Is God Omniscient?

[Vanguard]

Is God omniscient (all knowing)...

To say that He is omniscient does not mean that He knows everything. His knowledge may be infinite, He may know what is in your heart, but your mind and the choices you will make are a different story. I firmly believe that we were given free will, as a gift from God. Allow me to elaborate and support it biblically.

In the OT God was testing Abraham when he demanded that he sacrifice his son, Isaac. Right as Abraham was about to kill Isaac with his knife, an angel of God stopped him. Then God spoke to him and said, (NASB) "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." From that passage alone, God was unsure of Abraham's choice, but after seeing that Abraham would obey, He stopped him from killing his son, and allowed Abraham to sacrifice a ram instead.

In the NT, the Book of Revelation talks about the resurrection of the dead, and their judgment before the throne of God (Rev. 20:11-15). They are to be judged according to their deeds (actions, choices). If God is in control of everything and we do not have free will, why would God judge us based off of our choices, since He would be judging Himself? The only logical answer is that we have free will, and we will be judged based off what we chose to do in life.

So, to answer the question, yes we can safely believe that God is omniscient, but He does not know the choices that we will make, because it is He that gave us free will to begin with. Ultimately He wants us to choose to follow Him, but neither does He want automatons.

[He giveth more grace]

He "know the beginning from the end".

[gdemoss]

Is God omniscient (all knowing)...

To say that He is omniscient does not mean that He knows everything. His knowledge may be infinite, He may know what is in your heart, but your mind and the choices you will make are a different story. I firmly believe that we were given free will, as a gift from God. Allow me to elaborate and support it biblically.

In the OT God was testing Abraham when he demanded that he sacrifice his son, Isaac. Right as Abraham was about to kill Isaac with his knife, an angel of God stopped him. Then God spoke to him and said, (NASB) "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." From that passage alone, God was unsure of Abraham's choice, but after seeing that Abraham would obey, He stopped him from killing his son, and allowed Abraham to sacrifice a ram instead.

In the NT, the Book of Revelation talks about the resurrection of the dead, and their judgment before the throne of God (Rev. 20:11-15). They are to be judged according to their deeds (actions, choices). If God is in control of everything and we do not have free will, why would God judge us based off of our choices, since He would be judging Himself? The only logical answer is that we have free will, and we will be judged based off what we chose to do in life.

So, to answer the question, yes we can safely believe that God is omniscient, but He does not know the choices that we will make, because it is He that gave us free will to begin with. Ultimately He wants us to choose to follow Him, but neither does He want automatons.

This is the reason that I said that I have no problem cutting another slack in this area. It appears that God did not previously have knowledge of what Abraham would do if put into this situation except it happen. It can honestly be read that way but one has to consider that that isn't the only way it can be read. The word 'know' used here has an array of meaning and doesn't always mean to simply possess knowledge. Adam 'knew' his wife and as a result they had a baby! The word as it is used in Abrahams instance is a declaration that Abraham has been proved and the evidence is there that is required for conviction in the day of judgment.

Notice, Abraham never cut his child yet God declared that he knew that he would. How can this be if we go by your definition of him having now known that which he previously did not? No, in order to prove Abraham out completely and show that God did not know what he would do, God would have had to let Abraham go through with it and then resurrect Isaac from the grave.

Gen 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Above we have a clear declaration from God that he knows exactly how Abraham will raise his children before Abraham does anything. Yes, God is omniscient but he needs to communicate various things to us and therefore he speaks in ways that we might understand better. The problem is Satan loves to mislead by asking "hath God said?".

May we all come to a better knowledge of him that we are able to know what he has said in truth and send the tempter packing.

Peace in Christ.

[2404]

Of course God is omniscient He is the Alpha and Omega. Without beginning or end, the creator. He can't be anything but... He never has a new thought because He knows all things and if He ever does anything under certain circumstances and the exact circumstances arises again He has to do as He did the first time or He did something wrong the first time, which of course is a impossibility. So if we approach Him in His provided way, for salvation, it is more certain than the sun coming up in the morning.

[allofgrace]

2404

He never has a new thought because He knows all things and if He ever does anything under certain circumstances and the exact circumstances arises again He has to do as He did the first time or He did something wrong the first time,

Welcome 2404!!! Blessings.

So your saying God is "Sovereign -Mans term, but used to make a point" Not because He just picks and chooses this or that at his whim, but He is Sovereign because He would never change for anyone what He said, as it's the right Choice for everyone, as he knows what that right choice would be?

So, if he said, Thou shalt not steal, then Not stealing would be the best choice for everyone. Instead of him choosing certain people for it to be OK to steal because He's God and does what he wants.

Also, coming in with just a theory is fine, but out of respect to other posters it might also be good to address their concerns and scriptures.

Jesus Is Lord.

Someone may be thinking who died and him chief?

[gdemoss]

Gary, when a scripture does not line up with what we want to believe, we don't dig into the Greek and Hebrew to find ways to change it. We look at the intent of the scripture, and compare other scriptures. I think God did a perfect Job preserving His word in a language we know and understand. People have removed eternal Hell doing this very same thing, and twist plain to read scriptures into some spiritual lofty wreak. The cop out is to say "Oh, that spiritual, I don't have to believe it" We can be better students of the Word, always learning with the Help of the Holy Spirit.

Mike, I don't just decide what I want to believe and start building doctrine by searching the scriptures for support. Nor do I look at a few various verses that appear to say something and then decide that anything that seem contrary to what they say is wrong. The heaven of heavens cannot contain God. The very depth of his knowledge makes his ways past figuring out.

I admonish you to take your own admonishon and apply it to yourself first else you are simply being a hypocrite. Much of what you say to others about what you perceive they are doing is dripping from your own posts. Romans 2 would be a good read. But then again you may be blind to what your doing. Those beams can be nasty. I know I hate when I figure out I have one of my own.

It is God who must give sight to the blind. What stake would Satan have in leading me to believe God knows everything when he does not? How does it lead me into sin? Believing that God knows everything that was, is and is to come, leads me to live a straighter life that understands that God never misses a beat. It leads me to leaning on him for understanding rather than my own. Your idea of God not knowing things means that I could come to him with questions and he would answer "I don't know, Gary, sorry about your luck." Not going to happen with God, because he knows.

In your doctrine, the doctrine of the God who doesn't know and therefore is void of complete understanding, he has to ask questions because he doesn't know, whereas in my doctrine of the God who has complete knowledge, he asks questions to draw people out unto confessing that which he already knows happened long before it ever happened. In your doctrine, God is trying to save something he made but had no idea could break and was completely caught off guard and is working on a recon mission. Whereas, in mine God knew beforehand everything that would transpire, including the fall of Satan, and had preplanned the course that would secure the salvation of everyone who ever lived while at the same time allow them each to freely choose what they would do and therefore not force the hand of anyone to accept deliverance. God, as I understand God from reading the scriptures, is absolute. He is true. He cannot fail. He has all knowledge.

May God show you the truth of his knowledge that you not be without knowledge yourself.

[JohnD]

Before God created anyone or anything to exist... God was all there was. By the very act of bringing into existence anyone or anything other than the Godhead God was in effect limiting himself (themselves). One God, three individuals who are the one God.

Bear with me.

In that state before anyone or anything else existed, was communication or speech necessary? Could not God the Father know what God the Spirit was thinking without having to convey that thought?

The point is, in that higher state all-knowing-ness was all there was. And when God created lesser beings to exist, God had to go down to be with them (not so much in locale as in levels of superiority).

Now the Father is always in the picture in scripture, but not always in the foreground. The one in the Old Testament most often mistaken for being the Father is actually the Son preincarnate.

The Bible teaches that God the Word emptied himself at one point (Philippians 2:7) presumably at the incarnation... but can we presume this?

I believe that from scripture we can deduce the individuals in the Godhead must lower themselves to be able to interact with we lower forms of life. And that the Father (who is omniscient) remains in that higher state.

If true, this would explain how Jesus did not know certain things... even as far back as Genesis 22 when he put Abraham to the test to see the outcome. "Now I know..."

The Holy Spirit also appears to have done this lowering of self to interact with we lowly humans. For in 1 Corinthians 2 it clearly states that the Holy Spirit searches the mind of God (the Father). If he was also omniscient as the Father is, why would he even have to search?

I do not buy this... at least not yet since I have to study this more... but some believe the individuals who are the one God each possess unique traits the other two do not have. For example the Father is all knowing. The Son is all powerful. The Holy Spirit is all present. Again, I am not saying I believe this. I only mention it because it is interesting and could possibly be true.

The extent of the omniscience of God is knowing all things everywhere past, present, future... with all the variables resulting from the limited sovereignty (the ability to choose) of men and angels which God granted us.

This is how I can dispel the myth that all babies go to heaven in death. For surely it would then be better to kill all babies before the age of accountability than risk eternal hell for living past that time... God forbid! That is the ridiculous conclusion of believing all babies go to heaven in death.

God knows who would have believed had they reached that point in their life but were cut short. So in the end... it is still their choice.