If God can do anything, could he swap places with Satan, the Devil?

by Matt Slick

The question implies an answer that is both illogical and unbiblical. First of all, it offers the statement "If God can do anything."  By necessity, if God can do "anything" then whatever is asked after that statement must, so to speak, be possible -- since "God can do anything." But things aren't quite that easy. The simple fact is that God cannot do that which is impossible, and God cannot do that which is contrary to his nature. Let's examine both of these.

First of all, God cannot do that which is impossible; after all, if something is impossible it is impossible. For example, God cannot make, on a flat surface, something that is a square circle. This is not possible because such a construction can't exist. The definition of what a square is excludes the possibility of it also being circular. Likewise, that which is circular is, by definition, not able to be square. So, it is logically impossible for something to be both square and circular at the same time. This is important since it relates to the next point.

Second, God cannot do that which is contrary to his own nature. According to the Bible God is immutable. This means he cannot change. Mal. 3:6 says, "For I, the Lord, do not change..."  Psalm 90:2, "Even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God." Since God cannot change, he cannot stop being God. Therefore, it would be impossible for him to swap places with Satan and stop being what he is. Also, God cannot lie. Num. 23:19 says, "God is not a man, that He should lie..."  Titus 1:2 says, "in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago."  We see the Scriptures clearly teaching that God cannot do "anything"; in other words, there are things God simply cannot do.

So, as we look at the question we see that it has an inherent problem. It starts with a false premise; namely, that God can do anything - which the Bible contradicts. Therefore, a question that is based on a false premise does not logically follow.