Introduction: Understanding God’s Freedom

How free is God? Can God do anything, or are there limits to what even an all-powerful being can accomplish? These questions lie at the heart of discussions surrounding divine omnipotence and God’s role in creation. In this article, we’ll explore what it means for God to be all-powerful, the logical limits to that power, and how God’s freedom plays out in relation to creation and moral perfection.

What Does Divine Omnipotence Mean?

When we talk about divine omnipotence, we refer to God’s ability to do all things. However, this power is not without limits. The standard understanding is that God can do anything that is logically possible. This means God cannot perform actions that are inherently contradictory, like creating a “married bachelor” or a “square circle.” Such concepts are not actual “things,” but rather combinations of words that are self-contradictory.
This brings us to a common thought experiment: Can God create a rock so heavy that even He cannot lift it? The answer is no, not because of a limitation in God’s power, but because the question itself is nonsensical. It’s like asking if God can make 2+2 equal 5—it contradicts logic.

Freedom of Creation: Could God Have Chosen Not to Create?

An important aspect of divine freedom is the question of creation. Could God have chosen not to create the universe at all? According to traditional Judeo-Christian views, the act of creation was a free choice by God. Philosophers argue that it’s possible to imagine a world in which only God exists, with no creation at all—no space, no time, nothing external to God. This conceivable reality suggests that God was under no obligation to create anything.
Furthermore, God’s freedom extends beyond this universe. There could be multiple worlds or universes that God chose not to create. God, being infinite, could have brought into existence countless other realities. The freedom to create—or not—highlights the boundless scope of God’s power, limited only by what is logically coherent.

God and Moral Perfection

Another area where God’s freedom is often questioned is the nature of moral perfection. Could God sin? The answer is no, and not because God lacks the power to do so. Rather, the concept of a morally perfect God sinning is a contradiction. If God is, by definition, perfectly good, the idea of God committing evil is as nonsensical as the notion of a “married bachelor.” God’s essence includes moral perfection, and sin would violate that nature.
As philosopher Anselm explained, God is the “greatest conceivable being.” A being that is not morally perfect would not be worthy of worship. Therefore, to be God, one must possess absolute moral perfection. If we consider a hypothetical powerful being that is morally flawed, we would admire it, but we wouldn’t worship it as God. Worship, then, is reserved for a being that is not only powerful but also morally perfect.

Freedom and Worship

This leads to a critical point: God’s worthiness of worship depends on His moral perfection. Imagine a being with great power but moral flaws. Such a being might be impressive or even fearsome, but it would not command the reverence and worship that we associate with God. Worship is not just about power—it’s about recognizing the ultimate good. A morally imperfect being, no matter how powerful, could not be considered God.
So, God’s inability to sin is not a limitation in the traditional sense. It is an expression of His perfection. Just as God cannot create contradictions in logic, He cannot violate His own perfect nature by doing evil.

Are There Other Limits on God’s Freedom?

Beyond logic and moral perfection, are there other things God cannot do? Interestingly, there are. One of the most thought-provoking limitations on God’s freedom involves what is known as “middle knowledge.” Middle knowledge refers to God’s understanding of all possible outcomes of free choices. For example, God knows how a person would act in any given situation, even before that person faces the choice.
These counterfactuals—hypothetical “if-then” scenarios—are contingent truths. They are not necessary truths like mathematical facts, and they are independent of God’s will. This means that God does not control how people will freely choose in various situations. God knows what the choices will be but does not determine them. This creates a fascinating limit on God’s power: He cannot force someone to make a free choice, as that would violate the very concept of freedom.

God’s Knowledge and Feasible Worlds

The idea of middle knowledge also introduces the concept of “feasible worlds.” While God can imagine infinite possible worlds, only a subset of these worlds is “feasible.” This means that some worlds are logically possible but cannot exist because they depend on free choices that creatures would not make. For example, a world where everyone always chooses to do the right thing might be logically possible, but it may not be feasible given the free will of humans.
In choosing to create, God selects from among the feasible worlds. He cannot force a world where free creatures always choose good, because that would contradict the nature of free will. This limit on God’s power does not diminish His omnipotence but instead respects the logical boundaries of freedom and choice.

Implications for God’s Role in the World

This understanding of God’s limitations has important implications for how we view the existence of evil and imperfection in the world. If it is not feasible for God to create a world where all creatures always choose good, then some degree of evil might be inevitable. God’s decision to create, despite knowing that sin and suffering would exist, reflects a respect for the freedom of His creatures.
Moreover, it emphasizes God’s providence—His ability to guide the world towards good outcomes, even when evil occurs. God’s freedom is not about controlling every action but about allowing His creation to exercise free will within the bounds of logic and morality.

Conclusion: The Complexity of Divine Freedom

In exploring God’s freedom, we find that divine omnipotence is not about unlimited power in the simplistic sense. Instead, it is a carefully defined concept that respects the laws of logic and the essence of moral perfection. God cannot perform contradictions, and He cannot sin, but these “limitations” are actually reflections of His nature as the greatest conceivable being.
God’s freedom also interacts with human free will, creating a world where choices are real, and outcomes are not predetermined by divine decree. The existence of counterfactuals and feasible worlds shows that while God’s power is immense, it operates within a framework that allows for genuine freedom and moral responsibility.
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