Omniscience of God

[freeatlast]

While this may have been hashed over many times I am still left with some questions. Most of us hold that God is omniscient. However what we mean or understand by that varies and sometimes greatly. I hear some when speaking of God and Him being omniscient that He looks ahead and sees. What exactly does that mean? I would just like to know what some feel about this and what they hold as God being the omniscient God really means?

 

[preachinjesus]

Omniscience means that God knows all possible information of past, present, and future perfectly including details and events beyond the human ken.

There is nothing that God does not know.

 

[Jarthur001]

Omniscience means that God knows all possible information of past, present, and future perfectly including details and events beyond the human ken.

There is nothing that God does not know.

There is nothing that God does not know....nor has never known.

 

[Tom Butler]

There is nothing that God does not know....nor has never known.

And he knows all future events as if they had already happened. This is based on another of His attributes--immutability.

For instance, sometimes we speak of God's looking into the future and foreseeing an event (or foreseeing one's faith). But God doesn't have to look into the future to see a future event. For God to see something that he hasn't already seen--or to know something he didn't already know--would represent a change in God. And we know God says himself that he doesn't change.

What God knows at this moment, he has always known.

That's why Open Theism is an attack on God's immutability as well as his omniscience and omnipotence.

 

[freeatlast]

Reading over the replies so far and I would boil down the answers given it seems to be that God is omniscient because God is omniscient.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Reading over the replies so far and I would boil down the answers given it seems to be that God is omniscient because God is omniscient.

He knows even what possibly could have happpened - Matthew 11:21 talks about what would have happened in tye and sidon if they had heard the preaching of Jesus.

Ps 147:4
Ezekiel 11:5
Hebrews 4:13

I don't know what you're looking for, but there's other verses

 

[freeatlast]

He knows even what possibly could have happpened - Matthew 11:21 talks about what would have happened in tye and sidon if they had heard the preaching of Jesus.

Ps 147:4
Ezekiel 11:5
Hebrews 4:13

I don't know what you're looking for, but there's other verses

If Omniscience means God knows everything that is how can there be possibilities other then what is?

 

[Tom Bryant]

If Omniscience means God knows everything that is how can there be possibilities other then what is?

You'll have to take that up with Jesus. That was what He said.

 

[Skandelon]

There is nothing that God does not know....nor has never known.

Yes, but the problem becomes evident when one cannot distinguish between God's KNOWING something and His DETERMINING something.

Examples:

- He determined Jesus would be born of a Virgin
- He knew you would not

- He determined to inspire the writing of scripture.
- He knew John Gill would write a commentary of scripture.

- He determined to effectually call Paul as an apostle on the Road to Damascus.
- He knew the response of those who heard his message.

- He determined to harden Israel so that they would not believe Jesus and crucify him, thus bringing redemption to the whole world.
-He knew Dahmer would rape, murder and torture people.

- He determined to effectually call Jonah to preach in Nineveh
- He knew what Nineveh's response would be to his preaching

God chooses to intervene and determine certain things at His appointed times in order to accomplish His purposes, but to insist that God "determines everything" (i.e. "ordains whatsoever comes to pass") undermines the uniqueness and divine purpose of these special events in human history.

Deterministic theologians use these biblical examples as proof texts to show that God works this way in EVERY instance which is not a sound argument.