12 Things God Can't Do: ...and How They Can Help You Sleep at Night

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Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” ( Hebrews 4:14-16). For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” ( 2 Corinthians 5:21). In the words of the old children’s song “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing that my God cannot do.” Except that a deeper look into the deeper things of God will reveal that there are in fact some things that God cannot do and they are tied into the nature and character of God.

But what about the fact that he can’t be seen, or be lonely? How can those truths enable us to “lie down and sleep in peace” (Psalm 4:8, NRSVA)? You’ll have to read the book to find out. Some of the chapters are heavier going than others (you might need to re-read ‘God can’t suffer’, for example). The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee” (also see Jeremiah 31:3; Deuteronomy 7:7–9; Psalm 103:17; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:3–6; and 1 John 4:19.) Aren’t you thankful that God loves you enough to give His only-begotten Son for you? Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” ( Jeremiah 32:17). 1. God Does Not Fail As the book goes through ways that God is not like us, it really ends up being a book about God's holiness. The chapters about God's other-ness are interspliced with short chapters about Jesus, who is himself this awesome God but is also fully human. WOW! Firstly, the foreknowledge of God means that God cannot learn, be surprised or change His mind, God knows everything about us and He sees the end from the beginning and God cannot change His mind but allows man to intercede at various points.

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And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” ( Romans 8:28).

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17). [Cross reference Psalm 102:17; Psalm 138:6; Luke 15:10; and Romans 12:1] Aren’t you happy that, no matter what you have done, you can return to God through repentance and His saving grace? 9. God cannot be pleased without faith. Before I lay my head on my pillow each night, I’m faced with the reality of my sin nature. Failure is a part of humanity. It comes into this world with each of us. But God doesn’t sin. His holiness is what makes Him God. Without sin, He holds the power to forgive sin, to cover sin, to uncover sin, to reveal, convict, and pardon all sin. A lot of the rest is the omni- attributes. Theology Proper is really an all-or-nothing kind of thing.

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God will not leave you to figure out life on your own. He walks with His children and loves them. So if you are in Christ, you have the promise of living with Him day by day. You have access to Him at all times. And He will never ever leave you or walk out. But I think it was under-applied (we didn’t get far beyond ‘this can help you sleep at night’ in most chapters). Often there were long, unsignposted digressions within chapters (to explain theological terms, or controversies) that I can see leaving people a little lost. It’s a little thing, but quotations from the fathers (and at points the Bible) were often a bit long for the amount of explanation given. The book ends by explaining how God can’t die while also showcasing the mystery of the cross. We see how Jesus was tempted yet without sin, and this gives confidence to Christians as we pursue sanctification in our everyday life. And because God cannot disown himself, we can be sure that God will not abandon us -- those who are in Christ. He doesn’t try to twist your words or read into your actions. He already knows. He won’t misquote you or derive a story from a few second-hand facts. God always understands and always knows the whole story. This gives me sweet peace when I feel like no one “gets” me. God does. To learn more about God and what your part can be in His plan for man, be sure to request our free booklets, Who, What Is God?, Is Jesus Really God? and Things To Do While Waiting For Jesus to Return . You’ll be amazed! Ω