Question 1

Does God have any limitations?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 139:1-6O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!Isaiah 40:13Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?Isaiah 40:28Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.Isaiah 55:8“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”Romans 11:33Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!1 Corinthians 2:10-11It was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.God is omniscient (all knowing). God’s knowledge has no limit. He knows even our secret thoughts.Numbers 11:23The Lord said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”Job 26:14“These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?”Job 36:26“Look, God is greater than we can understand. His years cannot be counted.”Job 37:5“God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power.”Isaiah 40:28Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary.Matthew 15:30-31A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all. The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn’t been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.Matthew 19:26Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”God is omnipotent (all powerful). God’s power and strength have no limit. No challenge is too great for him to overcome.Psalm 139:3, 5, 7-11You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. . . . You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. . . . I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—God is omnipresent. That is, his presence has no limit. No place is far away from God.John 5:19-22So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge.”God’s authority has no limit. Nothing is out of his control, and no deed is too great for him to accomplish.Job 9:10“He [God] does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.”Psalm 92:5O Lord, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts.Ecclesiastes 3:11God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.Ecclesiastes 11:5Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.God’s work has no limit. His plans cannot be stopped. No miracle is too awesome for him to perform.Psalm 119:96Even perfection has its limits, but your commands have no limit.Isaiah 55:11It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.God’s Word has no limit. We can never master all it has to offer us.Deuteronomy 10:14“The highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God.”Psalm 50:10“All the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.”God’s resources have no limit. No need is too great for him to provide for and supply.Hebrews 7:26-28He [Jesus] is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.Hebrews 10:12Our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.1 Peter 1:18-19You know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.God’s perfection has no limit. No standard is too high for him to meet. This is why Jesus’ sacrifice is limitless for those who trust in him. His endless perfection pays for all our sinfulness for all time.Psalm 86:5O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.Psalm 103:3He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.Isaiah 1:18“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”Ezekiel 18:22“All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done.”Joel 2:32Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the Lord has said. These will be among the survivors whom the Lord has called.Matthew 12:31-32“So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.”Mark 3:28-30“All sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.” He told them this because they were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”Luke 12:10“Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”Luke 24:47“It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’”Ephesians 1:7He [God] is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.Colossians 1:14He [God] has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.God’s forgiveness has no limit. No sin too awful for him to forgive. The only limitation to us being forgiven is our willingness to accept his free and gracious offer of forgiveness. God will not force us to enter a relationship with him. If we directly insult and reject the callings of his Holy Spirit, we are rejecting his loving offer. This is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, the only unforgivable sin.

Question 2

What limitations do I have?

Accepted Answer

Job 14:1“How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble!”Psalm 90:10Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away.Psalm 103:16The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.Ecclesiastes 8:8None of us can hold back our spirit from departing. None of us has the power to prevent the day of our death. There is no escaping that obligation, that dark battle. And in the face of death, wickedness will certainly not rescue the wicked.Ecclesiastes 12:2-7Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. . . . Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral. Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.Matthew 26:40Then he [Jesus] returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?”1 Peter 1:24As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades.”Our mortality limits us. Sleep and rest, food and nourishment, physical limitations or sickness are some of the “fences” that restrain us.Romans 3:23Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.Romans 7:18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.Proverbs 3:7-8Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.Ecclesiastes 7:15-18I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.Ecclesiastes 8:16-17In my search for wisdom and in my observation of people’s burdens here on earth, I discovered that there is ceaseless activity, day and night. I realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim.1 Corinthians 13:12Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.Our knowledge and our perspectives are limited. Even the brightest person knows only a fraction of what can be known.Ecclesiastes 8:7-8Indeed, how can people avoid what they don’t know is going to happen? None of us can hold back our spirit from departing. None of us has the power to prevent the day of our death. There is no escaping that obligation, that dark battle. And in the face of death, wickedness will certainly not rescue the wicked.James 4:13-16Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.We are limited by our inability to see into the future. We should recognize this and trust God, who already knows the future.Zechariah 8:9, 16-17“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Be strong and finish the task! Ever since the laying of the foundation of the Temple of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you have heard what the prophets have been saying about completing the building. . . . But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the Lord.”Our greatest limitations are often those we bring upon ourselves—not finishing what we start, not telling the truth, not seeking peace, not worshiping the true God alone. Sin moves us away from God and limits our ability to live under the full power and blessing of God.Numbers 11:14“I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy!”Even the greatest leaders—like Moses—have limitations. No one can do everything!

Question 3

How can God use my limitations?

Accepted Answer

2 Chronicles 14:11Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!”Daniel 2:10-11, 17-18The astrologers replied to the king, “No one on earth can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.” . . . Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon.Acts 4:29-30“Now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”Our limitations can point us to God for help and guidance. When God works through our weaknesses, we know that his power, not ours, is achieving the results. This is when we will most clearly see him.Daniel 2:19-23, 27-28, 30That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. He said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.” . . . Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed. . . . And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.”Acts 3:12-13Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him.”Acts 4:8-12Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”God can use our limitations as a testimony of his existence and involvement in our lives. Daniel didn’t take credit for knowing the secret of the king’s dream, and Peter didn’t take the credit for healing a man. Instead, each pointed to God’s glory and power as the source of the miracle.Exodus 3:11Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”Exodus 4:10Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”Judges 6:15“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”Jeremiah 1:6“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”2 Corinthians 12:8-10Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.Our limitations and weaknesses are opportunities to trust God. While being aware of our weaknesses is good, we should also be ready to experience God’s power through them. When we trust God more than we fear our own limitations, we will yield to his work in our lives.Romans 5:8God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.Hebrews 4:15-16This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.God’s work is not limited by our failures or weakness. He doesn’t reject us in our weakness but embraces us so that we can receive strength to be all he intends us to be. The seeds of success are often planted in the soil of our failures.

Question 4

How should I respond to my limitations?

Accepted Answer

Job 40:4“I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand.”Job 42:1-5Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.”We should begin by acknowledging that we have limitations. Acknowledging our weakness and God’s limitless power will convince us of our utter need and dependence on him. The first step to overcoming any problem is to recognize that the problem exists. If we cannot recognize our limitations and our need for God, we will never begin to overcome those limitations through his strength.Genesis 17:15-19God said to Abraham, “Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah. And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.” Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?” So Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!” But God replied, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant.”We should not project our limitations on God. God doesn’t put nearly as many limitations on what we can accomplish as we put on God for what he can accomplish. Imposing our limitations on God causes us to doubt his ability to work in our lives. We are the ones who build the fences that limit us.Exodus 3:10-11“Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”Exodus 4:10-13Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”Judges 6:14-16The Lord turned to him [Gideon] and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”We should not use our limitations as an excuse to stop serving God. Our claim “We cannot” is not acceptable because “He can.”Proverbs 12:15Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.Ecclesiastes 4:9-10Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.We should enlist the help of others. Others can overcome our limitations. We were not made to go it alone. Wisdom is the recognition of our own inadequacies. Foolishness is thinking we have none. God often helps us through the caring help of others.

Question 5

What good limitations should I impose on myself?

Accepted Answer

Romans 12:2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.2 Corinthians 10:13We will not boast about things done outside our area of authority. We will boast only about what has happened within the boundaries of the work God has given us, which includes our working with you.We should limit our freedom by living within God’s boundaries. God gives us some limitations to keep us safe. So we should study God’s word to discover how to live as a believer and how to be transformed by his power and presence. Scripture provides the proper boundaries for living. To avoid the truth revealed in God’s word is to ignore the boundaries he has set for us. God doesn’t give these boundaries to restrict us, but to keep sin at bay and stop it from enslaving us.Deuteronomy 10:12-13“Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.”Psalm 36:1Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all.Jeremiah 5:20-25“Make this announcement to Israel, and say this to Judah: Listen, you foolish and senseless people, with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear. Have you no respect for me? Why don’t you tremble in my presence? I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set. But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’ Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things.”Micah 6:8No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.Romans 3:17-18“They don’t know where to find peace.” “They have no fear of God at all.”God’s limitations on us are his loving restraints to keep us from falling away from him. His boundaries call us to right living, to show mercy to others, and to have a relationship with him. The limitations God places on us are motivated by his love and designed to bring blessings to us and to others. Obeying God out of love and respect allows us to experience the blessings of a relationship with him. Humble acknowledgement of our limitations prompts a healthy respect for the One who is limitless.1 Corinthians 10:29, 32-33( . . . It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? . . . Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.God’s word clearly gives us some rules to live by, and we should submit and obey those. God’s word also talks much about following the spirit of his law. This includes limiting our freedom and refraining from activities that might cause another to stumble, even though those might be technically fine. We should unselfishly consider others when setting our personal boundaries. One reason for having personal boundaries is to keep us from hurting others. We should be particularly careful to avoid causing others to stumble in their faith.Proverbs 21:16The person who strays from common sense will end up in the company of the dead.Common sense often helps us establish limits within our Christian communities. It warns us to avoid practices that will lead to trouble. However, we often foolishly allow impulses and emotions to guide our decisions—even important life decisions.

Question 6

Can God use me—even with all my limitations?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 18:11Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.Exodus 4:10Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”Judges 6:15“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”1 Kings 19:3-4Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”Jeremiah 1:7The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.”Acts 15:37-38Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work.Galatians 6:11Notice what large letters I use as I write these closing words in my own handwriting.1 Timothy 4:12Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.Abraham and Sarah seemed too old. Moses was a poor speaker. Gideon had low social status. Elijah struggled with suicidal thoughts. Jeremiah and Timothy seemed too young. John Mark broke the apostle Paul’s trust. Paul himself was probably limited by poor eyesight. Yet God used them—and many other heroes of faith—despite their limitations. God will use us, too, if we step forward in our lives of faith.1 Corinthians 12:7A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.No matter what our limitations are, God has given us spiritual gifts to use in service of others.

Limitations