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  • Writer's pictureBible Brian

How atheists misunderstand omnipotence


There is a saying I believe every apologist should learn, just to make civilised discussion easier: "Never attribute to malice what you can attribute to stupidity". In other words, it's always better to assume your opponent genuinely believes what they're saying, only to later find out they were lying, than to assume they are lying only to find out they made an honest mistake. But obviously, this only goes so far. Some mistakes simply can't be honest. This is especially the case when a mistake has been corrected, yet doubled down on.


Case in point: The "problem" of evil. This objection has so many nails in its coffin, you could melt them down to build a full scale replica of the Death Star. It has so many answers, both to the smaller elements, and to the bigger ones. One "all encompassing" answer is that it is based on a misunderstanding of what is meant by "omnipotence", or "all powerful". Biblically speaking, there are things God cannot do, and the Bible explicitly tells us some of them. One of those things is "deny Himself" (2 Timothy 2:13). Another is lie (Titus 1:2).


In other words, the atheistic understanding of omnipotence is incorrect. It requires God to remove limits He has placed upon Himself. Christians do not believe in an incoherent God who can make contradictions such as round squares, married bachelors, or free will without choices. If the "problem" of evil requires a misunderstanding of God's attributes, then the moment we understand the true attributes of God, the problem goes away.

Now, not all atheists know this. It is entirely possible to hear the words "all powerful" and assume it includes the ability to do the incoherent. But accidental or not, this is a straw man. You cannot misrepresent your opponent's position, refute the misrepresentation, and declare victory. An honest atheist, at this point, will either concede immediately, or ask more questions.

A dishonest atheist, however, will double down. They will insist that if God cannot do even one incoherent thing, He does not exist as the Bible describes Him. There is no excuse for this kind of dishonesty. But there is still salvation.


See, God hates all sin, but loves human sinners. Even the lying atheist. The lying atheist is evil, but God does not kill them immediately out of love and patience. Patience that has a limit, of course, but He still has it. The reason God hasn't stopped all evil yet is because that would require stopping the atheist, condemning them to an eternity of His wrath.


But in His love, God planned an alternative solution. From the beginning of the world, God planned to send Jesus to live a sinless life as a man. He never lied. He never cheated. He never blasphemed. There is not a single sin Jesus committed, and so He, and He alone, was worthy of eternal life. He died a sinner's death anyway. As He hung on the cross, broken and bleeding, He bore the wrath owed to every man and woman that would ever sin, from Adam to you. After He died, He rose again. Now all it takes is to believe that, and confess Him as Lord, and you, too, will be raised to eternal life. But obviously, that will require you to stop lying...

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