Omni- means all. In this post: Omnipotence (all power), omniscience (all knowledge) , omnisapience (all wise). Omnipresence (everywhere) is placed in the post on incommunicable attributes.

Let’s begin.

I. Omnipotence

A. Brief intro

Omni- means “all.” Therefore, theologians call the three omni- attributes (omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience) “perfections” of God because they express totality. Omnipotence means he is all powerful and sovereign. He is able to do everything according to his holy will and whatever is not a moral or essential contradiction.

That last clause, above, means that God cannot do evil or immoral things, which would contradict his attributes of love and righteousness and holiness.

B. Quick word studies

The Old Testament is in Hebrew, and the word shaddai constitutes a name of God: God Almighty. Another more common word (200 times) is the noun ṣaba’ (pronounced shaba). The old translations say, “Lord of hosts” (armies), because the word means one who participates in warfare or comprises an army. The term takes on a technical means “Lord Almighty” (Mounce, p. 14).

The New Testament was written in Greek, and the word is pantokratōr, which is a compound word: All (pan-) and Powerful (krator). It is used in the New Testament ten times, once in Paul’s writings (2 Cor. 6:18), and nine times in the book of the Revelation (Rev. 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15; 21:22) (ibid.).

C. What do theologians say?

Geisler writes about what God can and cannot do:

Theologically, omnipotent means that God can do whatever is possible to do. Or, God can do what is not impossible to do. His power is unlimited and uninhibited by anything else. Negatively, omnipotence does not mean that God can do what is a contradiction. (p. 487, emphasis original).

Prof. Geisler goes on to say that God cannot contradict his nature: he cannot lie, sin, change, or deny himself (Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; 2 Tim. 2:13; Heb. 6:18; Jas. 1:13, 17).

God does not have to perform this or that act. He is perfectly free. He is free not to use his omnipotence, and he is free to limit it. “But God is not free to limit the extent of his power. God must know all that He knows, but God does not have to do all that He can do” (p. 488).

In other words, God reveals his power to us humans in a limited way. God does not force our free will to act in certain ways (Matt. 23:37). He uses persuasion. But God cannot limit his omnipotence in his very essence, but he is free not to exercise or to exercise it as he interacts with humanity.

And, no, God cannot make a rock so big that he cannot move it. He is too wise and intelligent to do stupid stuff!

Williams insightfully adds that God’s power is in harmony with his nature:

For the God who is Almighty is the God whose character is holiness, love and truth. Therefore, He does, and will do, only those things that are in harmony with who He is. To say it is impossible for God to do wrong or evil does not limit His omnipotence anymore than, for example, to say it is impossible for God to declare His nonexistence. These are moral and logical contradictions to the very being and nature of Almighty God. (Renewal, vol. 1, p. 71)

Then Prof. Williams offers this nugget:

God’s omnipotence is not to be identified with omnicausality. Because God can do all things does not mean that He does all things, to the exclusion of lesser expressions of power. (ibid. p. 72)

Omnicausality means “all-causing.” In other words, Williams says that sometimes God withholds his unlimited power and exercises lesser power.

Finally, in my view God allows lesser powers to exist, and he lets them exercise their authority and power jurisdictionally. For example, God does not cause humans governments to act evilly. People have a significant measure of free will, and they choose to do evil, whether individually or corporately in a government (think of the evil Nazi regime and the individuals within it).

D. Quick definition:

This attribute or perfection of God means that he is able to do everything out of his sovereign free will and according to his nature.

E. What do the Scriptures teach?

Let’s begin with verses that connect God’s creation of the entire universe and his omnipotence.

God manifests his power in creation ex nihilo (out of nothing):

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Rom. 1:20)

“This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:

I am the Lord,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,
who spreads out the earth by myself, (Is. 44:24)

The Son sustains all things by his powerful word.

³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  (Heb. 1:3)

One more verse about creation ex nihilo:

He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. (Rom. 4:17)

This passage talks about Jesus’s creative power:

For in him [the Son] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Col. 1:16-17)

The twenty-four elders proclaim:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.” (Rev. 4:11)

On another topic, God’s power extends beyond things that are not yet realized or done:

Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son. (Gen. 18:14)

I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who will capture it. (Jer. 32:27-28)

After the Judeans were exiled, just as God predicted in Jer. 32:27-28, God promised to bring them back to Jerusalem, which happened later:

I will bring them back to Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God. (Zech. 8:6)

People were praising God, as Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly. Some Pharisees told him to rebuke his followers.

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. (Luke 19:40)

Jesus told his disciples to put away their swords:

Do you think I cannot call on my father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (Matt. 26:53)

Now let’s look at verses with ‘El-Shaddai (God Almighty) in them.

When Abram [later Abraham] was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said: “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and blamelessly.” (Gen. 17:1)

The above verse also speaks of God’s power over things that were not yet done.

With Moses, God’s revelation shifts to a higher gear, so to speak:

God also said to Moses, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD, I did not make myself fully known.” (Ex. 6:2-3)

In the above verse, the LORD is the four sacred letters of God: YHWH. It is translated in all capital letters—LORD. This name appears in Genesis, but it was not fully known.

This verse in the Psalms indicates God omnipotence as our protection:

Who ever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (Ps. 91:1)

Moving away from the ‘El-Shaddai name, now let’s look at verses that talk about his sovereign power that puts things in perspective.

If God made everything, is anything else too hard for him?

Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you (Jer. 32:17)

From a human level, many things are impossible, but not for God:

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26)

God manifest his power over nature in miracles. The next verses are too long to quote, so they are referenced, instead:

Jesus calmed the storm: Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 37:41; Luke 8:22-25

Jesus walked on water: Matthew 14:25; Mark 6:48-51

Jesus fed the multitudes with scarce resources: Matthew14:15-21; Mark 6:35-44); Luke 9:12-17; John 6:6-13

God’s power that raised Jesus from the dead and highly exalted him is given to us:

[A]nd his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. (Eph. 1:19)

Let’s end with this awesome verse that speaks of God’s omnipotence:

God, the blessed and only Ruler [Potentate], the King of kings and Lord of lords .… (1 Tim. 5:16)

Genesis 1:1; 18:14; 35:11; 1 Kings 18:46; 1 Chronicles 29:11; Psalms. 20:6; 29:4; 66:3, 7; 68:28; 147:5; Isaiah 11:2;  46:10-11; 63:12; Jeremiah 10:12; 32:18; Romans 1:16.

F. Knowing God better through his omnipotence

God knows what you are going through. Nothing has caught him by surprise. And now he is powerful enough to lift you out of your trials, whether self-inflicted or caused by just living life with other humans and in the natural world of planet earth. Or he is powerful enough to sustain you through your trials. That is his love.

II. Omniscience

A. Brief intro

The big word literally means “all-knowing” or “all knowledge.” He absolutely and totally and exhaustively knows himself, his creation, and you. I also discuss middle knowledge (a.k.a. Molinism) and open theism.

Because of the omni- prefix, this attribute is also called a perfection of God.

I note that Dr. Grudem places this attribute among the communicable attributes. So the categories are not neat and tidy.

B. What do theologians say?

Reformed theologian Herman Bavinck reminds us that to be strictly accurate and biblical, there is no foreknowledge with God because even the “future” is vividly before his eyes:

Consequently, strictly speaking, it is a mistake to speak of divine foreknowledge; there is only one knowledge of God. With him there are “no distinctions of time.” [He quotes Augustine]: “For what is foreknowledge if not knowledge of future events? But can anything be future to God, who surpasses all times? For if God’s knowledge includes these very things themselves, they are not future to him but present; and for this reason we should no longer speak of God’s foreknowledge, but simply of God’s knowledge.” (Reformed, p. 199)

Berkhof writes:

The knowledge of God may be defined as that perfection [attribute] whereby He, in an entirely unique manner, knows Himself and all things possible and actual in one eternal and most simple act (p. 66, emphasis original).

Berkhof goes on about the extent of omniscience, in contrast to what humankind knows:

The knowledge of God is not only perfect in kind, but also in its inclusiveness. It is called omniscience, because it is all-comprehensive. … God knows himself and in Himself all things then come from Him (internal knowledge). He knows all things as they actually come to pass, past, present and future, and knows them in their real relations. He knows the hidden the hidden essence of things, to which the knowledge of man cannot penetrate. He sees not as man sees, who observes the outward manifestations of life, but penetrates to the depths of the human heart. Moreover, He knows what is possible as well as what is actual; all things that might occur under certain circumstances are present to his mind (p. 67).

Williams writes:

God’s knowledge is not that acquired through reasoning and reflection, nor accumulated through experience and verification. God is not a learner. … It is not that God is self-taught, but rather His mind encompasses all knowledge. Moreover, since God is the creator of all things in the universe—from the minutest particle in an atom to the largest star, from the smallest thing alive to human beings made in His image, he knows every aspect of His creation. (Renewal, vol. 1, p. 73)

Grudem says:

God’s knowledge may be defined as follows: God fully knows himself and all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act. (p. 225, emphasis original)

Geisler is clear about the definition of omniscience, which does not include contradictory things:

Historically the omniscience of God was a straightforward doctrine: God knows everything—past, presence, and future. He knows the actual and the possible; only the impossible (the contradictory) is outside the knowledge of God. (p. 496)

Can God do and know contradictions? No, he is too wise to engage in foolish thinking.

C. Quick definition:

This attribute or perfection of God means that he knows everything about every thing, past, present and future, actual or possible, and nothing is unknown and hidden from him.

D. What do the Scriptures teach?

God knows his creation thoroughly:

I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. (Ps. 50:11)

His creation includes humankind:

You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. (Ps. 139:1-6)

God’s knowledge is unlimited:

Great is our LORD and mighty in power; his understanding has no limits. (Ps. 147:5)

No one can fathom it:

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom? (Is. 40:28)

God knows everything and will accomplish his purposes:.

¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’ (Is. 46:10)

God sees us in secret and answers our prayers:

Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt. 6:4, 7)

For your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matt. 6:8)

Once again Jesus affirms that God’s knowledge extends to small creatures and us.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are numbered. (Matt. 10:29-30).

In the above verse, our hairs being numbered speaks of intimacy.

In the next three verses, Jesus is said to know everything:

But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people … for he knew what was in each person. (John 2:24, 25)

Peter said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” (John 21:17b)

And here is a doxology, an expression of praise:

Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths are beyond tracing out! (Rom. 11:33)

Nothing is hidden from God:

For the Word of God is alive and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul from spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Heb. 4:12-13)

Job 21:22; 38-39; Psalms 103:13-14; 139-15-16; Isaiah Is. 57:15 (the NKJV says God inhabits eternity); Isaiah 46:10; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 6:31-32; 10:29-30 // Luke 12:7; John 2:25; John 4:16-18; John 6:64; Colossians 2:3; 1 John 3:20.

E. Knowing God better through his omniscience

Psalm 147:5 says: “Great is our LORD and mighty in power; his understanding has no limits.” The next verse goes on to say: “The LORD sustains the humble, and casts the wicked to the ground.” And Hebrews 4:13 says, “we must give an account.”

God’s total and comprehensive and absolute and exhaustive knowledge is personal to us. It can elicit in us the fear of the Lord. We can do nothing without his knowing about it—good or bad.

“The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good” (Prov. 15:3). “I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you” (Ps. 119:168). The verses quoted from Matthew’s Gospel reminds us that God cares for us and rewards as well as disciplines us and implements justice.

On the other hand, God’s knowledge can bring comfort. God declared to the children of Israel that he knew their going through the desert and the Lord had been with them, so they lacked nothing (Deut. 2:7). God understands what we are going through, our personal deserts and wildernesses. God’s love and knowledge can be combined, pastorally speaking. God knows you and loves you anyway! This truth going into our hearts can bring deep calm and assurance to the believer.

For a discussion of middle knowledge (Molinism) and open theism, please go to my website drjimsebt.com and search for this article:

What Is Middle Knowledge (Molinism)?

III. All Wise

A. Brief intro.

The omni- word is omnisapience. Omni = all and sapient = wise.

B. What do theologians say?

Reformed theologian Louis Berkhof defines wisdom by comparing it to man’s (deficient) wisdom and knowledge:

The wisdom of God may be regarded as a particular aspect of His knowledge. It is quite evident that knowledge and wisdom are not the same, though they are closely related. They do not always accompany each other. An uneducated man may be superior to a scholar in wisdom. Knowledge is acquired by study, but wisdom results from an intuitive insight into things. The former is theoretical, while the latter is practical, making knowledge subservient to some specific purpose. Both are imperfect in man, but in God they are characterized by absolute perfection. (p. 69)

Then Berkhof connects God’s wisdom to adapting means (stepping-stones) to ends (goals as in end-zone). Now Berkhof defines it more formally: Wisdom is that “perfection of God whereby he applies His knowledge to the attainment of His ends in a way which glorifies Him most” (ibid., emphasis original).

Wayne Grudem admires Berkhof and borrows from him often. He writes: “God’s wisdom means that God always chooses the best goals and the means to those goals” (p. 193). God’s wise decisions will “bring about the best results (from God’s ultimate perspective), and they will bring about those results through the best possible means” (ibid.).

Norman Geisler teaches what the Hebrew and Greek words are, along with a basic definition on a human level:

The basic Hebrew word for wisdom is chokam (chakam); the Greek word is sophia. Both means “wisdom” or “skill.” Wisdom has to do with the ability to choose the right means for the desired ends. Knowledge is the apprehension of truths in the mind, while wisdom is the application of truth to one’s life, as the book of Proverbs amply illustrates (see also James 1:5) (p. 515).

Geisler continues by relating the term to God:

Since God is infinite and wise, He must be infinitely wise. This is called omnisapience [all-wisdom]. So as applied to God wisdom refers to His unerring ability to choose the best means to accomplish to accomplish the best ends. As such, God’s wisdom is rooted in several other attributes: His omniscience provides knowledge for his wise choices; His omnibenevolence [all goodwill] assures that they will be good choices; and His omnipotence [all power] enables Him to achieve His ends by the means he chooses. (ibid.)

C. Quick definition:

This attribute or perfection of God means that his knowledge of everything enables him to apply it to bring about his goals.

D. What do the Scriptures say?

Job says of God in these two verses:

His wisdom is profound, his power is vast …. (Job 9:4)

To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. (Job 12:14)

To create the entire universe, God has to be infinitely wise.

How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. (Ps. 104:24)

Here wisdom is personified and poetically depicted as God’s creation, though it was one of eternal attributes:

The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; ²³ I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be. (Prov. 8:22-23)

Isaiah prophesies about Jesus:

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord (Is. 11:2)

It takes infinite wisdom to create the universe:

He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. (Jer. 51:15)

Daniel praises God:

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. (Dan. 2:20)

God’s wisdom is so great, no one can fathom it:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! (Rom. 11:33)

The last verse in Romans says:

To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Rom. 16:27)

God’s wisdom is seen in the entire plan of redemption reaching back to the very beginning:

We declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. (1 Cor. 2:7)

God’s wisdom is made known through the Church to spirit beings in the heavenly realm:

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms (Eph. 3:10)

In Christ are all the treasures of wisdom:

Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col. 2:2b-3)

Christ is worthy to receive our praise for his wisdom:

In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Rev. 5:12).

E. How can I know God better by knowing he is wise?

Wisdom is transferrable to us humans. We can make the right decisions, by God’s grace and Spirit. It begins by bending the knee to God, another way of saying it is to fear or revere him:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. (Ps. 111:10)

In that verse, above, one good way to get the fear or reverence in us is to praise God. We are finite, he is infinite, so knowing this elicits praise from us.

In the next passage, God is very willing to grant wisdom to us. Note how knowledge and understanding are synonyms:

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Prov. 2:6)

We shift over to the New Covenant Scriptures (New Testament).

Christ himself is our wisdom:

It is because of him [God] that you are in Christ, who has become for us wisdom from God (1 Cor. 1:30).

Since we are in him, we don’t have to listen to worldly wisdom, but we have access through Christ to God’s wisdom. Jesus enables us to be wise.

We can ask God for wisdom.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

Here is a great description of heavenly wisdom:

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)

If we exhibit those characteristics, then we follow the way of wisdom. Good character is part of wisdom; without it, wisdom is false or fake. That verse offers us discernment when someone claims to have wisdom about life.

The best news of all about God’s omnisapience is he will guide us through the most difficult times in our lives. He will achieve his end or goal in our lives, no matter how difficult the circumstances are. He will gladly and generously give you wisdom to solve the problem, to fight enemies, or to be still and know that he is God (Ps. 46:10).

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