I am reading The Grace of God, The Will of Man: A Case for Arminianism, and I have found the authors to be articulate in their explanation of the difference between Arminianism and Calvinism. The two theologies are relatively consistent in their views of God’s Omnipresence. But, their opinions on Omnipotence and Omniscience are different, and the contributing authors highlight these differences. The theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appears to be much more aligned with the Arminian view, but we have some Calvinistic strains. In this post, you will see how the LDS community caveats the Omnis and be able to compare our caveats to other theologies.

Plato’s and Aristotle’s God (the foundation of the traditional Omnis)

John Sanders’s explanation of Plato and Aristotle’s influence on how most Christians view God sets the stage for our conversation.

Plato and Aristotle were among the first to develop these notions of God. Using the method of natural theology, they began with the human conception of perfections and simply deduced the implications. Because God is perfect (without lack), he cannot change, as that would only be change for the worse. Therefore God is immutable. God’s immutability applies to every aspect of his being: knowledge, power, will, etc. Since emotions fluctuate and adversely affect reason, God must be impassible. God is a timeless (experiencing no duration) pure mind totally unaffected by all other forms of being. Most of these ideas were transmitted to the early Fathers through Philo. Early apologists like Athenagoras set the course we still follow today when he defined God as ‘one God, uncreated, eternal, invisible, impassible, incomprehensible, illimitable, who is apprehended by the understanding only and by reason, who is encompassed in light, and beauty, and spirit, and power ineffable. Augustine, in his Confessions, connected it with timelessness in the City of God (11.21). A timeless being cannot change, because change implies duration. -John Sanders, pg 170-

As the above paragraph is the standard view of most western theologians, the Latter-day and Arminian theologies then explain their understanding of God in reference to the above belief.

The Encyclopedia of Mormonism on the Omnis

The Encyclopedia of Mormonism provides a fairly accepted view of the Omnis among the LDS community. The encyclopedia is not meant to stand as the official position of the Church. Still, it was approved by the first presidency and publicized in the Ensign. The Omni descriptions are well written and worth including here in their entirety.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses the familiar terms “omnipotent,” “omnipresent,” and “omniscient” to describe members of the Godhead.

OMNIPOTENCE. The Church affirms the biblical view of divine Omnipotence (often rendered as “almighty”), that God is supreme, having power over all things. No one or no force or happening can frustrate or prevent him from accomplishing his designs (D&C 3:1-3). His power is sufficient to fulfill all his purposes and promises, including his promise of eternal life for all who obey him.

However, the Church does not understand this term in the traditional sense of absoluteness, and, on the authority of modern revelation, rejects the classical doctrine of creation out of nothing. It affirms, rather, that there are actualities that are coeternal with the persons of the Godhead, including elements, intelligence, and law (D&C 93:29, 33, 35: 88:34-40). Omnipotence, therefore, cannot coherently be understood as absolutely unlimited power. That view is internally self-contradictory and, given the fact that evil and suffering are real, not reconcilable with God’s omnibenevolence or loving kindness (see Theodicy).

OMNIPRESENCE. Since Latter-day Saints believe that God the Father and God the Son are gloriously embodied persons, they do not believe them to be bodily omnipresent. They do affirm, rather, that their power is immanent “in all and through all things” and is the power “by which all things are governed” (D&C 88:6, 7, 13, 40-41). By their knowledge and power, and through the influence of the Holy Ghost, they are omnipresent.

OMNISCIENCE. Latter-day Saints differ among themselves in their understanding of the nature of God’s knowledge. Some have thought that God increases endlessly in knowledge as well as in glory and dominion. Others hold to the more traditional view that God’s knowledge, including the foreknowledge of future free contingencies, is complete. Despite these differing views, there is accord on two fundamental issues: (1) God’s foreknowledge does not causally determine human choices, and (2) this knowledge, like God’s power, is maximally efficacious. No event occurs that he has not anticipated or has not taken into account in his planning.

The Latter-day caveats

Notice the caveats on the traditional Christian understanding of each of the Omnis.

• Omnipotence: ’[T]here are actualities that are coeternal with the persons of the Godhead, including elements, intelligence, and law. Omnipotence, therefore, cannot coherently be understood as absolutely unlimited power. … [Omniscience] cannot coherently be understood as absolutely unlimited power.

• Omnipresence: ‘Since Latter-day Saints believe that God the Father and God the Son are gloriously embodied persons, they do not believe them to be bodily omnipresent.’

• Omniscience: ‘Latter-day Saints differ among themselves’ and ‘God’s foreknowledge does not causally determine human choices, and (2) this knowledge, like God’s power, is maximally efficacious. No event occurs that he has not anticipated or has not taken into account in his planning.’

Notice that we have accepted caveats on the first two and that Omniscience is caveated among some LDS, and others provide no caveats to the traditional views of Omniscience. I find it interesting that we have unanimity in our caveats about the first two Omnis but that there are still differing views on the caveats of Omniscience. You can read my Is God Omniscient? post to see the differing quotes.

Arminian caveats and commentary on God’s Omnis and free-will

Arminianism is seen as an attack on Calvinism and most Christian sects’ foundations in the United States. Openness theologians share many beliefs with their Armenian theologians as well. I hope you will notice many views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arminianism’s caveats quoted below.

Corporate Election

Election is a corporate category and not oriented to the choice of individuals for salvation. I knew that everyone admitted this to be the case in the Old Testament, where the election of Isreal is one of a people to be God’s servant in a special way. Was it possible that the New Testament texts, too, could be interpreted along these same lines? Upon reflection, I decided that they could indeed be read corporately, election then speaking of a class of people rather than specific individuals God has chosen a people for his Son, and we are joined and belong to the elect body by faith in Christ. -Clark H. Pinnock, pg 20-

Without compulsion

[U]nderstanding of the divine sovereignty and power in terms of love rather than decree and control can result in a ‘paradigm shift’ in theology. It makes possible a radically different understanding of God and of created reality as well. In the first place, it becomes possible to think about ’the will of God as attractive rather than coercive, as a delighting more than a deciding’ and even as ’the desire of the lover for the beloved.’ -Fritz Guy, pg 35-

Vulnerability of God

For Arminianism, then, there is an aspect of reality determined by creaturely decision rather than divine will, and the possibility exists that God may be disappointed. -Richard Rice, pg 130-

Human freedom

Human freedom is no restriction on God’s power. Exactly the opposite is, in fact, true: ‘If God had to negate man’s freedom and force him to choose in the proper way, then his omnipotence truly would be compromised.’ Freedom in man is ‘delegated sovereignty’ freely given by God to man because we are created in His image. God, by unlimited authentic power, can produce independently existing creatures who share in the ’liberty of deity’ and can ‘become co-creators’ with Him in their own measure.’ This is true power, both for God and for man! God is freedom and Love, and he imparts these qualities to his creatures because it is his very nature to do so. -Terry L. Miethe, pg 74-

Then what is the truth about the Omnis?

John Sanders explained that ‘control beliefs are those ideas and values that are used as paradigms and ultimate presuppositions to interpret our experiences, recognize problems, and organize information. They are the branches on which we sit. From these branches, we act and try to make sense of life; hence, we must not saw them off until we have a new branch to sit on.’ (John Sanders, pg 168). The Omnis are forceful ‘control beliefs’ with which each of us should eventually recon. I have felt the response of friends and family when I push on these ‘control beliefs’ in our conversations. We must not mistake ‘control beliefs’ for eternal truths. They can be the same, but the two concepts are not synonyms, often assumed among people of shared backgrounds and language.

Seeing the greatness of God is an essential element of our faith in Him and His plan. We are on shaky ground when we doubt the power, presence, or knowledge of God in any of our challenges. He is the one that we should emulate and understand as we move through our eternal progression. He wants us to become as He is in all aspects of His being. If we use the Omnis to make the creature-creator chasm impassable, emulation moves beyond our reach. The Omnis should support the bridge over the vast chasm that we must travel, not tear it down.

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