God alone stands over all creation as the Maker, Ruler, and Sustainer of everything that exists, and He has made Himself known so that we would worship Him with awe and trust Him with our lives (Psalm 19:1; Acts 17:24–25). Three unique attributes often named together—omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience—help us speak rightly about His power, His presence, and His knowledge, and they draw a clear line between the Creator and every creature (Psalm 115:3; Jeremiah 23:24). No angel shares them, no human can gain them, and no rival can imitate them; they belong to the Lord alone, who is from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 45:5–6).
To know these attributes in truth is to know God Himself more truly. He is all-powerful, and nothing is too hard for Him; He is present in all places, and no one can hide from His sight; He knows all things, and His wisdom cannot be searched out (Jeremiah 32:17; Psalm 139:7–10; Romans 11:33–36). The Bible’s testimony is not abstract philosophy but living revelation, given so that we might love the Lord with heart, soul, mind, and strength and walk by faith in the world He rules (Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Psalm 145:17).
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Historical and Cultural Background
Israel learned God’s uniqueness in the furnace of history. Surrounded by nations with many gods, they saw the Lord bring them out of Egypt with a mighty hand, overthrowing the idols of the land and making a name for Himself that echoed through the generations (Exodus 15:11–13; Deuteronomy 4:35). When Solomon dedicated the temple, he confessed that even the highest heavens cannot contain God, yet the Lord chose to place His name there as a sign of His covenant presence among His people (1 Kings 8:27–30; Psalm 132:13–14). This confession guarded Israel from shrinking God down to a shrine, because the God who fills heaven and earth cannot be contained by human hands or human thought (Jeremiah 23:23–24; Isaiah 40:25–28).
The prophets kept the line sharp between the Lord and all false gods. They said, “I am God, and there is no other,” and they summoned Israel to compare the Lord’s works with the emptiness of idols that cannot save or speak (Isaiah 46:9–10; Psalm 115:4–8). In their preaching, God’s power, presence, and knowledge were not traits on a chart but the lived reality that shaped justice, mercy, and hope. Because He is all-powerful, He could rescue; because He is present, He could see and judge; because He knows all, He could promise the end from the beginning and keep His word forever (Isaiah 41:10; Amos 9:2–4; Numbers 23:19).
In the first century, amid temples and philosophies, the apostles announced that the God who made the world does not live in temples built by human hands, but gives to all life and breath and everything else, and He is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:24–28). The early church confessed that in Jesus Christ the fullness of deity dwells bodily, which means the God of Israel made Himself known most clearly in the Son, and by the Spirit He now dwells with and within His people in the present age (Colossians 2:9; John 14:16–17). Across time, the people of God have held this same confession: the Lord alone is all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing, and He is near to all who call on Him in truth (Psalm 145:18; Romans 10:12–13).
Biblical Narrative
Scripture opens by showing God’s power with a word. He speaks, and light bursts forth; by His breath the starry host stands in place; the whole world exists because He willed it to be (Genesis 1:3; Psalm 33:6; Hebrews 11:3). Creation’s chorus does not stop, because the heavens continue to declare the glory of God, telling knowledge day to day and night to night, so that every person knows there is a Maker whose power is beyond measure (Psalm 19:1–4; Romans 1:20). In the flood and the covenant that followed, His righteousness and mercy together shaped history, and His promise stood firm as the bow in the clouds marked His faithful word (Genesis 6:5–8; Genesis 9:8–13).
When God called Abram, He displayed sovereign purpose, promising a nation, a land, and a blessing that would reach all families of the earth, and He confirmed His word by oath so that hope would rest on His power and truth, not on human strength (Genesis 12:1–3; Genesis 22:16–18; Hebrews 6:13–18). In the exodus He brought Israel out “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,” breaking the pride of Pharaoh and showing that no ruler can stand against His will (Exodus 6:6; Exodus 15:6–11). At Sinai He taught His people His ways, and in the wilderness He drew near with cloud and fire, leading them day by day, present in their camp yet never contained by tent or stone (Exodus 19:3–6; Exodus 40:34–38).
Israel’s worship confessed God’s nearness and greatness together. David sang that there is no hiding place from the Spirit of the Lord, whether in the heights or in the depths or over the sea, because His hand can reach and His right hand can hold everywhere at once (Psalm 139:7–10). The psalmist also said that the eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good, which means His presence is attentive and moral, not distant and cold (Proverbs 15:3; Psalm 34:15–16). Through the prophets, God declared the end from the beginning and set forward the future He ordained, proving that His knowledge is total and His purposes unshakeable (Isaiah 46:9–10; Daniel 2:20–22).
In the Gospels, Jesus reveals these same divine attributes in human flesh. He commands the wind and the waves and they obey Him; He speaks and demons flee; He calls Lazarus from the tomb and the dead man walks out (Matthew 8:26–27; Mark 1:25–27; John 11:43–44). He knows what is in a person and reads the thoughts of the heart, and Peter finally says, “Lord, you know all things,” a confession that rests on countless moments of insight and truth (John 2:24–25; Mark 2:8; John 21:17). He promises His disciples, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” and after His ascension He sends the Spirit so that His presence will not be withdrawn but will fill the Church across the earth (Matthew 28:20; John 16:7; Acts 2:1–4).
The risen Lord now upholds the universe by His powerful word, and the Church lives in the time between promise and fulfillment, equipped by the Spirit to take the gospel to the nations while God keeps His covenant with Israel and moves history toward the day when Christ will reign in righteousness (Hebrews 1:3; Matthew 28:18–20; Romans 11:25–29). Scripture speaks of days of distress and judgment that will come upon the earth, followed by the Lord’s return, and at the end the great white throne will display His perfect righteousness before the new heaven and new earth appear (Revelation 6:1–17; Revelation 20:11–15; Revelation 21:1–4). From first page to last, then, God’s power, presence, and knowledge shine through the storyline, leading us to trust Him with all we are.
Theological Significance
When we say God is all-powerful, we mean He can do all His holy will and nothing can stop Him, for with God all things are possible and no purpose of His can be thwarted (Matthew 19:26; Job 42:2). This does not mean He acts against His own character, but that His power and His goodness always move together, which is why the cross is the highest display of both strength and love, for there He triumphed over sin and death and disarmed the powers of darkness (Romans 5:8; Colossians 2:13–15). To confess omnipotence, then, is to find courage for obedience, because the One who calls us is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power at work within us (Ephesians 3:20–21; 2 Thessalonians 1:11).
When we say God is present in all places, we mean He is fully there everywhere, yet not blended with creation, for the Creator remains distinct from the work of His hands even as He sustains it at every moment (Acts 17:24–28; Psalm 104:24–30). His presence draws near to bless and to search, to comfort and to correct, and it makes prayer a living reality because we never step outside the range of His care (Psalm 145:18; Jeremiah 23:23–24). For Israel this truth guarded worship from superstition; for the Church it fuels mission and holiness, because Christ’s “I am with you always” rests not on our strength but on His faithful nearness by the Spirit (Matthew 28:20; John 14:16–17).
When we say God knows all things, we mean there is nothing hidden from His sight, not in the world and not in the heart, and He declares the end from the beginning because all times lie open before Him (Hebrews 4:13; Isaiah 46:9–10). His knowledge is not a cold storehouse of facts but the wise care of a Shepherd who knows His own, numbers their hairs, and writes their days in His book (John 10:14–15; Luke 12:6–7; Psalm 139:1–4,16). This truth both humbles and frees us, because we cannot fool Him and we do not have to, and it anchors assurance because the God who foreknew, called, justified, and glorified will not drop a single promise along the way (Romans 8:29–30; 2 Corinthians 1:20).
These three attributes belong to God alone. Angels are mighty, yet they are creatures and limited; people bear God’s image, yet we are bounded by place and time and understanding (Psalm 103:20; Psalm 8:3–5). The Lord says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other,” and that claim rests on His matchless power, His unfailing presence, and His perfect knowledge that set Him apart from every rival and every idol (Isaiah 45:5–6; Isaiah 40:28). Because He alone is God, He alone is worthy of our worship, our trust, and our obedience, and to think rightly about Him is to think rightly about every other part of life (Deuteronomy 6:13; Romans 12:1–2).
From a dispensational view of Scripture’s flow, these attributes also help us see God’s steady hand across the covenants and ages. He chose Israel, gave promises that still stand, brought the Messiah through that people, and now builds the Church while keeping His word to bring all things under Christ when He reigns on earth in righteousness and peace (Genesis 12:3; Romans 11:25–29; Revelation 11:15). The same God who ruled in the days of the patriarchs and the prophets rules now, and the same Jesus who saved us by His cross will return in power and glory, which assures us that history is not random but moves toward the kingdom He promised (Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11–16).
Spiritual Lessons and Application
Knowing that God is all-powerful calls us to pray big prayers and obey with courage. When a door seems shut, we remember that nothing is too hard for the Lord, and when weakness weighs on us, we lean on the power that raised Jesus from the dead and now works in those who believe (Jeremiah 32:17; Ephesians 1:19–21). This truth steadies ministry in the Church as well, because fruit does not rest on eloquence or strategy but on the Lord who gives the growth, so we plant and water with diligence and leave the increase to Him (1 Corinthians 3:6–7; 2 Corinthians 3:5).
Knowing that God is present everywhere brings great comfort and holy caution. There is no hospital room, lonely road, or far shore where His right hand cannot hold us fast, and there is no secret place where sin stays hidden from His eyes, so we flee temptations and seek His face with open hearts (Psalm 139:7–10; Proverbs 15:3). This truth also fuels mission, because the Lord who sends us goes with us, and He has many people in the cities where we serve even before we see their faces, so we speak the gospel with patience and hope (Matthew 28:20; Acts 18:9–10).
Knowing that God knows all things shapes confession, guidance, and rest. We confess our sins without spin because He already knows, and we receive mercy because He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us through the finished work of His Son (1 John 1:9; Hebrews 10:19–22). We ask for wisdom because He gives generously to those who ask in faith, and we trust His providence because He works all things together for the good of those who love Him, shaping us to the image of Christ (James 1:5; Romans 8:28–29). When anxieties multiply, we cast them on Him because He cares for us, and we take comfort that our Father knows what we need before we ask Him (1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 6:8).
These attributes also teach us how to read the world with hope. The news may be loud and nations may rage, but the Lord sits enthroned and does whatever He pleases, always in righteousness and truth (Psalm 2:1–6; Psalm 115:3). The Church may feel small, yet Christ walks among His lampstands, and His presence is enough to sustain faith, love, and perseverance in every place where His name is honored (Revelation 1:12–13; Hebrews 13:5–6). Our plans are limited and our strength is small, but the God who knows the end from the beginning writes good chapters for His people and will not fail to keep even the least of His promises to Israel and to the Church (Isaiah 46:10; Joshua 21:45).
Conclusion
God’s omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience lift our eyes from ourselves to Him. He can do all His holy will, He is near in every place, and He knows all things, which means we are never beyond His reach, never outside His care, and never unseen in our sorrows or joys (Psalm 145:18–19; Matthew 19:26; Hebrews 4:13). This is why the Scriptures press us to worship and trust, to repent and believe, to serve and to hope, because the Lord is God and there is no other, and He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ for our salvation and for His glory (Isaiah 45:5–6; John 1:14–18).
So let us seek Him with confidence. Let us open His word and gather with His people, let us pray in the Spirit and work in His strength, and let us rest in His wise providence as we wait for the appearing of our great God and Savior and the day when the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Titus 2:13; Isaiah 11:9). To Him be the glory forever.
“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)
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