Theological Term of the Week: Absolute Power (of God)

absolute power (of God)
“That power whereby God is able to do that which he will not do, but is possible to be done”;1 “God’s ability to do all things, including those things that are possible for God but that God, for any variety of reasons, chooses not to do.”2

• From scripture:

And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. (Matthew 3:9 ESV)

Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53 ESV)

• From Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof: 

[T]he actual exercise of God’s power does not represent its limits. God could do more than that, if He were so minded. In that sense we can speak of the potentia absoluta, or absolute power, of God.  

Learn more:

1. Mark Jones: A Crucial Distinction
2. Louis Berkhof: The Sovereign Power of God

Related terms:

• omnipotence
• ordinate power of God

Filed under God’s Nature and His Work

1From The Existence and Attributes of God by Stephen Charnock.

2From None Greater by Matthew Barrett

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Sunday's Hymn: How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds

How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
‘Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary rest.

Dear Name! the Rock on which I build,
My Shield and hiding place,
My never-failing Treasury filled
With boundless stores of grace;

Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see thee as thou art,
I’ll praise thee as I ought.

Till then I would thy love proclaim
With ev’ry fleeting breath;
And may the music of thy Name
Refresh my soul in death.

 Other hymns, worship songs, or quotes for this Sunday:

• O Church of God Arise at The Happy Wonderer
• We’re Only Channels at The Outspoken Tulip
• Peace at That I May Know Him
• Look for Him at Tried With Fire
• Lord’s Day 29, 2019 at The Thirsty Theologian

Selected Reading

I read these recently and recommend them to you.

Bible 

Examples of preaching Jesus from difficult OT passages
Okay, so I’m never going to preach, but I still found this piece valuable for its examples of ways to connect Old Testament passages to Jesus—or at least to God’s New Testament saving work.

Heavenly Clarity
It might seem at first like this is about John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, but it’s really about the book of Hebrews.

Church History

Why Church History?
“In church history, we see men and women facing challenges not unlike the challenges before us today. We look back and we learn. We also learn from the mistakes and missteps of the past. And, though it is a cliché, learning can be fun. Family stories of the exploits of crazy uncles inform; they also entertain. It is the same with our history, our family story.” — Stephen Nichols 

Theology 

Five Biblical Points of Dordrecht
Because someone somewhere recently called the five points garbage:

“When we contemplate what Scripture says about the severity of man’s fallen condition, the glory of God’s eternal purpose to redeem a people, the perfection of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, the sweetness of the power of God to bring sinners to Himself, and the assurance of God’s commitment to bring His people to glory by enabling them to persevere to the end, how can we not stand up and shout for joy. Far from being garbage, the five points of Dordrecht are full of the richness of the grace of God in the Gospel.” — Nicholas T. Batzig