In this article, we have gathered Bible verses for you about power.[1] We hope that you will come to a greater understanding of what the New Testament means when it speaks of power.
Here are a few things that we learned as we considered these Bible verses about power.
First, the Bible makes abundantly clear that God is the source of power.
Second, power frequently refers to the miraculous, or things that do not comply with natural order or law.
Third, when people trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and for their salvation, God gives them the Holy Spirit, and in so doing, shares with them his own power!
As you read these Bible verses about power, we encourage you to jot down your own observations. God says that his Word, the Bible, is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12), and so we pray that you experience the power of God as you read his words about power right now.
Bible Verses That Say Power Belongs to God
The Bible is clear that power belongs to God. It is his to exercise and his to give. It is his power that triumphs over all lesser powers (Romans 8:38-39; 2 Thessalonians 2:9).
1. Romans 1:20 ESV
“For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.”
2. 2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
3. Acts 3:12 ESV
“And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: ‘Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?’”
4. Revelation 7:11–12 ESV
“And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’”
5. Revelation 11:16–17 ESV
“And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, ‘We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.’”
6. Revelation 19:1 ESV
“After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God,’”
Bible Verses About The Power of Jesus
Here are a few Bible verses about power that reveal to us the power and authority of Jesus. The power of Jesus is yet another evidence that Jesus is the Son of God.
7. Mark 5:30 ESV
“And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my garments?’”
Jesus healed a woman who had suffered from a physical ailment for twelve years, just by her touching his garment. You can read the story this verse is quoted from in Mark 5:25-34.
8. Luke 4:36 ESV
“And they [Jews in Capernaum] were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is this word? For with what authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!’”
Jesus cast out demons, showing that he has authority even over all the lesser powers of darkness. He controls what is beyond human power to control.
9. Luke 4:13-14 ESV
And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.
This verse indicates that Jesus’ ministry was empowered by the Holy Spirit.
10. Luke 6:19 CSB
“The whole crowd was trying to touch him, because power was coming out from him and healing them all.”
11. Luke 5:17 ESV
On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.
The Bible tells us that Jesus had power over the human body and various sicknesses and disabilities.
12. Luke 22:69 ESV
“But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
The Son of Man is a title Jesus often used for himself. It comes from the book of Daniel. Daniel 7:14 prophesies that the Son of Man will be “given authority, glory, and sovereign power…” and will be the eternal King who reigns forever and ever. We see that prophecy fulfilled in the life of Jesus.
13. Acts 2:22 NLT
“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders and signs through him, as you well know.”
Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, testifies to Jesus’ power after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven.
14. 2 Peter 1:16 ESV
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
15. Acts 10:37-38 CSB
“You know the events that took place throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power and how he went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the devil, because God was with him.”
16. Hebrews 1:3 NIV
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
17. Revelation 4:11 ESV
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Bible Verses About the Power of the Message of the Gospel
God’s Word tells us that the gospel—the message of good news about who Jesus is and what he has done for us—is the power of God. This message is the means by which God saves people from their sin and brings them into a new relationship with him.
Paul also relied on the power of God and his Spirit that comes through the plain proclamation of Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection. God empowers us to share the gospel with others.
18. Romans 1:16 ESV
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.”
19. 1 Corinthians 2:2–5 ESV
“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible word of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
20. 1 Thessalonians 1:4–5 ESV
“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.”
21. Ephesians 3:7 ESV
“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.”
Bible Verses About God’s Power to Raise the Dead
The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. By God’s power, our Savior didn’t stay dead after atoning for our sins, but he was raised from the dead. God promises to raise from the dead everyone who has trusted in Jesus for salvation, and he gives them everlasting life.
22. Romans 1:3–4 NLT
“The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.”
23. 1 Corinthians 6:14 ESV
“God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.”
24. 2 Corinthians 13:4 ESV
“For he was crucified in weakness, but he lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by God’s power.”
25. Philippians 3:8–10 ESV
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”
Bible Verses That Say God’s Kingdom Will Come in Power
Though much could be said about the following Bible verses about power, one thing is very clear—the kingdom of God is not weak. The kingdom of God comes with power and consists in power. God’s kingdom is not equal or subservient to the kingdoms of this world, nor to the kingdom of darkness. God’s kingdom comes and will come in power.
26. Mark 9:1 ESV
“And he said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.’”
27. Matthew 24:30 ESV
“Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
28. 1 Corinthians 4:20 ESV
“For the Kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.”
29. Revelation 12:10 ESV
“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.’”
Bible Verses About Miracles that Happened by God’s Power
The following Bible verses about power speak of God giving his power to his servants—to those who trust in Jesus.
30. Luke 1:35 ESV
“And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.’”
This verse comes from the passage where an angel appears to Mary (Jesus’ mother) and tells her that she will conceive a child even though she is a virgin. God will miraculously create life in her without a man. By God’s power, a virgin conceived a son, the Son of God, our Savior. By God’s power, our Savior (fully God and fully man!) was born into the world.
31. Hebrews 11:11 CSB
“By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the one who had promised was faithful.”
The book of Hebrews tells us that God also did a miracle in Sarah’s womb. She was past the time when she should be physically able to conceive. God empowered an elderly woman to conceive and give birth to a son in fulfillment of his promise.
32. Luke 9:1 ESV
“Summoning the Twelve, he gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases,”
33. Luke 10:19 ESV
“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”
Jesus shared his power with his first disciples.
34. Luke 24:49 ESV
“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
35. Acts 1:8 ESV
“But you will receive great power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalen, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus shared his power with his first disciples, promising them that their witness about him to the ends of the earth would be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
36. 1 Corinthians 12:10 NLT
“He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.”
In 1 Corinthians 12, God tells us about spiritual gifts that he will give his people. One of the gifts listed is the “power to perform miracles.” Just like God shares with his people the ability to teach, or encourage, or show exceptional mercy, so God gives to some of his people a special gift to perform miracles.
37. Acts 4:7–8, 10 ESV
“And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders…let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.’”
38. Acts 6:8 ESV
“And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.”
39. Acts 19:11–12 ESV
“And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.”
In the book of Acts, we see that when followers of Jesus perform miracles, it is not their own power at work, but God at work through them. We must remember that any manifestation of the power of God through a Christian is not the work of that believer, but ultimately the work of God.
40. Acts 4:33 ESV
“With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them.”
In Acts, we also read that God empowered his servants to bear witness about Jesus. God grants us power to testify to who Jesus is and what he has done for us.
Bible Verses About How God Empowers His People
41. 2 Corinthians 12:8–9 ESV
“I pleaded with the Lord three times that it [the thorn in Paul’s flesh] would leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may reside in me.”
42. 2 Corinthians 6:4, 7 ESV
“As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way:… by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left…”
43. Colossians 1:28–29 NLT
“So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s power that works within me.”
44. 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgement.”
45. 2 Peter 1:3 ESV
“His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness,”
46. 1 Peter 1:5 ESV
“You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Bible Verses About Praying for Power
As we read the letters of the New Testament, we see the apostles, inspired by the Holy Spirit praying for God to empower his people. This encourages us to ask God for power! These Scriptures also implicitly teach us what God empowers us to do—to believe, to know his love, to carry out godly resolves, and to hope.
47. Romans 15:13 ESV
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
48. Ephesians 1:19-21 NLT
“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.”
49. Ephesians 3:16–21 ESV
“I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
50. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 ESV
“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power.”
We hope that browsing these 50 Bible verses about power has increased your faith in God’s power. If you would like to further reflect on God’s power and how his power relates to your life, read our devotional, Power Belongs to God.
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Source
[1] The Greek word for “power” is “dynamis,” where we get our English word “dynamite.” All references in this article translated as “power” have this Greek word behind them. If you open your English Bible, you’ll find tons of verses about power. But behind that word power in our English Bibles is several Greek and Hebrew words, that translators saw fit to translate as power. We chose to only look at one word, that translators consistently translate as power. If we look at that one word, consistently translated as “power” from the New Testament, we can get a better idea of what power means according to the Bible.