The Mind Of God

[Tea]

The following citation is taken from the Baptist Faith and Message:

God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures.

That would seemingly shut the door on open theism. However, there are apparent contradictory statements found in scripture as it relates to the mind of God.

Exodus 32:14 (ESV)
And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

The author Moses writes in one place that God relented and in another place that God never changes His mind.

Jonah 3:10 (ESV)
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

God had planned to destroy Nineveh but apparently backtracked afterwards.

1 John 3:20 (ESV)
for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

Jeremiah 19:5 (ESV)
And have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind.

God knows all things, yet couldn't have imagined how the nation of Judah would be so wicked.

How can we discern between what is literal and what is figurative?

 

[Ascetic X]

@Tea - God warns sinners about how He will punish them, like with Nineveh, but when they repent, God withholds the punishment. God is not just arbitrarily changing His mind. It’s called mercy.

At a certain point, mercy may no longer be available to a person or nation, if they go too far in sin and gleeful rebellion. So we must be careful and examine our life, to make sure we are pleasing God. He is not to be trifled with.

The Bible uses human terms (like grieving, repenting, or regretting) to help us understand God's divine nature and reactions in ways we can comprehend.

Key Bible Verses on God Repenting

• Genesis 6:6 (KJV):
  "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." (Refers to God's sorrow over human wickedness before the Flood).
  
  
• Exodus 32:14 (KJV):
  "And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people." (God relented from punishing Israel after Moses interceded).
  
  
• • 1 Samuel 15:11 (KJV):
    "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments." (God expresses regret over making Saul king due to his disobedience).
    
  • Jeremiah 18:8 (NIV):
    "If that nation… turns from its evil, I will relent from the disaster I had planned to bring on it." (God expresses willingness to change His judgment based on a nation's repentance).

Habukkuk 3:2

O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

 

[37818]

Isaiah 55:8-11, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

 

[JesusFan]

The following citation is taken from the Baptist Faith and Message:

God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures.

That would seemingly shut the door on open theism. However, there are apparent contradictory statements found in scripture as it relates to the mind of God.

Exodus 32:14 (ESV)
And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

The author Moses writes in one place that God relented and in another place that God never changes His mind.

Jonah 3:10 (ESV)
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

God had planned to destroy Nineveh but apparently backtracked afterwards.

1 John 3:20 (ESV)
for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

Jeremiah 19:5 (ESV)
And have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind.

God knows all things, yet couldn't have imagined how the nation of Judah would be so wicked.

How can we discern between what is literal and what is figurative?

If Open theism was tyrue, then we would have no real assurance or hope to trust any prophecy , for at best God was making educated guesses

 

[Van]

The following citation is taken from the Baptist Faith and Message:

God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures.

That would seemingly shut the door on open theism. However, there are apparent contradictory statements found in scripture as it relates to the mind of God.

SNIP

Let us back up to this doctrinal statement defining "all knowing" as having perfect knowledge of all things.

This is false doctrine. Jesus did not know of the time of His return, and Jesus is God Almighty.

God says He can forgive sins and "remember them no more forever." Thus He claims not to have "perfect knowledge.

God on observing Abraham preparing to slay his son, said, "now I know" indicated that God did not know beforehand.

God is "all-knowing" as He can know whatever He chooses to know, but He can and does choose NOT to know some things.

The modern view of Omniscience is called "Inherent Omniscience."

 

[Van]

God makes conditional covenants, He says if you do this, I will do that, but if you repent, I will relent. All these conditionals do NOT indicate God has changed if mind, only that He keeps His word.

 

[Van]

If we look at Jeremiah 7:31, and 19:5 and 32:35 we see that God had not considered an evil command. Thus His knowledge of the future actions of sinners was not perfect, or the thought would have been triggered.

 

[Van]

If God is not the author of sin, then Open theism is true.