By Jeramie D. Sweet
How true are the words of the great apostle Paul who said, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out” (Rom. 11:33)! One of the most challenging tasks the serious student of God’s word has is to articulate precisely the attributes of the Almighty God.
It seems like when someone asks a question regarding a particular attribute of God; answers smothered in ambiguity are given; leaving the inquirer with more questions than answers. The reasons for this are many. Wayne Jackson makes the following observation: “The divine qualities are so infinite and, our minds so finite, that we scarcely can fathom the Creator’s marvelous features” (Wayne Jackson, par. 1).
Hannah, in her prayer to God said, “The LORD is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed” (1 Sam. 2:3), while the Psalmist wrote, “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it… My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them…His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 139:1-6, 15-16; 147:5).
The term “omniscience” is not found anywhere in Scripture, but the idea is. “Scripture everywhere teaches the absolute universality of Divine Knowledge…with reference to the various categories that compromise within themselves all that is possible or actual. It extends to God’s own being, as well as to what exists outside of himself in the created world” (ISBE, pars. 2-3). The word comes from omnis, “all,” and scientia, “knowledge.” Simply stated, omniscience means, “infinite knowledge.” The theological definition is, “By this we mean God’s knowledge is perfect and eternal knowledge of all things which are objects of knowledge, whether they be actual or possible, past, present, or future” (Roy H. Lanier, Sr., p. 139).
A perusal of the Holy Scriptures will enlighten one to the FACT of the omniscience of God. God’s omniscience is seen in the inanimate and animate creation. God is said to count the number of stars and call them by name (Psalm 147:4). He spoke to Job of the Pleiades, the Orion, the Mazzaroth (collectively, the zodiac), and the Bear (constellation) with her train (Job 38:31-32). From Job chapters 38-41 the reader gets 80 rhetorical questions which accentuate the scope of God’s omniscience over His creation. God says He “knows all the birds of the mountains and the beasts of the fields” and that they are His (Psalm 50:11). Jesus said concerning the sparrows that “not one of them falls to the ground” without God knowing it (Matt. 10:29).
Another fact of God’s omniscience is seen in that He knows the deeds of all men. “The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually. He considers all their works” (Psalm 33:13-15). He takes knowledge of their works (Job 34:25). God is indeed all knowing (Pro. 5:21; 1 John 3:20; Heb. 4:13).
A third fact of God’s omniscience is that He knows the future of men and events. “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10). As evidence of His Divine foreknowledge, Yahweh called Cyrus by name more than a century before he was born and said Cyrus would perform all His pleasure, meaning that Cyrus would allow the Jews in captivity to return and rebuild Jerusalem (Isaiah 44:28-45:7). Also, God foreknew King Josiah and called him by name three centuries before he was born and revealed the things he would do (1 Kings 13:2). He knew from the foundation of the world that man would sin and that He would need to send a Savior to redeem man. He knew the price that this Savior would have to pay (Acts 2:23; 1 Peter 1:19-20; Rev. 13:8). The church is said to be a part of the “eternal purpose of God” (Eph. 3:10-11). Our God is an awesome all knowing God!
Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and where there is FACT there is also FICTION. There are also some misconceptions regarding the foreknowledge of God which some have supposed to be fact. As was aforementioned, God knows the deeds of all men, past, present, and future. This is the “total package” of his omniscience. However it is believed by some (even within the church) that God limits His foreknowledge. In other words, He doesn’t know everything all the time; that he chooses not to know some things. Does this harmonize with what has been noted thus far in our study (cf. Psalm 139; Pro. 5:21; Heb. 4:13)?
Endeavoring to accommodate our imperfect capacity of perception, Biblical writers, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit often resort to emblematic speech (symbolic language). One such figure is called anthropomorphism, (i.e., certain attributes of God are described in physical terms such as “the eyes,” “ears,” “arm,” or “face of the Lord” – Isaiah 53:1; 59:1-2; 1 Peter 3:12). A similar figure is known as anthropopathism, which attributes certain human emotions, feelings, or thinking processes to God, such as when the Lord “repented” that He had made man and was grieved over it (Gen. 6:6). Comparable language is used when God “repented” that He had made Saul king (1 Sam. 15:35). This type of symbolism must be taken into account when trying to deal with this subject.
Some contend (as mentioned previously) that God chooses to limit His knowledge and they feel there is Scriptural evidence for their belief. For instance, when Adam and Eve hid themselves after they had sinned God asked them four questions: (1) “Where are you” (Gen 3:9), (2) “Who told you that you were naked?” (Gen. 3:11), (3) “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” (Gen 3:11), and (4) “What is this you have done?” (Gen. 3:13). Also, when Abraham was about to slay his son Isaac, the Lord said: “…now I know that you fear God…” (Gen 22:12). These suggest that God had “shielded” His knowledge regarding the whereabouts and actions of Adam and Eve and the level of faith of Abraham. The language used in these passages however is merely the anthropopathic representation mentioned above and is not to be taken literally. E.W. Bullinger observes: “God of course knew it already; but in wondrous condescension, He stoops to make Abraham understand.” (E.W. Bullinger, p. 884).
It is apparent as it pertains to God in the flesh, the incarnate Christ, that He did limit His foreknowledge concerning a certain fig tree (Mark 11:13) and His second coming (Matt. 24:36). Keep in mind however that Jesus emptied Himself (Phil. 2:6) thus having this “limitation” of knowledge. Wayne Jackson rightly says, “One thing is clear; this self-imposed limitation of knowledge on the part of Christ did not in any way militate against His divine nature” (Wayne Jackson, par. 7).
Some allege, though, that if God knows everything of the future, such as the fact that we will sin, then, one could not avoid sinning. As Wayne Jackson says, “This is a faulty conclusion that does not accord with the evidence” (Ibid., par. 9). The fact that God knows what men will do does not mean that He removes that person’s free will. Roy H. Lanier makes the following observation:
“We must be careful to maintain a distinction between God’s foreknowledge of men’s events, and the predetermining of men and events. God can foreknow an event without predetermining it. God foreknew Adam’s sin…God’s foreknowledge did not force, or influence Adam to sin. Adam had the power to choose whether he would do right or sin” (Roy H. Lanier, Sr. p. 144).
Those who affirm that God limits His foreknowledge fail to realize that in order to limit Himself, God would have to know what He was limiting Himself from. In conclusion it seems quite to the contrary of His very nature that God limits His foreknowledge. He, without a doubt, is the “God of knowledge” (1 Sam. 2:3). May God bless us as we continue to strive to do all things in accordance with His will knowing that nothing is hidden from His sight (Ecc. 12:14; Heb. 4:13).
Sources:
Bullinger, E.W. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible. Baker Book
House. Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1968.
International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. PC Study Bible 4.3c
by Biblesoft, Inc. Electronic Database. 1995-1996.
Jackson, Wayne. “Does God Limit His Own Foreknowledge?” 19
July, 2000. www.christiancourier.com.
Lanier, Roy, H. The Timeless Trinity for the Ceaseless Centuries.
Published by Roy H. Lanier, Sr. Denver, Colorado. 1974.