To Some It May Come as a Shock

but there are a number of things that God cannot do! At least four of them are mentioned directly in the Scriptures and several others can be legitimately inferred.

The first thing the Bible states is that we cannot say "God is tempting me" (James 1:13). Therefore, we must not claim that God is guilty of tempting us. It is Satan who is 'a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44) who is out to tempt us and lead us into sin. God will allow temptation to come our way so he can see how we will react to it. Temptation in and of itself is not evil it is the giving into the allurements of the forces of evil that is wrong.

A second thing is that God himself cannot be tempted. "God is never tempted to do wrong" (James 1:13). From the vantage point of our fallen nature it is hard to grasp the fact that wrong or evil has absolutely no allurement to God. His holiness and righteousness totally prevents him from having even the slightest inclination to do anything wrong.

Thirdly, as the writer to the Hebrews states "it is impossible for God to lie." (Heb 6:18). God is perfect and complete truth. Because of this we can fully trust the Lord to follow through on everything he has promised to do. The Bible is full of GodÂ’s promises to the human race.

The fourth thing the Bible states is that "he cannot deny who he is" (2 Tim. 3:13). This verse teaches in an all inclusive way that God cannot go against any of his characteristics that make up his divine nature. God must remain totally true to himself. He is totally and completely consistent. Jesus, who is the second person of the God-head" is described this way "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb 13:8).

As we consider the nature of God several other things become evident which God is incapable of doing. Some examples would be: he cannot cease to be God; he cannot stop existing; he cannot sin; and he cannot learn anything new. All of these things relate to his eternal nature and character.

Some people like to take delight in asking questions such as: Can God make a circle so big he cannot walk around it or can God make a rock so big he could not move it. We must remember that God is not God of the absurd or ridiculous. God governs himself by his divine nature not by the ludicrous thoughts of those who want to discredit him. For those who trust in Christ there is the great assurance that there are actually some things of which he is totally incapable!

Copyright. Bruce March 2006

Note: All quotes taken from the New Living Translation Second Edition.