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authority differ essentially. Many a conqueror has invaded a country simply because of
superior strength, not because he had authority for his action; and many a person in
whom authority was vested has been powerless to exercise it owing to the rise of
rebellious forces. "Power", when used of God, indicates, in the first place, strength.
While philosophy may speak of God's power as being absolute and assume that He might
have done many things that He has not done, as for example, that He might have
prevented the sin of angels, or the fall of man--the Scriptures speak of the power of God
correlated with His will, or as it is sometimes called, His "ordinate power".
As an example of the two aspects of power, reference may be made to
Matt. 26: 53, 54. The Father had "absolute power" to send twelve legions of angels,
but, as the Saviour said, "How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?"
This is the "ordinate power" of God, that power which carries out His purposes and good
pleasure. There are many unprofitable and dangerous doctrines that owe their origin to
the specious question, "Cannot God do this or that?" We do not question the ability of
God to do anything, but if we are guided by the Scriptures we shall not raise the question,
nor attempt an answer. We shall rather say with the prophet and the apostle:--
"His counsel shall stand, and He will do all His pleasure" (Isa. 46: 10).
"He worketh all things according to the counsel of His Own will" (Eph. 1: 11).
"The knowledge of God regards a thing as possible, and as it my be done; the wisdom
of God regards a thing as fit, and convenient to be done; the will of God resolves that it
shall be done. The power of God is the application of His will to effect what it hath
resolved . . . . . His will orders, His wisdom guides, and His power effects" (Charnock).
Not only do the works of creation provide an exhibition of the almighty power of God
so that the heathen are inexcusable, but the believer also may draw encouragement from
the same source:--
"Ah Lord God! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power
and stretched-out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee" (Jer. 32: 17).
This infinity of power is recognized in Job 37: 23:--
"Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out: He is excellent in power."
Not only is this power infinite; it is also incomparable:--
"To whom then will ye liken Me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up
your eyes on high, and behold Who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host
by number; He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is
strong in power; not one faileth" (Isa. 40: 25, 26).
The power of God is infinite, incomparable, directed by wisdom and righteousness;
and the passage from Isaiah just quoted proceeds to show that it knows no failure or
falling off:--
"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the
Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?" (Isa. 40: 28).