Aquinas
I answer that, As stated above (A[1]), active power exists in God according to the measure in which He is actual. Now His existence is infinite, inasmuch as it is not limited by anything that receives
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Treatise on The One God (QQ[2-26]) · Thomas Aquinas
Reply to Objection 4: The absolute possible is not so called in reference either to higher causes, or to inferior causes, but in reference to itself. But the possible in reference to some power is nam
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City of God · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 20.—That, in the Resurrection, the Substance of Our Bodies, However Disintegrated, Shall Be Entirely Reunited. Far be it from us to fear that the omnipotence of the Creator cannot, for the re
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A Treatise on Faith and the Creed · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 2.—Of God and His Exclusive Eternity. 2. For certain parties have attempted to gain acceptance for the opinion that God the Father is not Almighty: not that they have been bold enough express
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Anselm's Cur Deus Homo · Anselm of Canterbury
How Christ dies of his own power, and how mortality does not inhere in the essential nature of man. Anselm. Now, also, it remains to inquire whether, as man’s nature is, it is possible for that man t
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Book First. of the Knowledge of God the Creator · John Calvin
2. That this distinction may be the more manifest, we must consider that the Providence of God, as taught in Scripture, is opposed Mt. 10:30), will look farther for the cause, and hold that all events
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City of God · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 8.—That It is Not Contrary to Nature That, in an Object Whose Nature is Known, There Should Be Discovered an Alteration of the Properties Which Have Been Known as Its Natural Properties. But
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City of God · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 7.—That the Ultimate Reason for Believing Miracles is the Omnipotence of the Creator. Why, then, cannot God effect both that the bodies of the dead shall rise, and that the bodies of the damn
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Concerning the Nature of Good, Against the Manichæans · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 1.—God the Highest and Unchangeable Good, from Whom are All Other Good Things, Spiritual and Corporeal. The highest good, than which there is no higher, is God, and consequently He is unchang
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Discussion: Second Part · Martin Luther
Sect. LXXXIV. — BUT here, perhaps, it will be asked, how can God be said to work evil in us, in the same way as He is said to harden us, to give us up to our own desires, to cause us to err, &c.? We
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Fifteen Sermons. On Various Subjects · Jonathan Edwards
It arises from thy stupidity, and because thou hast a heart of stone, that thou art so senseless of thine own wickedness, as to think that thou hast not deserved such a punishment, and that it is to t
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How he is omnipotent, although there are many things of which he is not capable.—To be capable of being corrupted, or of lying, is not power, but impotence. God can do nothing by virtue of impotence,
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Seven Sermons. On Important Subjects · Jonathan Edwards
4. In that he is God, he is worthy to be sovereign over all things. Sometimes men are the owners of more than they are worthy of. But God is not only the owner of the whole world, as all is from and d
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The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril · Cyril of Jerusalem
Lecture VIII. Almighty. Jeremiah xxxix. 18, 19 (Septuagint). The Great, the strong God, Lord of great Counsel, and mighty in His works, the Great God, the Lord Almighty and of great name The text
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The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of Theodoret · Theodoret of Cyrus
CXLIV. To the Soldiers. From the mention at the end of the letter of the epistle of Leo to Flavianus, Garnerius argues that it must be dated at the end of 449 or somewhat later. The epistle of Leo is
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The Enchiridion · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 96.—The Omnipotent God Does Well Even in the Permission of Evil. Nor can we doubt that God does well even in the permission of what is evil. For He permits it only in the justice of His judgm
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The Enchiridion · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 102.—The Will of the Omnipotent God is Never Defeated, and is Never Evil. But however strong may be the purposes either of angels or of men, whether of good or bad, whether these purposes fal
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The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. · The Epistles of Clement
Chapter XXVII.—In the Hope of the Resurrection, Let Us Cleave to the Omnipotent and Omniscient God. Having then this hope, let our souls be bound to Him who is faithful in His promises, and just in H
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Modern teachers who discuss this idea
Modern and living teachers whose books take up Divine Omnipotence. These works are still in copyright, so we can’t show the text here — each links out to the book.
- C. S. LewisThe Problem of Pain(1940)View on Amazon→