A. The words defined
1. Omnipresent: the omnipresent God (Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, page 1005, NY: Gramercy Books, c. 1996).
2. Omnipotent: (1) almighty, or infinite in power, as God or a deity (4) the Omnipotent, God (Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, page 1005, NY: Gramercy Books, c. 1996).
3. Omniscient: (3) the Omniscient God (Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English
Language, page 1005, NY: Gramercy Books, c. 1996).
4. Almighty: (1) having unlimited power; omnipotent, as God or a deity (Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, page 41, NY: Gramercy Books, c. 1996).
5. Omnipotence: The quality of having all power (The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible 4:595, omnipotence, A. H. Leitch).
6. Omnipotence: In God resides the power to produce and control everything that comes to pass. Nothing evades God's omnipotence (Dan. 4:35; Amos 9:2-3), and even the most minute things, such as the falling sparrow or the hairs of our head, are under his personal control (Matt. 10:30; Lk. 12:7). There is nothing accidental or incidental, and the thought of "omnipotence" merges easily into omnipresence (being present everywhere at all times) and omniscience (knowing all things) (The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible 4:596, Omnipotence, A. H. Leitch).
7. Omnipresence is closely related to omnipotence and omniscience, that is, God who is everywhere is able to act everywhere, and he acts in infinite wisdom at every point because he knows all things. He has access to all places and all secrets. The omnipresence of God, therefore, is a source of comfort and strength to the believer (The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible 4:597, Omnipresence, A. H. Leitch).
B. Matthew 6 - The Father sees in secret.
1. Richard Watson: It is also most worthy of our notice, that when this duty is enjoined upon us by our Lord, he presents the Divine Being before us under a relation most of all adapted to inspire that unlimited confidence with which he would have us to approach him: - "Pray to thy Father which is in secret." Thus is the dread of his omniscience, indicated by his "seeing in secret," and of those other overwhelming attributes which omnipresence and omniscience cannot fail to suggest, mitigated, or only employed to inspire greater freedom, and a stronger affiance (Richard Watson, Theological Institutes, Volume 2, page 495).
2. TDNT: He who penetrates all things regulates worship, Mt. 6:4, 6, 18 (5:991, pater, Schrenk).
3. TDNT: Hence the disciples are not to be as the hypocrites. They must not give, pray, or fast so as to be seen by men. On the contrary, these things are to be done by them in the concealment in which only God can see them, Mt. 6:2-4, 5, 16 (8:568, hupokrinomai, Wilckens).
4. Holman Bible Dictionary: Omniscience
The state of being all-knowing which theology ascribes to God. Though Scripture affirms God's immeasurable understanding (Psalm 147:5), God's omniscience is not a matter of abstract speculation. Rather, God's knowing is a matter of personal experience. God knows us intimately (Psalm 139:1-6; Matthew 6:4, Matthew 6:4,6, 8). Such knowledge is cause for alarm for the unrighteous but for confidence for God's saints (Job 23:10; Psalm 34:15-16; Psalm 90:8; Proverbs 15:3; 1 Peter 3:12).
http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?n=4710
5. Since the Lord Jesus is prayed to this would prove that He is omniscient (God).
a. NIDNTT: It is significant that, wherever the NT speaks of requests made to god, it emphasizes that such requests are heard (cf. Matt. 6:8; 7:7-11; 18:19; 21:22; Jn. 14:13f.; 15:7, 16; 16:23f., 26; 1 Jn. 3:22; 5:14f.; Jas. 1:5). It is as if the NT witnesses wished particularly to encourage men to pray, by assuring the suppliant that his requests are heard by God. The NT is aware that this certainty keeps all prayer alive; let such certainty become weakened or diminished through doubt, and prayer dies...In prayer we are never to forget whom we are addressing: the living God, the almighty One with whom nothing is impossible, and from whom therefore all things may be expected (2:857, Prayer, H. Schonweiss).
b. NIDOTTE: Prayer is, indeed a serious matter. It is regarded in the Bible as the most fundamental of all expressions of religion. It concerns the deepest feelings and most central motivation of the persons who are offering their prayer to their God, and it concerns the covenant relationship, with its blessings and sanctions, as the inevitable fabric of the living communion between the people and their God. To pray is an act of faith in the almighty and gracious God, who responds to the prayers of his people (4:1062, Prayer, P. A. Verhoef).
c. Side note: The above citations do no help to those who claim that the Lord Jesus is not God but He can still receive prayer. If the Lord Jesus is not omniscient then He wouldn't be able to judge every motive and thought each audible or silent prayer carries. Furthermore, if He were not omnipotent/Almighty then He may not be able to always act on all the prayers He receives.
C. Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18, KJV).
1. The Greek word pantokratwr is translated into English as "Almighty". In Revelation 19:6 the KJV translates it as "omnipotent" while the NASB renders it "Almighty". To be omnipotent (all-powerful) means the same thing as being Almighty.
a. NIDNTT: The term pantokratwr, the Almighty, the Lord of all, occurs both in connexion with OT quotations (2 Cor. 6:18; cf. Hos. 1:10; Isa. 43:6) and independently (Rev. 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15; 21:22). In both cases the title serves to describe the immense greatness of God. He has power over all men and all things (3:718, Strength, G. Braumann).
b. NIDNTT: To the OT phrase kyrios ho theos the author of Rev. sometimes adds an emphatic, solemn pantokratwr, All-Sovereign (Rev. 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:7; 19:6; 21:22; cf. Arndt, 613f.) (2:513,514, Lord, H. Bietenhard).
c. Danker: Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, pantokratwr, page 755).
d. EDNT: almighty, ruler over all*
This interpretation of the epithet as "Yahweh the powerful" or "Yahweh the almighty" corresponds to the primary translation found in the LXX, kurios pantokratwr (3:11, pantokratwr, H. Langkammer).
e. Louw/Nida: (a title for God, literally 'all powerful') - 'the Almighty, the One who has all power' (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, 12.7, pantokratwr, page 139).
f. Mounce: pantokratwr is a compound of the two Greek words meaning "all" and "power"-thus either "the Almighty" or "the all-powerful One" (Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Almighty, page 15).
g. Thayer: he holds sway over all things; the ruler of all; almighty (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, pantokratwr, page 476).
h. Vine: almighty, or ruler of all (pas, all, kratew, to hold, or to have strength) (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Almighty, page 40).
2. Matthew 28:18 teaches that the Lord Jesus possesses "all-power" in all places (heaven and earth) which is the same thing as being Almighty (see the definitions above).
a. TDNT: His omnipotence, in which Christ shares as kurios (1 C. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Mt. 28:18), extends over the whole world, over heaven and earth (1:679, ge, Sasse).
b. A.H. Leitch: Christ possesses the attributes of God: omnipotence (Matt. 28:18) (The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible 2:92, deity of Christ).
c. Thayer: Christ, appointed by God the leader and lord of the citizens of the divine kingdom, is said to have all power in heaven and on earth, Mt. 28:18 (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, ouranos, page 465).
d. NIDNTT: The exaltation of the Son confirms that all authority (-> Might) has been given to him (Matt. 28:18) (NIDNTT 1:95, All, F. Graber).
e. NIDNTT: All power in heaven and on earth has been given to the Risen One (Matt. 28:18) (NIDNTT 2:194, Heaven, H. Bietenhard).
f. Vine: the power of one whose will and commands must be obeyed by others, e.g., Matt. 28:18 (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Authority, page 81).
g. Danker: the right to control or command, authority, absolute power, warrant
Of Jesus' total authority Mt 28:18 (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, exousia, page 353).
h. TDNT: The inclusion of heaven and earth in the saving event in Jesus Christ means that no entity in heaven or on earth can possess autonomy: Mt. 28:18. By the resurrection all power has been placed exclusively in the hands of the risen Lord (5:518, ouranos, Traub).
i. NIDOTTE: Jesus Christ, after his resurrection, was given all power in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:18) (4:166, samayim, David Toshio Tsumura).
1. Omnipresent: the omnipresent God (Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, page 1005, NY: Gramercy Books, c. 1996).
2. Omnipotent: (1) almighty, or infinite in power, as God or a deity (4) the Omnipotent, God (Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, page 1005, NY: Gramercy Books, c. 1996).
3. Omniscient: (3) the Omniscient God (Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English
Language, page 1005, NY: Gramercy Books, c. 1996).
4. Almighty: (1) having unlimited power; omnipotent, as God or a deity (Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, page 41, NY: Gramercy Books, c. 1996).
5. Omnipotence: The quality of having all power (The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible 4:595, omnipotence, A. H. Leitch).
6. Omnipotence: In God resides the power to produce and control everything that comes to pass. Nothing evades God's omnipotence (Dan. 4:35; Amos 9:2-3), and even the most minute things, such as the falling sparrow or the hairs of our head, are under his personal control (Matt. 10:30; Lk. 12:7). There is nothing accidental or incidental, and the thought of "omnipotence" merges easily into omnipresence (being present everywhere at all times) and omniscience (knowing all things) (The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible 4:596, Omnipotence, A. H. Leitch).
7. Omnipresence is closely related to omnipotence and omniscience, that is, God who is everywhere is able to act everywhere, and he acts in infinite wisdom at every point because he knows all things. He has access to all places and all secrets. The omnipresence of God, therefore, is a source of comfort and strength to the believer (The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible 4:597, Omnipresence, A. H. Leitch).
B. Matthew 6 - The Father sees in secret.
1. Richard Watson: It is also most worthy of our notice, that when this duty is enjoined upon us by our Lord, he presents the Divine Being before us under a relation most of all adapted to inspire that unlimited confidence with which he would have us to approach him: - "Pray to thy Father which is in secret." Thus is the dread of his omniscience, indicated by his "seeing in secret," and of those other overwhelming attributes which omnipresence and omniscience cannot fail to suggest, mitigated, or only employed to inspire greater freedom, and a stronger affiance (Richard Watson, Theological Institutes, Volume 2, page 495).
2. TDNT: He who penetrates all things regulates worship, Mt. 6:4, 6, 18 (5:991, pater, Schrenk).
3. TDNT: Hence the disciples are not to be as the hypocrites. They must not give, pray, or fast so as to be seen by men. On the contrary, these things are to be done by them in the concealment in which only God can see them, Mt. 6:2-4, 5, 16 (8:568, hupokrinomai, Wilckens).
4. Holman Bible Dictionary: Omniscience
The state of being all-knowing which theology ascribes to God. Though Scripture affirms God's immeasurable understanding (Psalm 147:5), God's omniscience is not a matter of abstract speculation. Rather, God's knowing is a matter of personal experience. God knows us intimately (Psalm 139:1-6; Matthew 6:4, Matthew 6:4,6, 8). Such knowledge is cause for alarm for the unrighteous but for confidence for God's saints (Job 23:10; Psalm 34:15-16; Psalm 90:8; Proverbs 15:3; 1 Peter 3:12).
http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?n=4710
5. Since the Lord Jesus is prayed to this would prove that He is omniscient (God).
a. NIDNTT: It is significant that, wherever the NT speaks of requests made to god, it emphasizes that such requests are heard (cf. Matt. 6:8; 7:7-11; 18:19; 21:22; Jn. 14:13f.; 15:7, 16; 16:23f., 26; 1 Jn. 3:22; 5:14f.; Jas. 1:5). It is as if the NT witnesses wished particularly to encourage men to pray, by assuring the suppliant that his requests are heard by God. The NT is aware that this certainty keeps all prayer alive; let such certainty become weakened or diminished through doubt, and prayer dies...In prayer we are never to forget whom we are addressing: the living God, the almighty One with whom nothing is impossible, and from whom therefore all things may be expected (2:857, Prayer, H. Schonweiss).
b. NIDOTTE: Prayer is, indeed a serious matter. It is regarded in the Bible as the most fundamental of all expressions of religion. It concerns the deepest feelings and most central motivation of the persons who are offering their prayer to their God, and it concerns the covenant relationship, with its blessings and sanctions, as the inevitable fabric of the living communion between the people and their God. To pray is an act of faith in the almighty and gracious God, who responds to the prayers of his people (4:1062, Prayer, P. A. Verhoef).
c. Side note: The above citations do no help to those who claim that the Lord Jesus is not God but He can still receive prayer. If the Lord Jesus is not omniscient then He wouldn't be able to judge every motive and thought each audible or silent prayer carries. Furthermore, if He were not omnipotent/Almighty then He may not be able to always act on all the prayers He receives.
C. Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18, KJV).
1. The Greek word pantokratwr is translated into English as "Almighty". In Revelation 19:6 the KJV translates it as "omnipotent" while the NASB renders it "Almighty". To be omnipotent (all-powerful) means the same thing as being Almighty.
a. NIDNTT: The term pantokratwr, the Almighty, the Lord of all, occurs both in connexion with OT quotations (2 Cor. 6:18; cf. Hos. 1:10; Isa. 43:6) and independently (Rev. 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15; 21:22). In both cases the title serves to describe the immense greatness of God. He has power over all men and all things (3:718, Strength, G. Braumann).
b. NIDNTT: To the OT phrase kyrios ho theos the author of Rev. sometimes adds an emphatic, solemn pantokratwr, All-Sovereign (Rev. 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:7; 19:6; 21:22; cf. Arndt, 613f.) (2:513,514, Lord, H. Bietenhard).
c. Danker: Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, pantokratwr, page 755).
d. EDNT: almighty, ruler over all*
This interpretation of the epithet as "Yahweh the powerful" or "Yahweh the almighty" corresponds to the primary translation found in the LXX, kurios pantokratwr (3:11, pantokratwr, H. Langkammer).
e. Louw/Nida: (a title for God, literally 'all powerful') - 'the Almighty, the One who has all power' (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, 12.7, pantokratwr, page 139).
f. Mounce: pantokratwr is a compound of the two Greek words meaning "all" and "power"-thus either "the Almighty" or "the all-powerful One" (Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Almighty, page 15).
g. Thayer: he holds sway over all things; the ruler of all; almighty (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, pantokratwr, page 476).
h. Vine: almighty, or ruler of all (pas, all, kratew, to hold, or to have strength) (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Almighty, page 40).
2. Matthew 28:18 teaches that the Lord Jesus possesses "all-power" in all places (heaven and earth) which is the same thing as being Almighty (see the definitions above).
a. TDNT: His omnipotence, in which Christ shares as kurios (1 C. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Mt. 28:18), extends over the whole world, over heaven and earth (1:679, ge, Sasse).
b. A.H. Leitch: Christ possesses the attributes of God: omnipotence (Matt. 28:18) (The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible 2:92, deity of Christ).
c. Thayer: Christ, appointed by God the leader and lord of the citizens of the divine kingdom, is said to have all power in heaven and on earth, Mt. 28:18 (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, ouranos, page 465).
d. NIDNTT: The exaltation of the Son confirms that all authority (-> Might) has been given to him (Matt. 28:18) (NIDNTT 1:95, All, F. Graber).
e. NIDNTT: All power in heaven and on earth has been given to the Risen One (Matt. 28:18) (NIDNTT 2:194, Heaven, H. Bietenhard).
f. Vine: the power of one whose will and commands must be obeyed by others, e.g., Matt. 28:18 (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Authority, page 81).
g. Danker: the right to control or command, authority, absolute power, warrant
Of Jesus' total authority Mt 28:18 (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, exousia, page 353).
h. TDNT: The inclusion of heaven and earth in the saving event in Jesus Christ means that no entity in heaven or on earth can possess autonomy: Mt. 28:18. By the resurrection all power has been placed exclusively in the hands of the risen Lord (5:518, ouranos, Traub).
i. NIDOTTE: Jesus Christ, after his resurrection, was given all power in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:18) (4:166, samayim, David Toshio Tsumura).
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