Statues stand to honor historical figures of greatness. Movies display the important work of powerful individuals. Celebrations erupt on the field in praise of the winning team. We are understandably wowed by great displays of power and strength. We marvel at superior intelligence, superhuman strength, exceptional talent, and captivating leadership. We stand in awe at the accomplishments of impressive people. We clearly have a mental context for great power, but we were made to stand in jaw-dropping awe of an incomprehensibly greater greatness.
Every smart person had to study and learn what he or she knows. Every strong person had to train hard. Every talented person had to develop his or her skills over time. Every leader had to climb the ladder. Furthermore, every single person reaches his or her limit at some point in time.
Herein lies some of the major differences between human greatness and the greatness of their Creator. Unlike humans, God does not study or learn or train or develop or climb any ladder of power. He simply knows and does whatever he pleases with no effort whatsoever. All humans will eventually reach the limits of their intelligence, strength, talent, and level of leadership, but God has no such limit to reach. He is omnipotent, which means he is all-powerful. He is never more or less powerful than he is right now. Paul Tripp says, “To say that God is omnipotent is to say that God is God. The consideration of the power of God will always lead to that age-old rhetorical question, ‘Who is a God like our God?’” (Tripp 2021, 164).
Unlike humans, God does not study or learn or train or develop or climb any ladder of power. He simply knows and does whatever he pleases with no effort whatsoever.
That rhetorical question appears in the Bible many times in response to God’s great power. Here’s one example: “Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? (Psalm 113:5-6). The psalmist’s question comes in response to God’s mighty power to rule his creation. Another translation says he “bends down to look at the skies and the earth.” I can bend down to look at quite a few things on the ground, but only in my imagination can I bend down to look at the skies and the earth. These verses express a magnitude of power that we simply cannot comprehend, so the only proper response is to ask, “Who is like the Lord our God?”
In the 17th century, scientist Johannes Kepler wonderfully stated that we can only “think God’s thoughts after him” and that because we are made in God’s image, we get to “share in his own thoughts” when we discover scientific laws or deep patterns in nature (ID the Future 2019). Kepler carried out the first in-depth mathematical treatment of astronomy and is most well known for his three laws of planetary motion. He was a brilliant man in his field, but what I find most compelling about him is the fact that his theology drove his profession. He firmly believed humans were created to discover God’s created world.
We have the capacity to learn everything from simple arithmetic to Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion to any of the other mathematical phenomena in the cosmos, but God never had to learn any of them. As Galileo once said, “Mathematics exists eternally in the mind of God” (ID the Future 2019). We get to discover the mathematical wonders all around us, but God created them. Not only did he create them, but he also sustains them every second of every day “by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).
God did not use trial and error to figure out what Earth’s gravitational constant should be or where he should position the moon to stabilize Earth’s 23.45° axial tilt. He did not start with simple equations like 1 + 1 = 2 and work his way up to the masterful equations of modern physics. He had no professor or counselor to guide his work. He is the almighty, wise, and sovereign God who has chosen to make himself known in his creation. We have the great privilege of standing in awe of him as we behold the mighty works of his hands and think his very thoughts after him.
We rightfully hold scientific geniuses like Kepler and Galileo in high regard for their contributions to science and academia, but those men – along with every other scientist – have taught us only what God already knows and has known for all of eternity. As Tripp says, we are a “full galaxy away” from understanding the full omnipotence of God (Tripp 2021, 162). Indeed, there is only one proper response: “Who is a God like our God?”
References:
Tripp, Paul D. 2021. Do You Believe? Crossway.
"Kepler, Galileo, the Book of Nature, and the First Mathematician." ID the Future. March 18, 2019. Video, https://idthefuture.com/1203/.
Comments