One’s initial answer to the above question might not be correct. Many times in conversation people are heard to affirm that God can do anything and everything. But do such statements accurately reflect Bible teaching?

It is true that the Bible speaks of God’s power, and even says that nothing is impossible for him. God is almighty (Gen. 17:1). He can do “all things” (Job 42:2). Nothing is too hard for him (Jer. 32:17). With God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26). But these statements are qualified by other passages and are made with the understanding that God can only do all things that are possible to do and that are consistent with his nature and purpose.

In other words, because of the nature of God there are some things that he simply cannot do. Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 6:18 state that it is impossible for God to lie. It is against his nature. God cannot be tempted with evil (James 1:13). God cannot be unjust (Gen. 18:25), fickle (Mal. 3:6), or unloving (1 John 4:8). In addition, God cannot do things that are logically impossible. Atheists have tried to stump Christians with the question, “Can God make a stone so large that he can’t lift it?” Or, “Can God make a triangle that doesn’t have three sides?” These are nonsensical questions. They are impossible on the grounds of their being illogical, not because of a lack of power on God’s part.

Here is an interesting question: can God save a man who is not submissive to his will? If you are talking about ability alone, I guess you could say “yes.” Some brethren have been known to reason along this line regarding those who die without having obeyed the gospel. They will say such things as, “Well, I know that John was not baptized, but he was a good man and possessed all the characteristics of a follower of Jesus Christ. Therefore, I can’t say whether or not he was saved or lost. We just don’t know how God will handle such situations. He certainly has the power to save people in their ignorance.”

But is it not the case that God has devised a plan by which man is to be saved, with the stipulation that any man who does not abide by that plan will be lost? Certainly. Can you imagine God announcing to everyone on the day of judgment, “I know I said in the Bible that in the New Testament age, a person must believe in Jesus and be baptized for the remission of sins in order to be saved, but I really didn’t mean it. A person didn’t really have to be baptized in order to be saved.” It is true that God has never been under obligation to tell us everything about his activity in the world (Deut. 29:29). But whatever things God has done and will do, that we don’t know about, will not (cannot) contradict the things he has told us. Because God has limited salvation to the plan revealed in the New Testament, then to save someone who has not obeyed it would make God out to be liar – something that he cannot be. So will God save anyone who is not obedient to the gospel? No. He cannot do that and be consistent with his nature.

Can God do anything and everything? Not in the strictest sense of that question. There are some things God cannot do. Can God do anything that is not against his nature and that is logically possible to accomplish? Yes.

Eddie Parrish