The Omniscience Of God

[Matthan]

I was talking with a fellow Christian yesterday, a very religious man who professes to be a "pursuer of God" (very fundamental). His doctrine seems to be that of a true Christian, as opposed to those who call themselves christians but do not follow God's truth that is found only in Scripture.

Anyway, it amazed me that he unknowingly denied the omniscience of God. He did not consider that God actually knew that Adam and Eve would fall from His grace long before they actually did in the garden. But, we can be sure that God knew absolutely everything that ever would be, and He knew it long before He created the heavens and the earth.

How amazing is our God? He can part the Red Sea, and He can help a hatchling butterfly escape from its shell. He can cause nations to grow and prosper, and He can destroy them at His will. He can see forever and evermore, and yet He does not lose sight of the smallest sparrow.

All glory belongs to our God. All of our praise, and our prayers, and or worship, belongs only to Him.

Amen!

Matthan

[mlqurgw]

I was talking with a fellow Christian yesterday, a very religious man who professes to be a "pursuer of God" (very fundamental). His doctrine seems to be that of a true Christian, as opposed to those who call themselves christians but do not follow God's truth that is found only in Scripture.

Anyway, it amazed me that he unknowingly denied the omniscience of God. He did not consider that God actually knew that Adam and Eve would fall from His grace long before they actually did in the garden. But, we can be sure that God knew absolutely everything that ever would be, and He knew it long before He created the heavens and the earth.

How amazing is our God? He can part the Red Sea, and He can help a hatchling butterfly escape from its shell. He can cause nations to grow and prosper, and He can destroy them at His will. He can see forever and evermore, and yet He does not lose sight of the smallest sparrow.

All glory belongs to our God. All of our praise, and our prayers, and or worship, belongs only to Him.

Amen!

Matthan Many peolpe deny truth because they have not actually considered what it is they believe. Often they are blinded by what they already believe.

[JacktheCatholic]

At a word God creates the Heavens and the earth.

Yes, our God is omniscient indeed.

And Jesus being the Alpha and Omega.

I think humanity has minds that can only understand in finite ways so to understand God who is infinite and outside time and space is just a mystery to us. All too often man tries to fit God in to our own finite understanding and cannot allow it to go outside that small space. Why men do that... who knows???


God Bless,

Jack

[holyrokker]

I can predict, with great accuracy, what my wife and children will choose on a wide variety of topics.

I can't imagine that anything would catch God by surprise.

[Phileoeklogos]

I was talking with a fellow Christian yesterday, a very religious man who professes to be a "pursuer of God" (very fundamental). His doctrine seems to be that of a true Christian, as opposed to those who call themselves christians but do not follow God's truth that is found only in Scripture.

Anyway, it amazed me that he unknowingly denied the omniscience of God. He did not consider that God actually knew that Adam and Eve would fall from His grace long before they actually did in the garden. But, we can be sure that God knew absolutely everything that ever would be, and He knew it long before He created the heavens and the earth.

How amazing is our God? He can part the Red Sea, and He can help a hatchling butterfly escape from its shell. He can cause nations to grow and prosper, and He can destroy them at His will. He can see forever and evermore, and yet He does not lose sight of the smallest sparrow.

All glory belongs to our God. All of our praise, and our prayers, and or worship, belongs only to Him.

Amen!

Matthan



I've almost grown accustomed to being surprised by things that christians believe or don't believe, I was knocked for a loop myself this past year by someone I thought I really knew, someone I thought really had a grip on Scripture, and when discussing a topic made it clear to me that they were theologically lost in the woods, wandering around somewhere between deism, open theism and quite possibly universalism to a degree, a shovel up side the head would have left me less stunned, and I think I'm still in shock to a certain degree..........................

[holyrokker]

What you've described sounds like what has been termed "Openness" theology which says that God can't know with absolute certainty what someone with freewill may choose.

There are severalarticles about this here.
http://www.biblical-theology.com/omniscience/index.htm

[DeaconDean]

What you've described sounds like what has been termed "Openness" theology which says that God can't know with absolute certainty what someone with freewill may choose.

There are severalarticles about this here.
http://www.biblical-theology.com/omniscience/index.htm

This also sounds a little like what Faustus Socinius (1539 - 1604) advocated. Except he called it "free agency."

Socinians generally support this. James Arminus later took the same line of thought and called his theory one of "free will." Socinius argued this point:

"As the omnipotence of God is His ability to do whatever is possible, so His omniscience is His knowledge of everything knowable. But as free acts are in their nature uncertain, as they may or may not be, they cannot be known to God."
-Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology,
Vol. I, Chapter V, The Nature and Attributes of God,
Knowledge, Section D, Foreknowledge,
P. 400-401, Hendrickson Publishers,
Third Printing, 2003


Socinian theology may be summed up as even though God has the power to do whatever is in His will, and God has the knowledge of all things that are knowable, the element of chance makes it impossible to see the results of free agency because they are uncertain.

To that I answer, my Bible teaches me:

"The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." -Prov. 15:3

"Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." -Acts 15:18

Not only does know each and every decision that I will make, but He knows the outcome of every possible choice I might make:

"But he knoweth the way that I take:" -Job 23:10

God Bless

Till all are one.

[GordonSlocum]

Not only does know each and every decision that I will make, but He knows the outcome of every possible choice I might make:



Foreknowledge is Absolute - I echo your statement. God knows all actual and possibilities. While the possibilities will never be reality - should they have been He knows the outcome just the same. How can anyone understand Absolute Knowledge, which to us is foreknowledge, foresight, pre-science.

[Sword-In-Hand]

I know a few people who believe God isn't omniscent per say. They call it limited sovereignty. It's against the forum rules to debate on it. But I think its saying that yes God can see throughout time and know futures, but what does it gain Him to do so. They focus on not how God can see through time, but when He sees through time. Not saying I agree with these beliefs, but I think God is more focused on us now than He is focused on us a week from now.

Ted Dekker's book "Blink" is a good (ficitional) tale about how God sees through time. I highly recommend it.