God & Science
Can God make a rock so heavy he can't lift it? Then he isn't all-powerful.
Short answer
All-powerful has never meant able to do nonsense. "A rock too heavy for an all-powerful God to lift" is like "a square circle": the words don't describe anything real. The Bible itself says there are things God cannot do: he cannot lie (Titus 1:2) or deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13). That isn't a lack of power. It's who he is.
In simple words: God can do anything that makes sense. He can't do silly impossible things, like making a square circle, and he can't do wrong things, like lie, because he is always good.
Response
This classic riddle tries to trap God either way: if he can't make the rock, he isn't all-powerful; if he can't lift it, he isn't all-powerful either.
But the riddle asks God to do something self-contradictory. "A rock too heavy for the One who can lift any rock" is like asking for a married bachelor or a square circle. It isn't a task at all; it's a string of words that cancel each other out. C. S. Lewis put it plainly: "nonsense remains nonsense even when we talk it about God."
Christians have always understood God's power that way. "All things are possible with God" (Mark 10:27) means nothing is too hard for him (Genesis 18:14), not that he can make contradictions true. And the Bible names things God cannot do. He cannot lie: "it is impossible for God to lie" (Hebrews 6:18). He "cannot deny Himself" (2 Timothy 2:13). He "cannot be tempted by evil" (James 1:13).
Those limits aren't weakness. A person who can't bring themselves to betray a friend isn't less than one who can. God's power is always the power of a God who is good, truthful and faithful.
The same kind of puzzle is sometimes raised about God's knowledge and our freedom. That one has a real answer too: knowing what someone will choose is not the same as making them choose it.
Key evidence
- Omnipotence has traditionally meant the power to do anything logically possible, not to make contradictions true.
- Scripture names things God cannot do because of his nature: lie, deny himself, be tempted by evil (Hebrews 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:13; James 1:13).
- Self-contradictory phrases don't describe real tasks.
Bible passages
- Mark 10:27 All things are possible with God.
- Genesis 18:14 Is anything too difficult for the LORD?
- Hebrews 6:18 It is impossible for God to lie.
- 2 Timothy 2:13 He cannot deny himself.
- Titus 1:2 God, who cannot lie.
Quotes
“Nonsense remains nonsense even when we talk it about God.”
C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (1940)
Discussion questions
- Can you think of other phrases that sound like tasks but are really contradictions?
- Why is it good news that God cannot lie?
- How does God's goodness shape the way he uses his power?