Things God Cannot Do

The Bible teaches there are things God cannot do. Why not? It is certainly not because he is
wanting in power or knowledge but it is a matter of who he is, his nature or character. We can
understand that. There are things you and I could do but our character would never allow it. I
thought it would be good to use an online Bible concordance for the New King James Version
and type in the word "cannot" and see what came up. I was interested only in those things God
cannot do. Here is the list I compiled.

(1) God says in Isa. 1:13, "I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting." (NKJV) Prior to
this verse God speaking through Isaiah says of his people that they "have rebelled against me."
(Isa. 1:2 NKJV) A little later he refers to them as a "sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a
brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters!" (Isa 1:4 NKJV) They were up to their necks in
sin of all kinds and yet were still offering sacrifices to God (V. 11) and observing the assemblies
(v. 13). They were a people full of hypocrisy.

What then is the teaching for men today as found in this passage? Exactly the same as it was to
the people of that day. God cannot endure hypocrisy. Living a life of sinful indulgence and
disregard for God's word did not please God then nor will it now no matter how much "playing
church" we do.

Need an example or two? How about all the unscripturally divorced and remarried couples,
couples that are living in adultery, that are members in good standing in many churches? I know
of one man who left his wife of, I am told, 37 years for another woman, married this woman, and
now attends another congregation which seemed to accept him and her with open arms
unrepentant. How about the churches one hears of on the news from time to time welcoming
homosexual pastors or priests as they call them? God is still saying, "I cannot endure iniquity
and the sacred meeting." (Isa. 1:13 NKJV)

(2) Habakkuk says of God in Hab. 1:13, "You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot
look on wickedness." Obviously, God sees or knows the wickedness of man otherwise how
could he judge man? "There is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and
open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Heb. 4:13 NKJV) The Psalmist tells
us in speaking of God that "he knows the secrets of the heart." (Psalms 44:21 NKJV) So, there is
no hiding wickedness from God, even wickedness in the heart. Habakkuk is saying in this
passage that God cannot tolerate wickedness or we might say sin which is the same thing.

What is the message for today? "Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows
to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap
everlasing life." (Gal. 6:7-8 NKJV) "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether
good or bad." (2 Cor. 5:10 NKJV) "Tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does
evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek." (Rom. 2:9 NKJV)
The fact God does not punish men on the spot and immediately for their sin does not mean he
has not seen it or has overlooked it. If it seems we have gotten by with it, it is only because God
is "longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to
repentance." (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV) There will be a day of accounting. God "cannot look on
wickedness."

(3) "God cannot be tempted by evil." (James 1:13 NKJV) This is just a straight forward
statement of fact. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life tempt men, not
God.

What comfort can we find in this fact? We can be assured God will not do us wrong and that we
can depend on him. Even though we reap what we sow that is us, what we do, not what God
does to us. God will not lie to me, he will not cheat me, he will do me no wrong at all for that
would be evil, the thing God cannot be tempted to do.

True, there will be problems that enter my life but they will be for my growth and improvement.
"Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith
produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete
lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4 NKJV)

(4) God, Titus tells us, "cannot lie." (Titus 1:2 NKJV) Titus tells us this in connection with a
promise God has made to his people – the promise of eternal life. This is a great comfort and
hope as time goes by in our life and we see ourselves growing older. We know some day we
must leave this world for the great unknown but God has given a promise and he cannot lie, there
is such a thing as eternal life. What a joyous thought and hope.

But, we must also remember that when we are being told that God cannot lie it pertains to
everything God has said. We cannot pick and choose what parts of the Bible we want to believe
and obey. God cannot lie about anything he has said. If he has given a commandment you or I
do not like we have to remember God was not lying when he gave us the commandment. He
meant for it to be kept and obeyed. Next time you read a commandment that is offensive to you
just ask yourself this question – is God lying about this?

Today men and women are living in disobedience to plain commandments of God because in
their mind he will not care, he did not mean it for us today, he knows times have changed. In
other words God did not mean what he said and will not count our disobedience against us as sin.
We need to remember the words of Jesus, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4 NKJV) We ought to emphasize from that
passage the phrase "every word." God "cannot lie."

(5) God "cannot deny himself." (2 Tim. 2:13 NKJV) Taken in the context of which this passage
is found the entire verse reads as follows: "If we are faithless, he remains faithful; he cannot
deny himself." This is very, very similar then to the previous passage from Titus telling us God
cannot lie. To be faithful means we keep our word. For God to not do this would make him
unfaithful and he would be denying himself, denying what he had previously told us.

This really means that you and I can take God's word to the bank as the old saying goes. It is
good as gold, better than gold. There is no possibility of a failure or fault to be found with it.
We need to have confidence in the word of God for without it, when doubts start entering in, sin
and falling away are not far behind. Jesus says, "The scripture cannot be broken." (John 10:35
NKJV) God cannot deny himself.

When I started this study I had no idea what all I would come up with but it is good to take a
word or phrase once in awhile and do a search by means of a concordance and see what one can
find. This is all I found as it related to things God cannot do but I wanted to know what the
Bible had to say about it and now I do. I hope it has been of some little benefit to you as well.