True Bible Answers

What does it mean that God is omnificent?

The term "omnificent" does not appear in this collection of writings. It is a very rare theological word (meaning "all-creating" — from Latin omni + facere, "to make all things"), and the writers here do not use it.

The concept it describes — that God is the unlimited Creator of all that exists — is richly addressed throughout these writings, particularly under the Hebrew name Elohim and reflections on Genesis 1. Here is what they say about that idea:

God as the All-Creating One

A.J. Pollock opens his study of the divine names by noting that the very first name God uses for Himself in Scripture is a creatorial name:

"The greatest word that can pass human lips is GOD — GOD from all eternity to all eternity, uncreated, self-sustained, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, THE MIGHTY CREATOR and SUSTAINER, the One in whom we live, and move, and have our being."

A.J. Pollock

He then explains why Genesis 1 uses the plural name Elohim:

"It is surely fitting that Genesis 1, that great chapter, describing the creation of the mighty universe, and how it was fashioned for man's residence, before man, the topstone of God's handiwork arrived, should use the word, Elohim, the name of the Creator God, of Trinity acting in unity."

The significance of the plural is deliberate — it is not a slip or a vestige of polytheism, but a signal that the act of creation involved Father, Son, and Spirit in concert:

"Elohim (plural), translated gods, occurs nearly 200 times in the Old Testament... [It] means creatorial power. We may well ask, Why is the sacred name in the plural?... As we read through God's holy Word we find He is revealed as Father, Son and Spirit... it is striking indeed that the plural word Elohim, is followed by a singular verb... the two words, 'God (plural) created (singular)' set forth a plural unity, never known save in relation to the Being of God."

So when the Bible says "In the beginning God [Elohim] created," it is saying that the Creator is one God who is also, simultaneously, a Trinity of persons — a plural unity unlike anything else in existence.

The Almighty (Shaddai) and Creative Sustaining Power

Pollock also draws attention to a second title that relates to creation's continuation:

"This title for God [Shaddai] is first mentioned in Genesis 17:1... generally translated The Almighty. Some interpret the name as 'Almighty in sustaining resources' (as the mother's breasts for her babe). It occurs 48 times in the Old Testament."

El Shaddai — God Almighty — is not only the one who creates but the one whose inexhaustible power sustains what He has made. Creation is not a past event that God wound up and left running; it depends on a continually omnipotent Sustainer.

What "Omnificent" Actually Means

If you have encountered the word "omnificent," it captures this double truth: God is not just very powerful in creating — He is the sole and unlimited source of all created things, the one from whom every creature, every atom, every moment of time derives its existence. Nothing exists that He did not make. The Pollock passage above on Elohim makes exactly this point: the Trinity acted in unity to call the entire universe into being, and the name they used for this act is precisely creatorial power.

The direct implication is that nothing in creation is self-existent. As Pollock quotes from Acts: "the One in whom we live, and move, and have our being" — all existence is, at every moment, dependent on the One who is "uncreated" and "self-sustained."

Since this specific term does not appear in this collection of writings, I cannot quote a source defining it directly. The concept, however, is thoroughly grounded in what these writers say about Elohim and God's creative omnipotence. If you have a specific passage or context where you encountered "omnificent," I would be glad to search for the relevant idea more precisely.