Can God create a rock bigger than He can lift? Yes. And He can lift it.
This is a silly question with a silly answer. How is it relevant? And how can He both create the unliftable rock and lift it at the same time? It doesn't make sense!
It is silly. But important for one reason only...
We often try to define God in terms we can understand. We want to limit Him by saying He is either incapable of creating the rock, or He is incapable of lifting it. To our human understanding, even an omnipotent God can't do both. But calling God "omnipotent" and limiting Him is really the greater paradox.
Unfortunately, we don't confine our limits to rocks. We often expect God to bless the righteous and punish the wicked. To behave in certain ways that make sense within the limits of our human understanding. We need to understand the God is smarter and more capable than we are. He is what He is, not what we believe He should be, or what seems logical to us.
God is powerful enough to perform paradoxical acts. He is beyond our limited ability to understand Him. By trying to limit Him to our understanding, we subject ourselves to the same reprimand Job received from God in chapters 40-41. God wouldn't allow Job to judge His actions, and He won't allow us to define His omnipotence.
God can do all things at all times and be in all places at once. A perfect and sinless savior can inexplicably die for a sinful world. You worded your first sentence interestingly, but you're also saying he can create a rock he CANNOT lift and also lift it. First, I believe there is nothing that God cannot do. By saying that, you can also say God can create a being he CANNOT love, but love that being at the same time. This is not the God we worship. While our understanding of Him will never be at a level further than what he wants it to be, I know this is not the God I praise. Secondly, there are things God WOULD NOT do. Could He? Of course. Would he create truths and also allow us to believe they could also be lies? Of course not. That is not putting God into a box or limiting Him. That is an understanding of who God is. God is above paradoxes as you say, but He does not create them.
ReplyDeleteI think we're on the same page here. I believe God does limit Himself, but there are no inherent limits to His power.
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