Photo by Luca Nicoletti on Unsplash
March 20, 2025
I begin by saying, “It’s funny how I have not taken the time to explore some things.”
Today, I am thinking about three standard attributes of God: omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. I have always known that they are not words found in the Bible, but theologically the “three omnis” have been commonplace in my thinking.
And then….I recently discovered that the terms were not used until 1330, 1460, and 1601 respectively. That’s not to say notions of them were not around before then, but only to point out how relatively recent the terms themselves are. I assumed they went back much farther than that.
But…so what? Well, a lot. The “omnis” combine to create a view of God as Controller–“all powerful, all knowing, all present”–ALL, ALL, ALL.
But what if these terms have skewed the revelation of who God is? What if God is not Controller, but more nearly Influencer? [There’s a ton of stuff in play here; more than I can write out–and I am still learning]
harper ident 2024
Cut to the chase: God as Influencer turns out to be nearer to the biblical revelation that God is love (1 John 4:8), making words like hesed and agapé definitive–as they should be. And when they are, the first thing we discover is that love is not controlling. [1] As love, God is not the One determining what happens; God is the One revealing what should happen, and then seeking to influence us to bring it to pass.
As Lover, God leaves us free to say “Yes” or ‘No” to the revelation. In a world where ‘omni God” is believed, that’s difficult to accept. But in an “influencer God” world, it is the way we would expect. It makes for a genuine relationship (not a coerced one with damnation built in for failure) – a relationship of genuine co-creatorship (what God meant by tending in Genesis 2). Providence turns out to be persuasive, not determinative.
So, the will of God is not in some hidden singular plan that we search for, but rather in a revealed will (e.g. love God, love others) that we can express in multiple ways. Or not. In the Influencer God view, we are free to say, “No” and quench the Spirit. We are free to choose our way instead of God’s.
Influencer God says, “I have shown you what is good” (justice, kindness, humility) and then gives us the freedom to either live that goodness or not (Micah 6:8).
Far from being abstract or irrelevant, this is right-now theology. We look at evil around us through the omni-lens and ask, “God, why don’t you do something?”
God responds as Influencer, “I have done something. I have shown you what is good. So, why don’t you do it? Tend the garden. Weed and feed.”
Discovering how late “omni God” came on the scene, I am trying to form my faith in terms of “influencer God.” Trouble is, it keeps the ball in my court – to do the good God has shown us, to be a genuine co-creator with God, and not pass the buck back to a Controller God who does not actually exist.
To embrace Influencer God means that I do not so much have to figure out the will of God, as to do it (love God and others) – on earth as it is in heaven – as it has been revealed by God in Christ. And more, the influencing comes with grace to do it, if I only will. Influencer God acts (speaks and shows) and then says, “Tag, you’re it!”
[1] To explore this further, read Thomas Oord’s book, The Uncontrolling Love of God.