God Has No Potential

Adults are unanimous in encouraging young people to reach their potential. Comments, such as "Be the best you, you can be" or "Strive to meet your potential," can be heard on a frequent basis. And there is nothing wrong with these statements. God desires all people everywhere to do what they do "heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23). Undoubtedly, God would not have bestowed us with certain abilities if he did not want us to achieve great accomplishments for him.

God is completely different from us in this regard. God has no potential. Theologians use the term Pure Actuality to refer to this attribute of God. Essentially, Norman Geisler defines Pure Actuality as "that which is (existence) with no possibility to not exist or to be anything other than it is." In other words, God has no potential for change and no potential for nonexistence. 

This theological principle is derived from the clear reading of Scripture. For example, when Moses expressed concerns about approaching Pharoah and asked God what he should say unto him, God responded to tell him that the "I AM hath sent me unto you" (Exodus 3:14). Not that he was God; instead, he is a self-existent being: he depends on nothing for his existence.

Christians can draw an abundance of strength and fortitude from this awe-inspiring truth. If God had potential, he could change and grow, for better or for worse. However, since he has no potential, he will always be the same. It is an inexpressible source of comfort to know that our God is not prone to mood shifts. What he was yesterday, he is today, and what he is today, he will be tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8).


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