Atheist Says God Isn’t All-Powerful Unless He DEFEATS Himself

In today’s example, molecular biologist Mark D’Arcy offers a question meant to challenge the idea of an omnipotent—that is, all powerful—God. The tweet reads: "Can God create a stone that cannot be lifted? If yes, then he is not all powerful since he Himself cannot lift it. If he cannot create a stone that cannot be lifted, then he is not all powerful. Either way, God is not all powerful."

This challenge is plagued with problems. First, omnipotence is not the power to do anything. Rather, it’s the ability to do anything power can do. Even infinite power cannot do what is contradictory or absurd. This isn’t a limit on God’s power. It’s a limit on the kinds of questions we should be asking about God’s power.

Second, it’s an illogical question. That’s because it subtly smuggles in a contradiction by asking if God’s omnipotence can defeat His omnipotence. It’s like asking, “Can God win in arm wrestling match against Himself?” It’s nonsense.

Ironically, in his attempt to show the incoherence of an omnipotent Creator, this atheist relies on an incoherent question.

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[hacerclic]

I love the response of CS Lewis to this question: "His Omnipotence means power to do all that is intrinsically possible, not to do the intrinsically impossible. You may attribute miracles to Him, but not nonsense. ... It is no more possible for God than for the weakest of His creatures to carry out both of two mutually exclusive alternatives; not because His power meets an obstacle, but because nonsense remains nonsense even when we talk it about God."

[sbgtrading]

I'm soooo glad God saved me from my atheism! I typically respond to these absurdities with "Yes".

[Zappy]

I remember when I was a young dumb Atheist. Basically a following of argumentative and undereducated (in matters of the Bible) people who twist specific Biblical scriptures to suit a narrative. Basically like reading the middle 10 pages of a novel and make your own conclusions of the beginning and the end of it. The Bible NEEDS to be studied, not just read from cover to cover. Its challenging, yes. But understanding this letter from God is worth it.

[MasterSongStudiosReal]

"God can create a stone so big he can't lift it, and he can lift it." I laughed so hard. 🤣 classic line!

[holtscustomcreations]

If we want coherent answers, then we must ask coherent questions.
If we have eliminated all of the possibility, then we're only left with the impossible.

[RadicOmega]

It is really frustrating that people still use this argument

[nickkaspar]

Has anyone else noticed how atheist evangelizers present their arguments as "new" or "never been thought of before?" When the reality is, these arguments, much like the one refuted today, have been made and have been rebuffed before. For as long as we've had God(s) we've had apostates, disbelievers, and anti-theists and they've made these very same arguments over and over again and they still don't gain traction. As religious scholars have often noted: There's nothing "new" in the "New Atheist Movement."

[ellentally]

Last year my cousin asked me this. I was so confused by his question and what his point was so all I could say was “I cannot answer you because I don’t get what you’re asking me.” The day later I relayed the conversation to my apologetics teacher and he looked at me for a minute and said “he’s asking if God can do something illogical, but God is logical and created logic. He cannot do something illogical, because He is logical.” And then I understood why I was so confused by my cousins question. I was confused by it because it was nonsensical.

[samuelardelean]

One of my aunts was still in primary school in comunism times and her math teacher asked her this question, her answer still amazes me today.
She said: "-Yes, He can! He already did! It's your heart! ".
Also I have to mentioned that in that era school was 6/7 days on every week. And every sunday the children were expected to go with the whole class to the village cultural house to watch propanga movies.
Every monday morning, during school days, started with a school gathering, forming a big circle, where those who weren't at the movies were put in the middle and the principal and the teachers put the other kids to laugh at them.
Today's bullying basically.
I am horrified there are people that fancy totalitarism regimmes.

[tdickensheets]

This question is frequently asked by skeptics of God, the Bible, Christianity, etc. If God can create a rock that He cannot lift, then God is not omnipotent. If God cannot create a rock so heavy that He cannot lift it, then God is not omnipotent. According to this argument, omnipotence is self-contradictory. Therefore, God cannot be omnipotent. So, the question, could God create a rock so heavy He could not lift it? The quick answer is "No." But the explanation is far more important to understand than the answer...
This question is based on a popular misunderstanding about the definitions of words like "almighty" or "omnipotent." These terms do not mean that God can do anything. Rather, they describe the amount of God’s power. Power is the ability to effect change - to make something happen. God (being unlimited) has unlimited power, and the Bible affirms this (Job 11:7-11, 37:23; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 4:8; etc.). Therefore, God can do whatever is possible to be done. God cannot, however, do that which is actually impossible. This is because true impossibility is not based on the amount of power one has, it is based on what is really possible. The truly impossible is not made possible by adding more power. Therefore, unless context indicates otherwise (e.g. Matthew 19:26 where man’s ability is being shown in contrast to God’s), impossibility means the same thing whether or not God is involved.
So, the first part of the question is based on a false idea - that God being almighty means that He can do anything. In fact, the Bible itself lists things God cannot do - like lie or deny Himself (Hebrews 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:13; Titus 1:2). The reason He cannot do these things is because of His nature and the nature of reality itself. God cannot do what is not actually possible to be done, like creating a two-sided triangle, or a married bachelor. Just because words can be strung together this way does not make the impossible possible - these things are contradictions, they are truly impossible in reality. Now, what about this rock? A rock would have to be infinitely large to defeat an infinite amount of lifting power. But an infinite rock is a contradiction since material objects cannot be infinite. Only God is infinite. There cannot be two infinites. So the question is actually asking if God can make a contradiction - which He cannot.

[michaelsowerby]

After spending half an hour contemplating this question, considering the many ways it can be approached, I finally realised, it's a time-sponge; designed to absorb the mind in meaningless thought, soaking up precious moments, distracting from better enqueries and pursuits. (One of many good responses, none the less.)

[rockandsandapologetics]

Brilliant, however, I had the occasion to answer a very similar question, "Can God create a rock too big to lift, and then lift it?" It should be noted that the person I was talking to was not asking me this question, but that while in Lutheran catechism class he asked one of the brothers that question, whereupon he was angrily thrust from the classroom. The teacher should have said, "I don't know, " or "God doesn't do stupid things." We came at a point when he was telling me why he became a Wiccan when he finished and waited for my response. I went right to the question he asked, and this had to be the Holy Spirit. I told him there were actually 2 answers to that question, first God doesn't do stupid things. (I wanted to cover the logic part first). Then I said that God has already created the rock too big to lift. God created us so we could have fellowship with Him and He with us. He told Adam there was one tree he was not to eat from and that the day he did eat from it he would die. Satan tempted Eve, she ate of that tree and gave Adam and he also ate. From that moment mankind was spiritually cut off from God. That's the definition of death. To pay the penalty for that sin you would need a perfect human, but Adam blew that one right out of the gate. There could be no perfect humans. Only God isn't human and He doesn't die. Here we have the rock that is too big to lift. But then God did something unexpected, He became man or as John 1:14 says he "dwelt" or "tabernacled" among us. This God/man, Jesus lived as we did, and began preaching when He was 30, performed all manner of miracles, and then He laid down His life for us. He died, the only perfect human ever, so that He could take our sin and give us forgiveness, even His righteousness. For 3 days Jesus lay in a borrowed tomb, but on the 3rd day He was raised back to life again. And that is when God lifted the rock that was too big for Him to lift. The guy (an inmate) excused himself and went back to his cell. I saw him a couple of weeks later with a big Bible under his arm. I asked him what happened. He asked me if I remembered our conversation. I told him I did. He said, "When you were speaking a white light was shining out of your face. That's why I excused myself. I was afraid if I didn't go and sit down I might fall down." So, I like your logical approach, but I'm still going to be more impressed with God's answer. Blessings on you brother.

[yankees]

There's a lot that God cannot. He cannot accept sin. Cannot lie. To be good He has to hate the bad. He sticks to His own rules. And that makes Him trustworthy forever!

[patticarey]

OMGosh, Tim, I am LOVING your videos!!! Please keep them coming!

[publicuniversaldeacon]

Losing my mind at "God can make a bachelor into a married man" LOL

[jonarmstrong]

Thanks Tim for putting these together! Love them.

[LandmarkBaptists]

Excellent elucidation of the construct of the absurd. A construct of "illogical contradictions:" Excellent disclosure, thanks.

[xianartman]

I love that you put in the other side of the argument as well: if omnipotent means can do anything (even illogical things) then by definition that means God could do the illogical as well and no amount of reason undoes it. This is the atheist argument that forgot they divided by zero.

[calebshepherd]

I’ve heard of the logical absurdity thing about square circles and married bachelors, but I never realized it applies to this classic dilemma! When you said that it’s trying to make God omnipotent and not omnipotent at the same time I think my brain exploded!!! Thank you!

[MentallyGuitarded]

No such thing as a married bachelor? My buddy Steve Bachelor and his wife would disagree. CHECKMATE, THEISTS.

Just kidding, great video, sir.