TO KNOW OR NOT TO KNOW!

[EricH]

A brief note on the method of interpretation frequently alluded to by those who hold to Open Theism. A major strength of those who hold to Open Theism is their insistence on the dependability of the Word of God, and their constant appeals to it. Ware, in God's Lesser Glory, insists on taking the Scipture "simply for what it says". Boyd in The God of the Possible insists that the texts that speak to to future openess be taken just as literally as those that speak to future determinism.

In this we agree. As a general practice it is always best to take the text at face value. We should only deny the

straight-forward" understanding of scripture if there are strong contextual or textual reasons for doing so. There can however be a danger of abusing this straight-forward hermeneutic.

For example: Consider Genesis 18:20-21

And the LORD said, "The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. "I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know."

The straight forward reading of this passage is that God has heard that the sin is great in Sodom and Gomorrah but is not sure, and must go there to validate what He has heard. No Open Theist I know of deny's God's omnipresence. How then can they explain the "straight forward" interpretation of Genesis 18:20-21 in light of God's omnipresence?

The same can be said for Genesis 9:14-15

And it shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.

A "straight-forward" reading of this text implies that when God sees the rainbow He will remember His covenant. This also implies that He forgot it somehow.

Most Open Theists I speak to would say that the reason we do not take these passages in a straight forward way is that there are numersous other passages in scripture that affirm God's omnipresence, and the fact that He does not forget things. I agree. But it is also true that in interpreting the passages they provide and interperet in a "straight forward" way, there are numerous other passages that affirm God's exhaustive knowledge of the past, present and future. Not only in terms of what is possible, but what is actual.The passages they provide must be understood in light of those passages as well. Otherwise their hermeneutic in inconsistent.

[st. Worm]

And our hermeneutic must also be regulated by an interpretation of individual verses that does not cause them to conflict with the true nature of God that is revealed in other areas of Scripture. This mistake of open theists is their worst of all.

[EricH]

Hezekiah

By Hezekiah I am assuming you are referring to the passage that was seminal in Boyd's movement towards Open Theism. Namely, the narrative in 2 Kings 20 regarding the lengthening of Hezekiah's life. Thiis gist of this passage is:

Hezekiah is near death from an illness. God through Isaiah, comes to Hezekiah in verse 1 and states:

Thus says the LORD, 'Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.'

Heziekiah responds by begging God to spare his life. God respons to Heziekiah's prayer (through Isaiah):

Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. And I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.

2 Kings 20:5-6 NASB

Open Theists hold this up as an example of God knowing several possible reactions on the part of Hezekiah, and fashioning His response according to Hezekiah's response. According to Open Theists, God did not know how Hezekiah would respond, but could only wait and then react according to Hezeikiah's prayer. God in a sense repented of killing Hezekiah only as a result of Hezekiah's prayer. If Hezekiah would not have prayed, God would have responded differently. God did not know which Hezekiah would do in advance.

The key question is does this passage in any way teach that God did not know how Hezekiah would respond to His statement of impending death? An initial point to be made is that God did not always warn people of impending action on His part. God did not warn Sennacherib for example. He did not need to warn Hezekiah, but chose to. Why would he have done this?

A response that is equally plausible to the idea that God did not know what Hezekiah would do is that it was God's ultimate purpose to elicit from Hezekiah the exact prayer that he prayed. Also it should be noted with interest that God granted exactly 15 years more to Heziekiah. It appears here that God knows exactly how much longer Hezekiah will live (even though that is in the future and unknowable). Many variable would enter Hezekiah's life from the moment God extended his life. How could God know how all the variable would work together for 15 years. How did he know, for example, that Hezekiah would not walk in front of a speeding chariot and be killed? If hezekiah was truly free, how could God guarantee him 15 years? The passage makes no direct statement of God not knowing how Hezekiah would respond.

It seems to me what the passage is teaching is that God brought circumstances into Hezekiah's life that He knoew would lead to a prayer of dependence on Hezekiah's part. God then used that prayer to lengthen His life. In addition God used the additional 15 years to provide an heir to the throne (Manesseh) and allowed God te remain faithful to His covenant promises

A real issue with the Open Theism position is that there is no place in scripture that directly affirms God not knowing actual events in the future. All of their conclusions are drawn by inference from accounts that appear to indicate God did not know. On the other hand there are numerous statements in scripture that affirm God's foreknowledge of actual future events before they happen.

According to Steve Roy, there are 164 passages thet explicitly state God's foreknowledge, 271 texts explicitly affirm some aspect of His foreknowledge; 128 passage give predictions of what God will do through nature; 1,893 texts state in a predictive way God will use humans to do something, 1,474 texts state in a predictive way what humans will do apart from God's direct influence; 622 texts predict what non-believers will do; 143 texts affirm that God is in control of human choices, and 105 texts that may be interpreted as counter to the passages above

[st. Worm]

"The passage makes no direct statement of God not knowing how Hezekiah would respond."

Exactly. You would have to arrive at this passage with a complete presupposition that God is clueless about the future to intepret it the way an open theist would. The passage reveals God's compassion in addition to his Divine sovereignty. Just as He urges us to pray and to draw ourselves to Him by doing so all the while knowing that He will or will not answer our prayers as we wish them to be answered.

We almost have a picture of salvation itself in the extended life given to Hezekiah. God has placed his condemnation on us all just as he had Hezekiah, yet because he sees the faith in our hearts, a faith given to us by Him, we are saved from the condemnation that was previously destined to be ours. And He knew it all along.

[EricH]

In terms of Jonah, the implication given by Open Theists is that God changed His mind regarding the punishment of Nineveh. God new all the possibilities regarding Nineveh's response to HIs message, but did not know what they would do until they did it.

The text itself does not state this. In fact, we are led to the opposite conclusion buy some of the things that occur in the text:

1. Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh as God desired. Yet in spite of Jonah's efforts, God intervened to get him there.

2. Even though all we have is simple instruction from God to go and preach, the reason Jonah gives for not wanting to go is that He knew that they would repent and God would forgive them.

3. God in no place states that it was His ultimate intention to destroy the city. In fact, later in the book we see that Hi sultimate intention was to save it. A equally plausible interpretation of Jonah is that God knew exactly how the Ninevites would respond. That is why He ensure Jonah's arrival .