Dunamis #41

Dunamis comes from a verb meaning “to be able.” It denotes power in the sense of capacity: the ability to do something, whether that is the strength of an army, the might of God, or the working of a miracle. Popular preaching often links it to the English word “dynamite,” but that connection is an anachronism, since dynamite was invented in the nineteenth century and is named for this word, not the other way around.

Biblical Usage

The New Testament uses dunamis of God’s power as it works in Christ and the gospel. Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel because it is “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16), and he calls Christ “the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). In Acts 1:8 the risen Jesus promises that the disciples will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on them, and they will become his witnesses.

The plural often refers to miracles, the “mighty works” Jesus performed, and Acts 2:22 lists miracles, wonders, and signs together. Mark 5:30 shows a physical picture of the word, since Jesus knows that power has gone out of him when a woman touches his clothes. Paul also links power with weakness: in 2 Corinthians 12:9 he reports the Lord telling him that his strength is made perfect in weakness, so that “the power of Christ may rest upon” him. A related sense in a few passages refers to spiritual or angelic powers, such as those Paul lists among the forces that cannot separate believers from the love of God (Romans 8:38).

Theological Significance

Dunamis names the divine capacity behind creation, resurrection, and the church’s mission, and it is closely bound to the Holy Spirit in Luke’s writings. How that power is expected to appear today is a question on which traditions differ: Pentecostal and charismatic Christians often expect visible signs and healings, while others emphasise the power of the word preached and of changed lives. Most agree with Paul that the paradox of the cross, apparent weakness carrying God’s strength, is the pattern for how the power is exercised.