God as Eternal and Omnipotent Mr. DeZilva Philosophy of Religion Year 13

 Transcendent  Covenant  Omniscient  Old Testament  Genesis  The Forms  Prime Mover  creatio ex nihilo  Omnipresent  New Testament  Omnipotent  "Creation out of Nothing"  Includes the Torah  Aristotle  All-Powerful  Includes the 4 Gospels  All-Knowing  Plato  Story of "The Beginning"  Not limited by time or space  "Exists independent from"  A binding agreement or promise *Prepare to tell us more about the connection*

What did we discover about the Nature of God? What can we conclude about how God is portrayed in Biblical Scripture? Which one is most accurate or true? Can they all be true? Why or why not?

Take the next 5 minutes and attempt to answer the following statement: “If God is omnipotent, then he must be able to do absolutely anything. Discuss” Give to a partner when complete and have them peer assess it. Peer, please provide 2 positives and 2 constructive criticisms about the answer.

1) Classical Theologians (Aquinas, Anselm, Augustine) would say God is timeless – God is outside time, not bound by time, and the creator of time. God is atemporal (eternal, outside the constraints of time) Aquinas’ sitting on the hill example 2) God is everlasting (Swinburne); God moves along the same timeline that we do but never begins or ends. God has a past just as us and the future, to some extent, is unknown to God is sempiternal (everlasting, moving along the same timeline that we do)

Atemporal view: God exists outside time and can see the past, present, and the future with perfect knowledge God is in control of time, He created it. God is not bound by space and can be everywhere. Not bounded by time – is part of every past and will be a part of every future. Positives: Shows that God is not limited and it does not affect his omnipotence. Shows that God is immutable (incapable of change). Supported by the Creation story (in Genesis). Negatives: The idea of an unchangable God limits God’s personal connection with humanity. A characterless God (no sympathy, emotion, etc).

Sempiternal View: God is everlasting, but along our timeline Changeable, in order to have relationships and respond to people’s actions. God exists within time because He is able to respond to it. Positives: This allows for a personal God, and a responsive God that has relationships with His creation. If God is immutable, then He cannot be affected by anything (i.e. cannot love). More in-line with what the Biblical Scripture talk of with God. Negatives: Is this God really “all-knowing” if they may not know the future?

How can God act timelessly in time? Did time exist before creation? Wouldn’t God have to decide to create at a particular time? Wouldn’t God’s acts (as described in scripture) coincide with a time frame (i.e. Red Sea parting)? If God exists in time, His past and future would limit His present.

Omnipotent = all-powerful Consider the act of a miracle – which go against the laws of nature, but are within the powers of God. God’s omnipotence helped carry out his plans for the universe and for human salvation (and the various achievements in the bible – resurrection, saviours, eternal life in Heaven). Anselm: “God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived” – If God were anything less than omnipotent, then we would be able to conceive of a greater, more perfect, more powerful being.

Descartes: God can do absolutely anything, even that which is logically impossible. God is the source of logic. God is capable of suspending the laws of logic. Aquinas: God is in charge of the whole world, creating it, and keeping it in existence – while everything is dependent on God for its existence. God can do everything that is absolutely possible Vardy: God omnipotence is much more limited than many Christians have previous suggested – God is not in control of the whole history and not able to move anything around like “pieces on a chessboard”

Macquarrie: When we speak of the power of God, we are using analogy and should understand that God’s power is different from our own – there is still an element of “unknowable” to God. Like Aquinas and Vardy, any limitations that God may have are self-imposed. He chooses to limits his own power out of love for humanity. The Doctrine of Kenosis: God “emptied himself” of his own omnipotence in order to come to earth as a man, deliberately. Many biblical passages desire that as followers, Christians imitate Christ’s humility.

Go back to that question that you addressed earlier. What would you or could you add to it now? Note: We will be looking at the contradiction problems of these arguments next class.