Many have asked if God, being all-powerful, could create a rock so heavy He could not lift it. If the answer is yes, then He is not all-powerful because the rock would be stronger than God. If the answer is no, He is not all-powerful because there is something God could not do.
However, this limited question fails to recognize that the reason God cannot create a rock so heavy He could not lift it is because only He is all-powerful. He is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1:1). Therefore, all created things are under His power and authority. God's unlimited, all-powerful ability means anything He creates would not be able to exceed His power. The very nature of a perfect God supersedes the power of anything that could be created.
Creating a rock so heavy He could not lift it is one of a few things an all-powerful God cannot do since it would violate His very nature and definition as God. God's omnipotence does not mean He can contradict Himself or perform logical impossibilities. For example, God could not create something that existed before or after Him because He is eternal. It would stand in contrast with His very nature. God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2) because He is truth (John 14:6). Truthfulness is part of His nature. God cannot create another way to know God, because Jesus is the way (John 14:6). God cannot be tempted by evil (James 1:13) because He would then exhibit a sign of weakness and no longer be all-powerful. God also cannot stop being God. He is eternal and by definition could not become finite (Psalm 90:2). Second Timothy 2:13 states that God cannot deny Himself.
Jesus taught, "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). However, this is limited to all things that do not violate the very definition and nature of who God is. This in no way makes God less than all-powerful. Instead, it clearly indicates the perfect attributes of God as all-powerful, righteous, and loving. Job 37:23 interestingly notes, "The Almighty—we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate." While this verse is difficult to understand, it may refer to God not violating His perfect power, justice, and righteousness. As other places in Scripture clearly indicate, God is perfect, reigns in total power, and oversees every action in the universe as the Creator and Sustainer of all things.
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