“so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18 ESV).
Hebrews 6:18 offers an opportunity to address what some view as an inconsistency within the Scriptures and/or God’s nature. We can state that premise with two points and a conclusion:
- Matthew 19:26 quotes Jesus as saying, “…everything is possible for God” (GW).
- Hebrews 6:18 says, “it is impossible for God to lie” (see also Titus 1:2).
- Therefore, God and/or the Biblical Scriptures are inconsistent.
One source offers a brief, but thorough analysis of that proposition…
“The answer lies in a proper understanding of God’s omnipotence. Omnipotence does not mean God cannot exercise self-limitation. The biblical God has limited Himself only to acts that are consistent with His righteous, loving character. Therefore, God’s power is self-restrained. He cannot do evil and He cannot do anything irrational. He cannot go back upon His Word. He is all-powerful when it comes to doing things that are right, but He has no power to do things wrong.
…being omnipotent means that God is able to do anything that is consistent with His holy character. Nothing can stop Him from doing whatever He decides to do. However, there are certain things which He cannot do. The Bible actually lists a number of specific things which God cannot do. For example, He is not able to lie. This means the God of the Bible always tells the truth. Lying is not something which He is capable of doing. Neither is God able to do anything sinful. He cannot personally sin. Again, Scripture says that committing a sin is impossible for God…
The fact that there are certain things which God cannot do does not limit His power. Indeed, the fact that He has certain self-limitations does not take away from His power and majesty. He can do everything that is holy and wise.” (1)
Another commentator adds…
“The context in Matthew indicates that Jesus is speaking of what is humanly impossible, whereas, Hebrews informs us that some things (e.g., lying) are actually impossible for God. Note that in the former passage, Jesus said, “with men this is impossible,” indicating that He was only speaking of what was humanly impossible, but not divinely impossible” (2)
We’ll continue our look at this topic by highlighting Mark 9:23 and Jesus’ promise that “…all things are possible to him who believes” next.
(1) Stewart, Don. If God Is All-Powerful, Then Does It Mean He Can Do Anything? Are There Any Limits To What God Can Do? Retrieved 26 May, 2022 from https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/the-attributes-of-god-that-belong-to-him-alone/13-can-god-do-anything.cfm
(2) Norman L. Geisler and Thomas A. Howe, The Big Book of Bible Difficulties © 1992 [pg. 351]