a common jokes among americans, is people ask "can i go to the bathroom" well litterally it means "am i able to go to the bathroom" or "do i possess the ability to go to the bathroom" when they are really asking "may i go to the bathroom" or "mind if i use the bathroom" so when people say can i go to the bathroom, people reply "i don't know, can you?" i know its stupid but different ways to use can vs able.

Hello Diego, They are almost synonyms. Can means being able to ,having the ability . But in your example ,Jura is right , it is better to use "able to" ,because "can" could also mean getting an allowance to do something " can i do so and so?" and able is more of having the authority to do something , so in relevance to "God" the second one is more suitable,but still you can say " God can ....." .

'Able' is distinctive from 'can' because it is used to ask about a person's capacity to perform an action., which in your case is God. Therefore your second sentence is correct, although many people would say that both sentences have the same meaning.

I think the difference is how closely we are focused on the present vs. the abstract. 'can' is used in direct cases, about someone's ability (or lack) in the specific immediate case. "I can do this" 'to be able to' is a meta- term, used when we discuss ability as a thing: 'To be able to do this is an important job qualification." "I need to be able to do this." LIke many such word choices in English, the simpler form is more immediate and active and better for spoken use. the more complex form is more intellectual and discursive, and allows greater distance from the object.

I thought about it , I think Trent you are rather right :) I got somehow confused ;)