Omnipotence

Omnipotence

The way we define omnipotence (all-powerful) depends on the way we define God and His nature. Omnipotence raises some issues:

- The Paradox of Omnipotence: can God create a stone so heavy that He cannot lift it? Either way, He is not omnipotent; either He cannot create such a stone, or His power is limited because He cannot lift a stone. 
- The Doctrine of Divine Impeccability: claims that God is perfect and cannot sin - if He cannot sin, He cannot do anything and His power is limited.
----- Some say sin is necessarily a failure, which a perfect being cannot do - God is thus limited by His nature.
----- Anselm suggests "sin" implies a lack of control over actions, which God doesn't have.
----- "Sin" does not exist for God, because all He does is inherently good - but this makes goodness arbitrary. A better suggestion might be that God self-limits.

DIVINE SELF-LIMITATION
Alvin Plantinga: to be an omnipotent being does not necessarily mean having the quality of omnipotent - suggests God limits Himself in some cases to preserve free will.

Augustine: God's omnipotence means He does what He wills and doesn't suffer anything He doesn't will. "If that were to happen, He would not be omnipotent. It follows that He cannot do some things precisely because He is omnipotent." God limits what is contrary to His nature. Therefore He would not ever choose to sin because it contradicts His nature as omnibenevolent, and this does not limit…