The omnipotence paradox poses the question: Can an omnipotent being create a stone so heavy that even that being cannot lift it? At first glance, this seems to present a logical contradiction: if a being is omnipotent, then they should be able to create such a stone, but if they cannot lift the stone, then they are not omnipotent.
For Christians, this apparent paradox is not actually a problem for belief in an omnipotent God. The paradox stems from a misunderstanding of the nature of God’s omnipotence. God’s power has logical limits – He cannot do things which are logically contradictory. Creating a stone so heavy He cannot lift it is one such logical contradiction, since it would require God to both have and not have the same power at the same time.
The Bible presents God’s power and knowledge as infinite, but not in a way that leads to logical absurdities (1 John 3:20, Psalm 147:5). God himself cannot violate fundamental principles of logic. So the omnipotence paradox does not represent a limitation on God’s power – rather, it reveals the logical incoherence of the task itself.
Some key principles from Scripture clarify why the omnipotence paradox is not a true limitation on God’s abilities:
1. God’s nature is eternally consistent
God declares “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6). He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). His eternal nature and attributes do not mutate or contradict each other. So God’s omnipotence will not at one time enable Him to do something He cannot do at another time.
2. God’s words and deeds are always consistent
“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?” (Numbers 23:19). Because God’s words perfectly reflect His nature, His divine power will never violate His promises and truths.
3. God’s omnipotence operates in harmony with His other attributes
God’s unlimited power does not overwhelm His attributes like love, justice, mercy, wisdom, etc. So His omnipotence will always be employed in line with His moral perfection and unchanging nature. It will not be exercised in arbitrary or incoherent ways.
Since making a stone too heavy for Himself would pit God’s power against His unchanging nature, the task is inherently illogical. Therefore, the omnipotence paradox is not evidence against biblical omnipotence at all. It simply exposes the incoherence of unlimited power being used in a self-contradictory manner.
4. God voluntarily limits exercises of His power to be consistent with His purposes
The Bible shows that God sometimes voluntarily limits His power to align with His plans. For example:
- In the incarnation, Jesus “emptied himself” of the full exercise of His divine attributes (Philippians 2:6-8).
- God’s plan entails Him withholding judgment for a time (Romans 2:4, 2 Peter 3:7-10).
- God delegated authority over the earth to mankind to fulfill His purposes (Genesis 1:26-28, Psalm 115:16).
Likewise, the hypothetical stone paradox would entail God voluntarily limiting a certain exercise of power in order to maintain logical consistency with His nature and promises. This maintains both God’s omnipotence and His truthfulness.
5. Human logic cannot fully encompass God’s omnipotence
“Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Psalm 147:5). God’s knowledge and wisdom far exceed human understanding, so human logic alone cannot define the limits of His power. Apparent logical paradoxes may simply expose the limitations of human perspective.
Some philosophers have proposed logical resolutions to the omnipotence paradox which maintain both God’s unlimited power and His inability to do logically incoherent things. Several options include:
- Omnipotence only requires power over things which are logically possible. The stone paradox describes an inherently illogical scenario, so it does not limit true omnipotence.
- True omnipotence means overcoming all limitations. Logical contradictions do not describe true limitations, since they are inherently nonsense. God’s omnipotence transcends nonsense limitations.
- The scenario includes a self-contradictory definition of “stone.” On analysis, the description “too heavy for an omnipotent being to lift” applies self-contradictory properties to the stone, rendering it logically incoherent.
While these resolutions may still seem to leave unanswered questions, they show that the omnipotence paradox does not provide definitive evidence against biblical omnipotence. The paradox is better understood as exposing the limitations of human logic when contemplating an omnipotent God.
6. God’s power transcends human comprehension
“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). God reminds Job of the limitations of human understanding compared to God’s omnipotence: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding” (Job 38:4).
God’s power goes beyond anything humans can fully analyze. So the fact that we cannot completely reconcile omnipotence with logic does not mean God’s infinite power has logical inconsistencies. It simply reflects the truth that God’s greatness surpasses the human mind’s ability to contain.
7. The paradox misrepresents God’s relationship to logic
God does not arbitrarily override or ignore the laws of logic. As the creator and sustainer of the universe, God establishes and maintains the logical order inherent in reality. So rather than conflict with logic, God upholds the logical coherence that allows the universe to function intelligibly.
In fact, God’s own perfectly rational nature is the source of the universal logical order – not a constraint upon Him. When humans cannot logically reconcile God’s power and character, the resolution is to expand understanding of God, not impose errant human logic upon Him.
So the stone paradox stems more from a misunderstanding of logic than any limitation on God. Logic is part of God’s nature; He does not chafe against it. What appears paradoxical reveals that human perspective needs adjustment, not divine attributes.
8. Paradoxes are a human literary device with limitations
God’s revelations in Scripture are much higher than man’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). But human language itself cannot perfectly capture an infinite God. So tensions and paradoxes can arise when God is described in human terms and literary forms.
The stone paradox models a certain literary approach of using fictional scenarios to probe the limits of ideas. But taking this language construct as a literal test of God’s abilities risks creating pseudo-problems and intellectual confusion. The scenario has questionable coherence even as a hypothetical.
So while paradoxes can be useful rhetorical devices, their limitations must be acknowledged. They should not be interpreted as literal conundrums challenging God’s nature. The omnipotence paradox genre likely says more about the shortcomings of human rhetoric than any actual constraint on God’s power.
9. God has revealed consistent principles about His omnipotence
While humans cannot totally comprehend the extent of God’s power, God has revealed certain truths about his omnipotence that allow a coherent understanding:
- God’s nature and words are completely consistent (Numbers 23:19).
- God’s power accords fully with His other perfect attributes (Psalm 145:3).
- God cannot violate fundamental principles of logic (Hebrews 6:18).
- God voluntarily limits exercises of His power for His purposes (Philippians 2:6-8).
These principles allow us to recognize that the hypothetical stone paradox describes an inherently illogical scenario. So while God’s omnipotence surpasses complete human understanding, it does not entail any true logical contradictions.
10. Trust in God’s character resolves apparent paradoxes
God calls His people to trust Him, not just understand Him fully (Proverbs 3:5-6). Abstract intellectual paradoxes should not undermine faith in God’s perfect faithfulness and truthfulness. Jesus repeatedly rebuked those who tested Him with trick questions rather than trusting Him (Matthew 22:15-22, John 3:9-12).
Though we cannot completely reconcile God’s infinite attributes, we can trust His reliability. The limitations of human logic should caution against imposing errant assumptions onto God. As Isiah 55:8-9 reminds us, God’s ways and thoughts are far beyond humanity’s.
So the omnipotence paradox ultimately provides no evidence against biblical omnipotence. At most, it exposes the boundaries of human reasoning about an infinite God. Rather than creating confusion, this should lead us to worship God’s unfathomable greatness and place our faith in His trustworthy revelation, not logical conundrums.