ordinate power (of God)
“That power whereby God doth that which he hath decreed to do, that is, which he hath ordained or appointed to be exercised;1 God’s ability to do what he has ordained, decreed, and willed to do.”2 God’s ordinate power is a subset of his absolute power.
- From scripture:
Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.(Psalm 135:6 ESV)
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will … (Ephesians 1:11 ESV)
- From Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof:
The potentia ordinata [ordinate power] can be defined as that perfection of God whereby He, through the mere exercise of His will, can realize whatsoever is present in His will or counsel. The power of God in actual exercise limits itself to that which is comprehended in His eternal decree.
Learn more:
- Mark Jones: A Crucial Distinction
- Louis Berkhof: The Sovereign Power of God
Related terms:
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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