Can God Create a Rock So Heavy He Can Not Move it?
While it is true God can do anything that is consistent with His nature, it is absurd to suggest that He can do EVERYTHING……
He can not Lie, (Heb. 6:18)
He can not be tempted (James 1:13)
He can not cease to exist (Ps. 102:25-27)
At best, this question challenges God’s Omnipotence….at worst it undermines His existence.
The Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines "omnipotence" as "an agency of force of unlimited power."
So-called skeptics have played all kinds of games over this issue. One common challenge against the existence of God is an argument like the following:
"Christians say that God is omnipotent. So answer me this: can God create a rock so heavy that even He can't lift it? If He can, then He is not omnipotent because He can't lift it. If He can't, then He isn't omnipotent because He is unable to create such a rock. Either way we have a paradox, therefore an omnipotent being (God) cannot exist!"
Look like a good argument?
It isn't.
The resolution to this false dilemma rests with the true nature of omnipotence.
Most people, if asked, would probably describe omnipotence something like the following: "it's the ability to do anything."
That is the kind of definition that is assumed in the argument given above. However, it is not the precisely correct definition of omnipotence.
What is the precise definition? "The ability to do anything that is possible."
In other words, God can't do anything that is impossible. Before anyone jumps down my throat for teaching a limited, less-than-Almighty God, allow me to offer a few examples:
1. God cannot lie. (see above)
2. God cannot do evil
3. God cannot be mistaken
4. God cannot sco ...