Does God have limits?

[ultimate777]

One of the things I have always been fascinated by is people saying "I can't" when all they mean is "I won't."
It's a long story but in a serious situation I once called somebody out on that and I have never forgotten it.
Can God do anything he wants to, and if not why not?

[Echoside]

One of the things I have always been fascinated by is people saying "I can't" when all they mean is "I won't."
It's a long story but in a serious situation I once called somebody out on that and I have never forgotten it.
Can God do anything he wants to, and if not why not?

The basic answer is that God can do anyTHING. So challenges like "can God create a square circle" are meaningless as they are not things, in fact just pure nonsense. So I'd say it's within God's power to do basically anything logically possible, which honestly covers just about every option outside of going against his nature, or the example above.

[wrain62]

Q: God can´t do evil. The God of the bible is a God of holiness. Holiness is the opposite of evil. Does this limit his actions?

A: I would say no. Think about evil. It is the way to acheive power of some kind without deserving it. More than that, it always involves wordly treasures. The God of the bible is above this.

[kmr]

God is capable of doing anything he wants to do, and if that means rewriting the laws of logic to make a square circle then yes (I suppose). To say God is incapable of going against his nature opens up a gap for fallacy in itself.... the fact that God doesn't go against his nature displays that God is perfect, and capable of doing what he wants. He doesn't go against his nature not because he is incapable but for the opposite reason, because he is perfect. At least, to me.

[PaulSacramento]

God has "self-imposed" limits, for lack of a better word.
God can't, if can't is the right word, do anything that is against His nature or against the "logic" that is God.

[Ryan]

Q: God can´t do evil. The God of the bible is a God of holiness. Holiness is the opposite of evil. Does this limit his actions?

A: I would say no. Think about evil. It is the way to acheive power of some kind without deserving it. More than that, it always involves wordly treasures. The God of the bible is above this.

In response to that question I would say that evil doesn't exist as a thing that can be "done" necessarily.

Evil is the absence of God.

I read an article that compared it to light to dark and cold to hot.

There can be infinite brightness, something can always get brighter, but when something is totally dark, it can't get darker. If there is no light, you can't make it darker, because you would have to remove more light. Making dark, in reality just an absence of light.

Hot and cold are the same. Something can always get hotter. But cold goes to absolute zero, which is complete absence of heat. You can't get colder than that limit. Dark and cold don't really exist as things, they are terms of convenience.

Now look at evil. Evil is the absence of God. Since God is 100% God, he cannot commit evil. But since evil is not an act, but an absence of good, it does not limit God.

[wrain62]

Q: God can´t do evil. The God of the bible is a God of holiness. Holiness is the opposite of evil. Does this limit his actions?

A: I would say no. Think about evil. It is the way to acheive power of some kind without deserving it. More than that, it always involves wordly treasures. The God of the bible is above this.

In response to that question I would say that evil doesn't exist as a thing that can be "done" necessarily.

Evil is the absence of God.

I read an article that compared it to light to dark and cold to hot.

There can be infinite brightness, something can always get brighter, but when something is totally dark, it can't get darker. If there is no light, you can't make it darker, because you would have to remove more light. Making dark, in reality just an absence of light.

Hot and cold are the same. Something can always get hotter. But cold goes to absolute zero, which is complete absence of heat. You can't get colder than that limit. Dark and cold don't really exist as things, they are terms of convenience.

Now look at evil. Evil is the absence of God. Since God is 100% God, he cannot commit evil. But since evil is not an act, but an absence of good, it does not limit God.

This can get very deep.

[CeT-To]

Great comment Ryan!

God is capable of doing anything he wants to do, and if that means rewriting the laws of logic to make a square circle then yes (I suppose). To say God is incapable of going against his nature opens up a gap for fallacy in itself.... the fact that God doesn't go against his nature displays that God is perfect, and capable of doing what he wants. He doesn't go against his nature not because he is incapable but for the opposite reason, because he is perfect. At least, to me.

I don;t think God can do the logically impossible - then that would give God the ability to exist and not exist at the same time LOL which is pure nonsense. God cannot go against his nature but that's not a limit, God's nature is the expression of who God is! of course he is has the power to go against his nature but his self restriction makes it so it is impossible.

[Byblos]

Q: God can´t do evil. The God of the bible is a God of holiness. Holiness is the opposite of evil. Does this limit his actions?

A: I would say no. Think about evil. It is the way to acheive power of some kind without deserving it. More than that, it always involves wordly treasures. The God of the bible is above this.

In response to that question I would say that evil doesn't exist as a thing that can be "done" necessarily.

Evil is the absence of God.

I read an article that compared it to light to dark and cold to hot.

There can be infinite brightness, something can always get brighter, but when something is totally dark, it can't get darker. If there is no light, you can't make it darker, because you would have to remove more light. Making dark, in reality just an absence of light.

Hot and cold are the same. Something can always get hotter. But cold goes to absolute zero, which is complete absence of heat. You can't get colder than that limit. Dark and cold don't really exist as things, they are terms of convenience.

Now look at evil. Evil is the absence of God. Since God is 100% God, he cannot commit evil. But since evil is not an act, but an absence of good, it does not limit God.

This can get very deep.

No, it really is that simple.