by jimwalton » Mon Sep 07, 2020 4:19 pm
Yes God is omnipotent, but omnipotence doesn't mean God can do anything and everything. For instance, God can't sin, He can't lie, He can stop being God. God can't make a square circle, a married bachelor, or a red that is blue. These things are either absurd or contradictory or both. That's not what omnipotence means.
In the same sense, God can't create an uncreated being. He can't create something that divine (since true deities are uncreated). And therefore He can't create a being that is perfect. It's just as contradictory and absurd as the previous items. That's not what omnipotence means.
People misunderstand this a lot. God is also omniscient, which means He knows everything. So smart alecks ask, "Does God know what it's like to not know everything? If He doesn't, then He's not omniscient." It's both absurd and ridiculous. That's not what "omniscience" means.
> A person who can create an entire universe, can not create the perfect species?
Right. The universe that He created is separate from Himself. The universe is not divine and doesn't have divine characteristics. Nor can He create a perfect person. Created things cannot be divine, and they can't have divine characteristics. Human beings are not divine and don't have divine characteristics. It's a contradiction, and we all know that such contradictions are illogical, absurd, and impossible. We can't claim that God is rational and absurd at the same time.
Yes God is omnipotent, but omnipotence doesn't mean God can do anything and everything. For instance, God can't sin, He can't lie, He can stop being God. God can't make a square circle, a married bachelor, or a red that is blue. These things are either absurd or contradictory or both. That's not what omnipotence means.
In the same sense, God can't create an uncreated being. He can't create something that divine (since true deities are uncreated). And therefore He can't create a being that is perfect. It's just as contradictory and absurd as the previous items. That's not what omnipotence means.
People misunderstand this a lot. God is also omniscient, which means He knows everything. So smart alecks ask, "Does God know what it's like to not know everything? If He doesn't, then He's not omniscient." It's both absurd and ridiculous. That's not what "omniscience" means.
> A person who can create an entire universe, can not create the perfect species?
Right. The universe that He created is separate from Himself. The universe is not divine and doesn't have divine characteristics. Nor can He create a perfect person. Created things cannot be divine, and they can't have divine characteristics. Human beings are not divine and don't have divine characteristics. It's a contradiction, and we all know that such contradictions are illogical, absurd, and impossible. We can't claim that God is rational and absurd at the same time.