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11-28-2008, 02:49 PM
The Limitations of God ∗ (A Précis)

The eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. (2 Chron. 16.9)
I came to cast fire upon the earth; and what do I desire, if it is already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplishedl (Luke 12.49-50)
. . . the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Eph. 1.22c-23)
∗ This article, reprinted from the March-April 1953 issue of A Witness and a Testimony magazine published in London, England, is a message that was delivered in English by the author sometime during his visit to England and other European countries in 1938-39. Reprinted by permission of the Trustees of the Witness and Testimony Literature Trust, London.—Editor


We think a great deal about the power, the omnipotence, of God, but we seldom think about the limitations of God. There are many things which the Lord cannot do today. Although He is omnipotent, He has limitations, and those limitations are clearly taught in His word. We will look at some examples:


"And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful" (Matt. 13.22). We know the word of God is a mighty thing. It is God’s declared will that it shall not return unto Him void; but we read that the word can be choked, it can be limited.


"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathered her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (Matt. 23.27) The Lord Jesus said, "I would . . . and ye would not." There was nothing wrong with the Lord himself, nor with His will, nor with His power to accomplish that will, but there was something on the side of man which had the power to limit the Lord himself.


"Because all those men that have seen my glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it: but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it" (Num. 14.22-24). Jehovah himself declared time after time that the land was going to be given to His people, and He had the power to bring them in. But we see in this passage that the people had the power to defeat the purpose of God, to limit Him, so that He could not do what He had sworn to do.


"Behold, Jehovah’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear" (Is. 59.1-2). The hand of the Lord is not shortened, and the ear of the Lord is not deaf. Then why did He not save, why did He not hear? It was because of the sins and the iniquities of His people, which limited Him.


"Bring ye the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mal. 3.10). God wanted to bless the land of Israel with so much blessing that there would not be room to receive it, but He could not do it because the tithe had not been brought into His house.


"But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to spread abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter" (Mark 1.45 mg.). The Lord told this man, whom He had healed, not to say a word about it, but he began to blaze the matter abroad, with the result that the Lord could not enter the city, but had to shut himself away in desert places. Natural zeal limits the Lord.


"And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them" (Mark 6.5). In this case, the Lord could do no mighty works because of unbelief.


In 2 Chronicles 16.9 we see that the Lord is looking for a man whose heart is perfect toward Him, to show himself strong on his behalf: so that we see that God is limited by an imperfect heart.

If you go through the word of God, you will find these facts established. God is omnipotent, but His omnipotence is subject to limitations. He must have conditions which are suitable to His working. The question is whether God is going to be limited, or is going to be unlimited. We have to learn through bitter experience that we cannot help God, but we have the full power to hinder Him. The Creator of heaven and earth can be bound by us, just flesh and blood! It is very serious. I trust the Lord will search our hearts and deal with us in a drastic way, so that we can see clearly if there is anything in us which is hindering and limiting His power. Are we willing to let go anything that may be a hindrance? Are we relying on sight and feeling, or are we living by faith in the living God? Are we trusting God—on the one hand to bring something out of nothing, and on the other hand to bring the dead back to life? Do we believe it, or does our lack of faith hinder Him from showing His power?


There are many things which may hinder, but it would not be profitable for us to attempt to deal with them here—we should get nowhere. The Lord must give us light, and light is certain if we abide in Him. It is not by self-examination—it is by coming to God alone: and the difference between the two is the difference between heaven and earth. We will leave that just for now, and go on to something which is important.


Luke 12.49-50 is a passage speaking of the limitations of the Son of God while in the flesh on earth. The word "straitened" can be translated "crowded," "cramped," "not having a free way." The life, the power, of the Son of God was cramped in His body: He was limited by the condition of being in His body. For instance, He could not be at Jerusalem and Galilee at the same time. He was looking for the day when there would be a "baptism"—that is to say, His death on the cross—and when that came He would be released from the body of the flesh, and in resurrection would have a spiritual body that would not cramp Him, and His life could be imparted to His people.


That passage is exactly parallel to John 12.24-26, the grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying and bringing forth much fruit. There is life, there is power to reproduce, encaged [sic] in that grain—something which has been straitened, cramped, crowded: but when the grain dies, there is a great release, no more limitation. It will come up in much fruit.


The question of "the church, which is his body" comes in here. The body is for the full expression of the personality of the person. The Lord Jesus shows himself through each member of the Body, and He shows the whole of himself through the Church. When the Lord was in the flesh, He was moving in a fleshly body. Today He still manifests himself in a body, but now it is a spiritual Body, and we are the members. And as members of His Body, either we may be used to express Him or we may limit Him. The Body is the way in which He expresses himself, He has no other way. This is a great responsibility. We are the only means of expression He has. That is why the utter Lordship of Christ is so very important. We have to cme to the place where we are not in any way limiting Him: so that through His Body He may bring himself to bear on the world and on the spirit-world of evil powers. That is what the Lord is seeking in these days.


How does it come about that the omnipotence of God becomes limited by man? And will limitation be continued for eternity? We find in the word of God that in eternity past and eternity to come God is omnipotent and is not subject to limitation. But in the eternal purpose of God, He wants a people to share the life of His own Son and to manifest His Son. In order to bring this about, He created man, a free-willed being; and then the limitation of God began. There are now three wills at work, the Divine, the satanic and the human. God will not destroy the human will. He wants the will of the creature to be put on His side instead of on the side of Satan, and so He has accepted a position of limitation. If man is not on the side of God, God cannot do anything with him. God will not compel him to do anything.


But God is working toward a goal. There is One whose will is absolutely identified with the Father’s. There is One who will not limit God; and by His death and resurrection His life is imparted to us. A Body is being formed by the power of the Spirit, and God is looking to the members of the Body to function in such a way that they will not limit Him—they will be responsive to Him; and in this new creation, identified with His will, His limitations will be for ever put out of the way. God will be able to go back to His omnipotence without limitation. We must first come to the place where God has a free way in us, before He can bring the whole creation back to that. The Church is a first fruit in God’s creation [see James 1.18], so what is going to be true universally in the kingdom-age should be true at least of the overcoming company of the people of God today.


What is the kingdom? "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" [see Matt. 6.10]. That means that there will be no human will coming out to limit Him. When the question of the will is settled, then the question of power is also settled. What is the secret of really serving the Lord? It is not doing a hundred and one things for the Lord. Service is really submission to the Lord—knowing the true meaning of that word, "to obey is better than sacrifice" [1 Sam. 15.22b]. Abraham was one who obeyed God’s voice; and the Lord is after such utter responsiveness to himself, so that He can have a free way unhindered.

May the Lord speak to our hearts and show us whether there is anything there which will undermine the sovereignty, the lordship and the headship of Jesus. Once more let us say, Jesus is Lord!