The Lord Omnipotent

One of the names of the Savior that was used by King Benjamin and his people for the Savior is Omnipotent. No where else is that name found outside of Mosiah 3 and Mosiah 5, and this word meaning all-powerful is associated with the Savior’s power to save and to heal. The angel said to King Benjamin, “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.” Here the fact that Christ is Omnipotent is seen is the fact that He came doing miracles of healing while on the earth. Indeed, the people of His day marveled at the incredible manifestations of power He used to bless the lives of so many through physical healings. The angel taught as well, “And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.” He added that men must “become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.” In these two cases the fact that Christ is Omnipotent is centered around His ability to save us spiritually and cleanse us from our sins. He has that power like none other has. The angel added as well to King Benjamin, “And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent” (Mosiah 3:5, 17-18, 20-21). Again, here he focused on the fact that Christ is Omnipotent in His ability to make us blameless—forgiving us of our sins through repentance—and bring us salvation. When we think of being omnipotent from our mortal viewpoint, we would likely focus on the power to do otherwise impossible things in the world with physical strength, and surely if He wanted to showcase that power He could have done it. But He refused to do that when Satan tempted Him to turn stone into bread and jump off a high place. What matters most is using His unlimited power to bless others, including His spiritual ability to cleanse us from our sins and save us eternally. That’s what He used Hs power for. And that is why it is important that He is Omnipotent: He can save us eternally.  

               When the people of King Benjamin were asked if they believed in the words they had been taught, they responded this way: “Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” They recognized that the Savior had changed them, not in a physical way but through His matchless power to purify their hearts and change their very natures. That is true power, greater than the ability to move physical mountains or even create worlds, and it is the power the Savior obtained through His great atoning sacrifice for all mankind. King Benjamin used the word one last time as he finished his message and gave this final invitation: “Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all” (Mosiah 5:2, 15). Once more he highlighted the fact that Christ as the Lord Omnipotent could save them and bring them to heaven. No other mortal person or thing will ever have the power to do that—only Christ Himself who created the heaven and the earth can save us from our sins and return us purified to our Father in Heaven.