Power, Authority and Sovereignty in the Character of God It is held that God is All Powerful and has Supreme Authority over His creation and is Sovereign. I have long pondered on the relation of these three aspects of His Nature, and wonder: are any of these three more or less essential in the Nature of God? 

If we look first at the example of Man: if he gets powerful enough, he can seize authority, and/or sovereignty. Also, if he has authority, he can amass power. But there are those with authority who lack imperium, and there are those with imperium that lack authority, and  nowadays we have so-called Sovereigns who lack both power and authority.

Concerning God there is none above Him in Power, and no power in any but by Him. And there is no Authority above Him, and no authority in any but by Him.  

But can one of these two be considered more essential to His nature?
Can His power be thought to precede His authority?
Could His authority be thought to precede His power?
Could His sovereignty be considered the souce of His power and authority?

Has this matter been addressed in Classical scholarship?  If so, what were their different conclusions concerning this?
In order to be Sovereign, God would have to be All-Powerful, or Omnipotent.  That means God can do anything that pleases Him, but His actions will always be in accord with the rest of His character (Revelation 19:6; Jeremiah 32:17, 27).  The word omnipotent comes from omni- meaning “all” and potent meaning “power.”  To say God is All-Powerful is to say God is Omnipotent.   

In order to be Sovereign, God would have to be the Supreme Authority, meaning that all of His creation put together cannot thwart His purposes (Psalm 93:1; 95:3; Jeremiah 23:20).


  God is, by nature, sovereign. He is judged by no one and has absolute authority over the entire universe and everything in it. His sovereignty is expressed in many ways, including His omnipotence. All of His ways are right (Psalm 145:17), and whether mankind believes God’s ways to be “fair” is irrelevant. The Lord God is not constrained by time or place. He has a plan, He has had it from eternity past, and His purpose will be accomplished (Daniel 4:37; Psalm 115:3).  The Almighty’s sovereignty speaks to His right to do whatever He wishes, and His omnipotence speaks to His ability to do so.  


All three attributes work together in perfect harmony.  God’s Power and God’s Authority are what make God Omnipotent and Sovereign.  

However, the most important element of God’s nature is His holiness. Holy means “set apart” and God is clearly separate from His creation based on His nature and attributes. Holiness is the foundation of all other aspects of God’s character.  More here: https://www.gotquestions.org/nature-of-God.html