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August 02, 2005
Ch.VIII. Q.50. Divine Omnipotence
THE Omnipotence of God signifies (a) His infinite energy and freedom to do all that is consistent with His nature; (b) His sovereignty over all that is or can be done.1
2. God is not tied to the use of means, nor to any particular use of them, by any principle which is external to Himself.2 For all things other than Himself, as well as the forces resident in them, owe their existence to Himself. He cannot, however, do anything (a) which is inconsistent with His own holiness ;3 (b) which would involve a change in His own nature or purposes; (c) which would be self-contradictory and absurd; e.g., to make a fact not a fact, or to draw a shorter line between two points than a straight one. What cannot be done in se, cannot be done by Him —not as implying external limit to power, but as indicating its non-pertinency. Power is in such case limited by its own nature, as is the infinite, not by degree or extent.4
3. By virtue of His sovereignty, all creaturely actions, even when free, are done by His permission and with power then supplied by Him. Evil actions, though designed to thwart His will, are overruled by Him to the accomplishment of it.
4. The exercise of Divine energy is twofold (a) internal action of generation and spiration, which is necessary; (b) external action, which is voluntary, and concerned with originating, preserving, energizing, developing, and governing created things.5
5. Both of these actions are eternal and immutable, but the latter has temporal and mutable relations and aspects, owing to the finite nature which is imposed upon its results. Thus the action of God is often described in Holy Scripture as if temporal—not in its nature, but in its creatureward relations.6
1 Pearson, Creed, pp. 75-83; St. Thos., Summa, I. xxv.; Schouppe, Elementa, Tr. V., §§161-165; Mason, Faith of the Gospel, ch. i., § 12; Forbes, Creed, pp. 48, 49, 91-93; Petavius, De Dogmatibus, T. I., lib. v., ch. 5-11; Wilhelm and Scannell, Manual, Vol. I., pp. 208-210; Clarke, Outline of Theol., pp. 85-88; Weidner, Theologia, pp. 37-38. Cf. Gen. xvii. 1; xviii. 14; Job xlii. 2; Ixii. 11; Ixvi. 7; Isa. xxvi. 4; Jerem. xxxii. 17; Dan. iv. 35; Matt. vi. 13; xix. 26; Mark x. 27; xiv. 36; Luke i. 37; Acts xxvi. 8; Rom. i. 20; iv. 21; Ephes. i. 11, 19-22; iii. 20; Heb. i. 3; Rev. xv. 3; xix. 6.
2 Matt. iii. 9.
3 II. Tim. ii. 13; Heb. vi. 18.
4 Clarke, pp. 86-88; St. Anselm, Proslogium, ch, vii.
5 Schouppe, Tr. V., § 134.
6 Cf. Q. liv. 2.
Posted by Debra Bullock at August 2, 2005 10:52 PM
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