"But the only thing that has power completely is love, because when a man loves, he seeks no power, and therefore has power." Alan Patan
This quote describes the essence of God's omnipotence, that is love. Now be clear that God is love, but not all love is God. There are many things done in the name of "love" that are not of God. But God is always loving. With any being other than God, namely man or the devil, absolute power is dependent on those whom the power is over. Think of an earthly ruler. He is only as powerful as much as his subjects give him power. The same is true of the devil. So with man and the devil unless power is given to the power seeker he has no power.
There is fear then because of the subjectiveness of freewill that usually prompts the power seeker to use control of those he seeks power over. With God however His omnipotence is subjective to no one. That is why He was at liberty to create beings with freewill. His power is not limited by lack of worship. It is the lack of fear that gives foundation for relationship. A king who knows he can be usurped by no one is free to love all. It is the unconditional love of God that gives both power and freedom with no need for control. He loves us regardless if we love Him. Freewill does not in fringe on His omnipotence or sovereignty.
We must force our brains to understand that just because God is all-powerful doesn't mean that everything that happens is by His power. Because of the freewill of man and the devil many things happen outside the will of God. That is why sin is sin. Sin is choosing something outside the will of God. Anything that happens in this world that is not loving is not God!
"There's too much tendency to attribute to God the evils that man does of his own freewill." Agatha Christie
God created man in His image. God's image is love. So when man chooses anything other than love he is sinning against the image of God. On the same note being that every man was created in the image of God; God desires that all mankind be reconciled unto Him. All of mankind was predestined to have relationship with God. All of mankind was predestined to partake of the grace and atonement of Jesus. All of mankind was predestined to have the freewill to choose otherwise.
"There are only two kinds of people in the end; those who say to God "Thy will be done", and those to whom God says "Thy will be done." CS Lewis
So God's power is not corruptible and is always loving. His power is not subjective to our worship but He does long to have relationship with us. Freewill permits us to choose that relationship or not. But make no mistake in the reason you were created. Why does someone create? Usually to share love and beauty. God created you to share His love and beauty. He did NOT create you to endure the pain and suffering of evil. This is where the passion of God's love for you demands His righteous justice.
"Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love." Martin Luther King
This is the relationship of love and justice that we see throughout the entire old testament. God longing to have relationship with His created. His created is rebelling against that love in sin. So God in His love, that is His power, battled against the sin that stood in the way of His love for His created. Now you may think God is starting to sound a little controlling. Well not really.
What you have to remember when we look at the Israelites in the old testament is that God had made a two way agreement with these people. The Israelites were chosen not because of their righteousness, but because of the other peoples wickedness. God was trying to show that relationship with Him(since He created you and loves you) was the only way to have fruitful rest and protection from the enemy. This was the agreement...choose God which is life or choose sin and evil that is death.
In the entire old testament God's justice and power was always operating out of love. There were no random acts of violence. There were no fits of rage and control. There was no breech of contract on God's part. However there were all these things on the part of the Israelites and peoples influenced by the devil. They were the ones that choose the death and destruction of sin. God and sin do not mix. Think of it like this. God in His love is fire. Sin in its rebellion is ice. When ice comes into the presence of fire it will always melt.
"Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its ardor unyielding as the grave. It burns like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame."
Song of Solomon 8:6
The old testament was a battle for intimacy and relationship with God. It was not a battle for freewill. The fact that the death and destruction was there is an indicator that freewill was in full swing. God's justice is not deciding who should die by His power. God's justice is love in the face of the freewill choice to choose something other than love. In the old testament that meant death.
Today the love and justice of God is Jesus. God's love and power is made perfect in His grace. Jesus paid the consequence of sin that is death. He did this so that we wouldn't have to die. God out of His love sent Jesus so that there would be no barrier between Him and man if man so chooses. Again God's love trumps all. God's love conquers all. God does not require you to worship Him to be powerful. He will not use His power to force anything on you. But He does long to have free relationship with you because He loved you first. Man will continue to do evil. The devil will continue to destroy. God will continue to love all who will accept Him. His power is made perfect in our weakness. His power is love.
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