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Ten Bible verses: God is omniscient
March 10, 2010
Ten Bible verses which indicate that God is awesome – he is omniscient (all knowing):
Job 37:16
Do you know the balancings of the clouds,
the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge.
Psalm 147:5
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
1 Samuel 2:3
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the LORD is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
Isaiah 55:9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Job 28:24
For he looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
1 John 3:19-20
By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
Hebrews 4:13
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Isaiah 46:9
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done.
Matthew 10:30
But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
Psalm 139:4
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
164 Responses to "Ten Bible verses: God is omniscient"
March 10, 2010 at 9:13 pm
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February 16, 2011 at 8:25 pm
March 8, 2011 at 4:35 am
I truly find this a interesting subject. Never looked over this subject in this way. If you are planning to create some more articles about this subject, I will be back soon!
May 20, 2011 at 6:44 am
I believe in God and in Jesus (maybe not completely the Jesus bible claims) but God being omniscience is extremely contradictory and God does not contradict himself.
He cannot know the future (have you thought in the consequences of this)…but knows some unavoidable things like the end of the world. Scientifically he can know what is in you mind before you for the conscience is a result of what you already know, a small projection of the self. In the bible, there is nothing mentioning omniscience like Christians say now, and the verses you pointed are a good example of that.
June 12, 2011 at 6:05 pm
Nuno Moreno, how is God being omniscient extremely contradictory? I have followed those thoughts to a beautiful and elegant end. It is possible by science if God is outside our universe (and if He created our universe, He must be), because time itself is a facet of our universe. Anything outside it may be able to percieve all of it, past, present, and future, at once.
Furtermore, there is no contradiction. If God is omniscient, then He knew all things from the beginning, including that Satan would rebel, that Eve would be tempted, and that mankind would fall. None of this surprised Him. Indeed, He allowed all this to happen. But remember, 'All things work for the good of those who serve the Lord and are called according to His purpose.' Even the Fall. How else could Man have both free will and an intimate, unshackable understanding of the consequences of sin? If God made us with that knowledge, then we would not truely have the free will to sin, as His knowledge granted to us would mean only an insane man would choose to sin, and insanity is itself the result of the Fall.
July 16, 2011 at 4:05 am
C. Smith! That was an awesome, God-inspired reply to Nuno Moreno! To God be the glory!
August 9, 2011 at 5:52 pm
The word "omniscient" is nowhere to be found in the Holy Bible. The word "omniscient" is a literary term created in the late 1500s.
Stop trying to put a label on God in order to fully understand Him using feeble human methods, as this is impossible.
Humans have free will, they have the ability to make a choice. This is a gift of God. There are Bible verses that are testament to this. No where in the Bible does it state or give any indication that the choices and nature of all people are preset.
God has an ultimate plan for the world, and He will use whom he deems worthy to accomplish His goals. Even those whom he plans to use have the choice whether or not to follow.
The idea of all actions in the future to every living creature being known by God because he set them to be as such is an elitist mentality created by religious fanatics that choose to live in an ignorant state of their own vulnerability.
Salvation is something we have to believe in, choose, and work for in His name. There is no living soul predestined for Heaven or Hell. That is not part of God's plan. You have to plan to choose God. God only knows if you will choose Him based upon what is currently in your heart.
August 23, 2011 at 11:02 am
C. Smith, God is not omniscient. Terribly sorry to burst your bubble and that of all other christians but you must think about this very carefully. If God knows everything, then he knows every single thought, behaviour, action that we do even before we are born. If this is the case then our future is predetermined and thus we have absolutely no free will. Ultimately, we live exactly the way God intends us to live. If we commit murder, God wanted us to do so, if we are homosexual, God wanted us to be so, and so on. This would mean that God created many of us knowing already that our sole end is eternal damnation. We are literally born for the fires of hell and he knows verry well who will end up there and there is not a single thing we can do to change it. Thats some benevolent God you got there.
October 21, 2011 at 10:54 pm
I am a lifelong Christian and a teacher of theology and yet I question whether or not God is "omniscient" in the manner we tend to ascribe to Him. However, Mr. Antoniades's logic is severely flawed. Knowing something and ordaining it are two radically different things. I've heard this claim before and I find it baffling. There are lots of things I KNOW that I don't MAKE happen. I know that my kids are going to wake up at the butt crack of dawn. That doesn't mean I make it happen. Even if I had God's omnipotence, simply KNOWING something does not automatically equate to desiring it or even influencing it.
To mock God's love for us by assuming a benevolent God could not KNOW about evil and yet allow it without ordaining it is to apply human, earthly logic to something that is simply beyond us. It's also to operate on the presumption that this life is the most important thing we have to experience. To paraphrase Paul, these present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. As was stated earlier, God gave us free will in love, knowing that a life without it would be meaningless and a life with it would result in sin and some temporary suffering. While I think you can make other cases with Scripture that He may know everything, Antoniades's claim falls on its face.
October 23, 2011 at 9:33 pm
The original poster gave 10 verses in support of his position that God is omniscient. Interesting to me here is the fact that none of the refuters have provided any biblical support for the notion that God is not omniscient. Instead, they are proudly relying on their own mind to rationalize this thought. I recommend these particular individuals reread one of the above verses:
1 Samuel 2:3
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the LORD is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
If you want to belive God is not omniscient, that is your "free will," but if you want to teach that He is not omniscient, then you better start biblically supporting your position.
October 24, 2011 at 1:37 am
Tim, I appreciate your post. Normally I find myself in your role. I guess I figured the "case" for God perhaps being NOT omniscient — a case I have NO DESIRE to make — was self-evident. For example, if the end goal is for us to live in perfection where there is no sin, why give us free will here on this earth? For me, it is sufficient to say God's ways are not our ways, but it doesn't completely erase the possibility that God did not foresee our fall, or Satan's for that matter.
The Biblical hint of non-omniscience is even more "compelling."
1. Gen. 2:18-25 God realizes that Adam needs a help and when it is "discovered" that none of the original creation is fit for that, He decides to create woman.
2. Gen. 3:8-13 God asks Adam and Eve "where are you" and asks Eve "what have you done?"
3. Gen 6: "5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart." How can God be sorry or regret something if He always knew it would turn out exactly that way?
4. There are many references to God "coming down" to "see" something, like Gen. 11: "5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech." Were we really going to be able to do "anything" if we kept one language?
5. Gen 18:21 "I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."
6. etc.
I have no desire to "prove" that God is not omniscient, and I certainly don't want to blaspheme God, but these sorts of verses make me wonder and the typical "convenient" interpretations of these verses is not fully clarifying for me.
October 24, 2011 at 8:03 am
Thanks for attempting to provide some Biblical support! While I wasn't necessarily looking to start debating, I would like to make some comments about some of the references you've presented.
Before I address your references, I must ask this question, "What does whether God gave us free will or not have to do with the depth and level of His knowledge of who we are and what we do?" The idea of free will is not an argument for either omniscience or non-omniscience. God gives us free will, so that we will can choose to love Him. Not that God needs a self-confidence boost.
Forgive me if some of my comments in this paragraph seem a bit rough, but I am just thinking your comments through to their "logical" conclusions. The use of your first reference, Genesis 2:18-25, as evidence of non-omniscience is doing exactly what you stated you didn't want to do. It blasphemes God. You are indicating that God haphazardly made the creation, not sure whether He needed to create a female counterpart for Adam. It borders on indicating that God originally thought a beast would make a suitable mate for Adam, until He "discovered" that Adam wasn't interested. My thoughts on this passage are that God did not "realize" that Adam needed a helper, He merely stated it, "It is not good that the man should be alone." God then demonstrates to Adam His creative power by making all the animals right in front of him, I believe. was to teach Adam a couple of lessons. First, God created them right in front of Adam so that Satan could not try to take credit for the creation. The second was to show Adam that there was not yet a suitable mate for him. God knew what He was going to do. God is teaching Adam as a good parent or teacher would do. He's allowing him to draw a logical and correct conclusion based on evidence presented.
Your second reference, Genesis 3:8-13, takes place immediately after Adam and Eve have just sinned and come to the realization of the consequences of their sin. They are afraid. God is asking questions to which He already knows the answer. This is evidenced by another of the original poster's verse choices, Hebrews 4:13 – "And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." The purpose for asking the questions is not so God can discover information, it is an invitation for confession. This is a common theme throughout the Bible. We must confess our sins. A life example of this: Suppose I finish eating my lunch and am eagerly anticipating eating the Hershey bar I had sitting on the counter. I go to the kitchen to get my chocloate treat and find the bar is missing. I look around and find a crumpled wrapper sitting on the top of the trash. My 3 year-old son then walks into the kitchen with brown stains on his hands and face. I ask him, "Son, what is that all over your hands and face?" Do I ask the question because I am truly curious as to the origin of the stains? No. I am inviting him to confess that he did in fact eat my Hershey bar.
Regarding your third reference, Genesis 6:5-6, I will attempt a response to your inspired question, "How can God be sorry or regret something if He always knew it would turn out exactly that way?" Let me begin by pointing out the fact that I do not see the word "regret" in the verse as you have quoted it above. Here is another life example to consider: Every Sunday, knowing full-well that he is going to choose mommy, I ask my son if he wants to ride home with mommy or daddy. When he doesn't say daddy, it breaks my heart, even though I already knew what his choice would be. I am saddened because I love my son and deep down, I want him to choose me.
At this point, @ nearly 1:00 am, I am getting a little too tired to continue with your other 2 points. I will concede that point 4 is a little more challenging for me to explain away, at this point, but I do have an explanation for point 5, that I may address at a later juncture, if I can find the opportunity.
October 24, 2011 at 8:11 am
One more quick comment on the "omniscient/not omniscient" debate:
I would rather believe that God is omniscient, and possibly risk giving Him credit He doesn't deserve, than to say he is not omniscient, and possibly risk not giving Him credit He does deserve.
October 24, 2011 at 5:44 pm
Great point. Me, too!
October 24, 2011 at 6:18 pm
Tim, I have no problem with the tone of your response to my "evidence," but I am troubled by your twist on my points. "Blasphemy" is a pretty strong charge to make in an open dialogue between people just exploring the nuances of our Creator/Redeemer/Sanctifier… (If you really want to go there, though, I can respect that because I think we have to stand up for what we perceive to be God's truth!)
I don't really view this as a debate, but rather a discussion and I am happy to continue it for my own edification, and, hopefully, God's glorification. I am not out to bad mouth God. I am just wondering aloud if our understanding of God's omniscience is actually in tune with Scripture, OR if we have taken Biblical evidence of God's vast knowledge and applied our own human "logic" to it to define "omniscience" as we see fit. If I were just going on my gut or my beliefs, I would tell you in a heartbeat that God knows everything that was, is, and is to come. I just wonder if the Bible says what we think it says.
As for the link between free will and omniscience, I think you missed my point. What will heaven and the new earth be like? If they are going to to be places of perfection, I just want to know why God would create this world, allow it to become corrupt in sin, and then put believers in a place of eternal perfection? I am fully aware of all the theological explanations of the purpose of free will, and I am fully aware that God's ways are not our ways… I just wonder — if we're going to look at the Biblical evidence for the true nature of God's omniscience — if this BIG QUESTION is not part of a "case" for a different understanding of His omniscience than most of us have been taught.
What you've done with Genesis 2 is a perfect example of what I'm talking about (As George Bernard Shaw said, "No man believes the Bible means what it says, but rather that it says what he means.") You have called me a blasphemer, but you have misquoted Scripture. God did NOT create the animals in front of Adam. It says He HAD formed them, and that God gave them to Adam for naming, and that no suitable helper was found. (Does this not imply that one was sought there?) " 18Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for[e] him." 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God HAD formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam[g] there was not found a helper fit for him."
I completely agree with your response to my second reference and it is precisely what I teach my students. Again, I was merely putting it out there as part of the discussion.
Your example in No. 3 is also the type of explanation I typically give, but can you tell me how the word "sorry" in the text leads you to say you don't see "regret" in the text? Can you explain the difference between "regret" and being "sorry?"
October 26, 2011 at 6:04 am
I am confused as to what your stance really is. You give support for non-omniscience and then seem to be saying that you believe He is omniscient, but not. So, since I am not sure exactly where you stand, I can't truly know if my "blasphemy" comment applies. Therefore, even though I know that once a word escapes the mouth (or in this case, fingers) you can't really take it back. And, though I did request forgiveness in advance, I again apologize for the use of such a harsh word.
As to my misquoting scripture, it seems you are using a specific translation, looks like NIV, but I am not 100% sure. Other versions read differently and, I believe, more appropriately. I'll get to that point in a moment, but I don't see you refuting the other points I made about God "realizing" Adam needed a helper, or that God was showing Adam that none of the animals were suitable, as opposed to waiting for Adam to reject them all as suitable and then "realizing" He (God) needed to make woman.
Back to the misquoting idea. You seem to be more concerned with my idea that God created the animals in front of Adam, which really is not the point we are discussing in this forum.
Your version – 18Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for[e] him." 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God HAD formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam[g] there was not found a helper fit for him."
Yes, it says "had formed," but look back at the previous verse. It says "I will make a helper fit for him." This implies future tense, which means that the animals were either made after this statement, or that they had nothing to do with being his helper, which agrees with my statement that God already knew what He was going to do.
As I mentioned, other translations read slightly differently:
NKJV – And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
KJV – 18And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
These two versions clearly indicate that, not only did God say He "will make a helper," but that the thought continues immediately after that. Still think I am wrong? Let's compare the accounts of chapter 1 and chapter 2 regarding the making of the birds.
Genesis 2:19 says:
"Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens…"
Genesis 1: 20 states:
"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."
Did you catch the difference there? Chapter 2 said God made the birds out of the ground, but chapter 1 said He made them out of the water. He made a new batch of animals in chapter 2. To refute this is to say the Bible has errors, which would destroy the Bible's credibility. The fact that He made this new batch of animals, to me, implies that He wanted to demonstrate His creative power to Adam, so that he would know (not just believe) that God is the Creator and be without excuse if he fell into Satan's temptation. This also builds upon the foundation of why it was Adam who is blamed for sin, and not Eve. However, at this point, I will concede that it does say that He "brought them" to Adam, which does slightly discount my theory that God made them "right in front of him," but that is a totally separate issue, not related to omniscience.
Back to your version, looking at verse 20.
"The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him."
This verse says that "for Adam there was not found." Adam is the one who can not find a suitable helper. It does not say that God couldn't find one. That is because God wasn't looking for one. He already knew Adam needed a helper and planned on making a woman. Look at how the NKJV puts it in both verse 18 and 20, "a helper comparable to him." The only beast that is remotely comparable physically are those in the ape family, but as I don't give any credit to the theory of evolution, I have to look at this from the Genesis 1:26-27 perspective of how God sees man,
"And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created he them."
Adam was made in God's image, after His likeness, and was given dominion over all the animals. Therefore, an animal would not have made a suitable mate. And if man had dominion, he would need to have the ability to procreate, therefore, he would need a female. God had already established procreation for all the animals, before Adam was created, therefore, he would already know that the procreation would require Him to create a female human.
As for the question regarding "regret," I was stating that the word regret is not there. Yes, the word "sorry" can imply regret, but it does not specifically say "regret" in the quotation you gave. As for the meaning, I see that it appears to be used in the manner that regret is implied, and I do not want to pretend that I know God's exact emotional feeling on this point, but is it not possible that this is a human attribute that a human author is conferring on God? There are times when our human minds cannot exactly express what God experiences, as we do not experience everything the way God does (His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts – paraphrase). We have some of His emotions, but is it possible that God has others we do not fully understand?
Also, the word "regret," or "sorry," in the sense you are reading them (which I have admitted, seems to be the way it is written), implies that God changed His mind. However, I have a problem with this idea of God experiencing a "change."
Malachi 3:6a states:
"For I am the LORD; I change not."
and Hebrews 13:8 says:
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
These two verses make me have a difficult time believing that God was sorry, regretted, or repented His decision to make man, at least in the sense that we understand these words. And if He truly regretted it, why did he let Noah and his family live? Just because they were righteous, doesn't mean their descendants would all be righteous. We as humans know that to be true, how much more so should God know. If He truly regretted it, why not just completely eliminate all humanity and either give up, or recreate us with no free will? Then, He wouldn't have to worry about "making a mistake" again.
October 26, 2011 at 6:09 pm
Boy, we are getting wordy! (Both of us, Tim.) I am going to have to read through this later, but I will say this in answer to your first question: I don't have a stance. I guess I misunderstood the point of this website. I thought "Thoughtful Christianity" was a place for us to dialogue about the big questions without just wagging fingers at each other from ideological rhetoric. I hope to have my "position" informed by our dialogue… not to have our dialogue dictated by my "position."
October 27, 2011 at 1:29 am
Haha…I was thinking the same thing…lots of words. Fair enough. I agree. I came across this website based on a search on omniscience, and didn't even pay attention to the title of the site. I believe you are correct in your understanding of the point of the site. Dialogue is better than argumentative banter. I look forward to your response, whenever you get to it. God bless.
October 27, 2011 at 2:15 am
That's how I got here, too. 🙂
October 27, 2011 at 7:26 pm
Either God is omniscient and the Bible is true, or God is not omniscient and the Bible is not true.
If the first is the case then we have some reliable evidence about our God, if the second is true we have no reliable evidence about our God.
Faith gives us the answer, and there can be only one right answer here.
October 27, 2011 at 7:33 pm
Dominic, have you read our thread? I am not sure I follow the logic that if God is not omniscient as we understand it (all-knowing, all the time, in every way, shape and form), that the Bible is automatically voided. Can you explain?
December 13, 2011 at 7:32 pm
YahWeh is complete in knowledge according to Job…One can not have COMPLETE knowledge and at the same time not know everything, otherwise his or her knowledge would be incomplete, and that would be the contradiction…..God being all knowing isn't a contradiction to His Love but it's an affirmation of His Power…He is The ALMIGHTY by His own proclamation, and He has no rhyme, or reason lie about it.. He chose us whom He foreknew before the creation and put us in Christ….That sounds like He knew ALOT before we even came to be…
December 31, 2011 at 11:17 pm
My/our knows it all
February 8, 2012 at 5:52 am
I would like to say that if God is omnipotent then the following falls out:
1. God created Adam and Eve (I agree with Neil and Eve was an afterthought.. Tim is stretching only like a Christian can)
2. God created the tree of knowledge and the apple.
3. God knew (and allowed) that Eve would eat the apple.
4. God knew that he would have to kick them out of Eden.
5. God knew that to populate the earth Adam and Eve would have to have sex with their children or their children would have to have sex with each other. (Incest… good.. are you getting this republicans?)
Let's just stop here. God created the people and created the apple and allowed them to eat it so that he could kick them out knowing the whole time what would happen? Incest. Seriously. Do you really need to read more of this book and base your life on it? Loving God? REALLY! Please think this one through. God started everything with the knowledge that he would kick us out and be sinners for life until his son comes down and then comes back. OK then. I realize that making things simple may confuse old Tim and Neil but really. It is this simple. I can go on for you if you would like?
Santorum and friends want to spew Christian hate into the White House. Do they not understand that they are a product of incest? Someone should let them know that God "allowed" it to happen. My wife says "God never intended Adam and Eve to procreate, this became necessary once they lost the Garden of Eden". If this statement is true, then my wife does not believe in God's Omnipotence. Either he knows all, sees all and hears all.. or he doesn't. Simple. Christians love to argue both sides of the equation depending on what irrational/illogical topic they are discussing and to them it is just fine that they make no sense.
February 8, 2012 at 6:00 am
Correction from above: If God is Omniscient then the following falls out…
February 8, 2012 at 8:49 am
To be blunt Bob – an unbeliever cannot understand, and will have no true insight into God's teaching in Scripture. Jesus Himself says that. As for your knowledge of Scripture, then for one, if you think that Adam and Eve ate an apple you clearly haven't read Genesis properly.
There is no argmuent to have between an unbeleiver and a beleiver – we have entirely different views of the world. We shall simply continue to present the truth to you, saying to you, "Behold, your God" (Isaiah 40:9).
February 27, 2012 at 6:46 am
Do you believe the word omniscient to mean all knowing in every way? Even to know the future? If He is omniscient in this definition, then He is incapable of free will. If one being knows the future, it cannot make its own decisions. It is in essence a "robot", forced to act in the ways it was destined to act. I do believe that God is omnipresent, has a vast, greater knowledge than our own, and knows everything about each and every person, and he can utilize those to determine the best options of operation and the right things to do. I do not believe, however, that He knows the future. I believe that He is a being of free will, so according to this logic, cannot "know" the future.
February 27, 2012 at 2:54 pm
Oh come on. Now you're simply being silly.
God created time – he is not bound by it – so concepts such as 'the future' and 'the past' are not things by which he is bound. If he is bound by time then time is greater than He is – and he ceases to be God – stuff that in your 'logic pipe' and smoke it!
February 27, 2012 at 7:48 pm
No need to get testy my friend, it's only to provoke thought. But where exactly does it say that God is outside of our realm of "time". It is a concept, but who's to say he is not bound by the same concepts. He is a perfect God, but nowhere does it say anything that you stated. You are only making assumptions.
April 10, 2012 at 1:16 am
Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were born
Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Found a very interesting statement that allows us as humans to slightly comprehend the vastness and incomprehensability.
Logically, God knowing what we are going to do does not mean that we can't do something else. It means that God simply knows what we have chosen to do ahead of time. Our freedom is not restricted by God's foreknowledge; our freedom is simply realized ahead of time by God. In this, our natural ability to make another choice has not been removed any more than my choice of what to write inside the parenthesis (hello) was removed by God who knew I would put the word "hello" in the parentheses before the universe was made. Before typing the word "hello," I pondered which word to write. My pondering was my doing and the choice was mine. How then was I somehow restricted in freedom when choosing what to write if God knew what I was going to do? No matter what choice we freely make, it can be known by God, and His knowing it doesn't mean we aren't making a free choice.
April 10, 2012 at 1:22 am
The Bible deosn't just say that God operates out of time, it goes further and states that God [basically] dwells within eternity, which time(if it were a being) cannot fathom. Time was only created so that we as humans wouldn't have to think in terms of eternity, because then our brains would probably explode.
April 10, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Thank you Ryan. Very well put.
May 15, 2012 at 11:44 am
– If God knows something will happen, then it becomes inevitable, as God's knowledge is perfect.
– If something is inevitable, or necessary, then that which is subject to the necessity cannot be blamed for its propagations.
– Therefore, in the same way that gravity is responsible for a raindrop falling to earth, not the raindrop itself, the force compelling person X to commit evil Y is responsible for the evil, not person X.
– If a necessity is responsible for evil, but the necessity itself is an accident, in this case contingent on the will of God, then that first principle by which the necessity was created is responsible for evil.
– God, therefore, is responsible for evil.
May 18, 2012 at 3:03 pm
For those debating, and to those discussing. Allow me a very small point of order. For those that claim being a Christian (As described in the Greek what a Christian is: christianos a follower of Christ, A Bible, back to front – front to back believer), it will always be hard to explain to a Non-Christian, what the Bible says about God, Christ or how we are to act around Non-Christians, that why we were givien 1 Cor 2:14. But, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. We can look to Christ as our example. Christ spoke to those around him in parables that they could understand. It's like a Christian explaining their walk with Christ, in their words to a Non-Christian. Don't be discouraged, and don't give up. God, through his Son Christ will keep working on the free will of man, so one day, they too will understand the mystery, that is God.
Not stepping on toes. All is said in Love. Kel
June 8, 2012 at 1:58 pm
Just going to say that I have looked up the first five or so and all of them have been manipulated from the original text to make them seem better
June 9, 2012 at 10:54 am
God was omniscience were as Christ was not..Thus proving the trinity is a catholic lie..If christ was God he would of known what he a had to do..He was infact recieving instruction/prophecy from God,Hence Jesus is not Almighty God..
June 17, 2012 at 11:01 pm
Wait, one question why would God repent of his own chois as in exodus he wanted too destrory his people , when moses said too God : dont do this for tghe sake of….. read exodus, he rpeneted of his choise???
think of that was that God already knowing, or did he moses changed Gods mind???
omnisecent than?
June 25, 2012 at 9:41 pm
God is all knowing, It's all about faith, without faith we cannot serve God. If God did not know everything how did Jesus – who is also God – new that Peter would deny Him and when it would happen, Jesus also knew that Judas would betray Him. He points it out to them. Although He knew this He still chose Him. We cannot catch God of guard. Why God allows certain things to happen. No man knows. God is God, ALL powerfull, knowing, eternal, full of love, the list goes on. The bible is full of scripture of who God is. He is I AM. He is also in contole and with a plan. When we read the scripture the fear of the Lord and His macnificent is revealed in our hearts through the Spirit.
None of us can really comprehend God, try thinking about eternity, We cannot understand it!! The same with allot of other things. It is IMPOSIBLE to reason out who God is with our human minds, we are limited to a certain understanding. There are certain things that we will only know when Jesus comes again.
I am sure this will be a cliche, but we were created to serve God. To bring glory to His name. Churches split because of differences that people have. My only real question to anybody is this. Do you have a living relationship with God, accepted Jesus as your personal saviour and repented of your sins. If Christ comes today or you die, where will you find yourself?
The enemy has gotten us to a point where we focus on other tings, it looks good and all. But it just keeps us busy with things. Yes certain things are important to people. And certain people are more curious about things. All good. Just live life, enjoy it and serve and seek God. Our entire purpose is found in the presence of God. For it is only when we truly find Him, bringing glory to Him through our daily living, exalting His name and being obedient to His will that we come to a stop and realize, that with in Him lies all the answers.
It is only with in Him that we find true purpose for our lives and only then do we stop running after earthly things. And that is only reachable in His precense…
Mat 6:33
Be blessed in the loving precense of our loving God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
June 28, 2012 at 5:27 pm
I constantly come against masons, atheists and agnostics. This site helped me to defend how all-knowing God is. Thank you for the verses. There are so many questions our faith must defend. "were adam and eve the first humans, how did cain marry a wife when he was alone with his parents?". So much controversy. Thank you.
July 6, 2012 at 11:46 am
we have many questions and belief me no man is able to give an answer to all our questions what is intelligence to man is foolishness to GOD HE that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh;the LORD shall have them in derision.
August 10, 2012 at 4:04 am
[…] 139:4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. (Source) What Do You Think? Courteous Opinion Always […]
August 26, 2012 at 2:03 pm
oh please… is god all knowing and all powerful?
Then he can create something that he can't know?
if he can it means that there's something he do not knows (not all knowing) if he can't he's not all powerful…
August 26, 2012 at 10:37 pm
The potter and the clay..argue all we like he is still the potter and we are but the clay, and no amount of logic will ever change that fact.. understand it or not accept it or not.. He is God and there is non other.
September 17, 2012 at 4:44 am
Give me more imformation
September 19, 2012 at 12:24 am
I believe that God is omniscient simply because of all of the other evidence. If you can believe part of the Bible, why deny one fact? If you believe you have no free will, you are wrong! God knows everything that has or ever will happen , but he does not directly dictate you to do it. If God did dictate that then the result would simply be this- You would do something and not have the ability to choose anything else, but as you live everyday life you can see that you have free will.
God is the potter and shapes yoour life, He spins it into exactly the perfect masterpiece and you are His tool to create it with, with this you can help others become "moldable clay" that can be used by Him to mold others.
That is why God is omniscient and there is no "paradox".
September 23, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Let the burden of proof fall on them that disagree God is Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent.
We just proclaim the Gospel. God gives opportunity and has already given it for people to be delivered from error. Deliverance is manifested already or still to manifest. The difference lies in what we do with the same opportunity we are given. Do we accept or do we reject the truth.
Many are called, a few are chosen. It's a matter of free-will whether one will be chosen or not.
To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.
September 24, 2012 at 8:08 am
I am slightly surprised by this comment. Did you mean to make it? "It's a matter of free-will whether one will be chosen or not." It is a clear non sequitur, or an illogical syllogism, whichever you prefer. How can it be an action of my free will for someone else to choose me?
September 24, 2012 at 9:23 am
Most definately meant to make it!
May be for clarity let me emphasize, ("their free will" i.e. refering to them to whom the opportunity is given).
Whether they will be chosen in the end is a result of choices made out of their own free-will. There is no insistence upon them from whosoever to be of a certain way. There is only an encouragement to make the right choice. There remains a consequence of the individual choice they make. They can choose the truth unto salvation or reject it unto damnation.
Being chosen is a consequence, "NOT AN ACTION" as you put it, of one's free will in this sense; "Have you aligned yourself to the terms of being made a preferred choice or not? If yes, your choice to be in alignment with the terms leads to your being chosen as acceptable.
Think of it otherwise as training to make it in a soccer team. You have a choice to train and be disciplined if those are the coach's terms, which should be the case in any serious team. If you are ill-disciplined, don't train and are found out of shape for the rigours of the game you won't make it in the final team though you had had the priviledge of being found in the training camp.
I hope this clarifies my position to you Dominic. Thanks for presenting me the opportunity to elaborate.
December 6, 2012 at 11:01 pm
im using these to win a religious debate for team athiest
January 14, 2013 at 8:49 am
I have little time for this comment.
I know full well that the poster will themselves often ask others questions to which they already know the answer. And they know full well it is done to challenge the asked to examine their consciences.
January 15, 2013 at 5:13 am
Yes, there is no need to brush off his observation just because you have no counter-argument. Either find a reason for your belief or continue to be a blind sheep. – Dominic
March 4, 2013 at 12:32 am
jordanth, God is not asking for His "Not" knowing but for them to acknowledge their sin. If we don't admit our sin we are not repentant and do not receive forgiveness… Have you ever forgiven somebody but still thought to "pay them back" that is not the way God forgives.
BUT…I too have a question. Jesus says in Matthew 24:36
But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.and is re-said basically again in Revelations 5 Amplified Bible (AMP)
5 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3 And no one in the heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon:
5 and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.
6 And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.
7 And he came, and he taketh it out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne.
If all knowing, then why doesn't Jesus know when He's returning?
April 2, 2013 at 7:06 pm
God knows everything past present and future otherwise he is not God. He created time but is not bound to it. Since we live within the bounds of time we cannot fully understand what it is to not be bound by time. Even though God knows everything past present and future that does not mean we have no free will. For instance, if you go to a restaurant i know you are going to make the choice to leave the restaurant. you can choose to stay in the restaurant but i know that you will make the choice to leave. do you still have free will? yes. did i know what choice you were going to make? yes. granted as with all illustrations this is flawed but it helps show the concept that even if someone knows with absolute certainty what you are going to do you still made the choice of your own will. another example is if you went forward into time and saw someone choose to run a red light. when you go back in time (assuming you changed nothing) that person will run the red light of their own free will but you knew it was going to happen that way. basically even though God knows the future we still make the choices we do of our own free will. we cannot blame God for the sins we commit because He did not cause us to sin, we did. I also need to point out that i do not believe that God does not work here on earth, praise God He does! And that is it by God's grace we are saved through faith!
June 24, 2013 at 4:34 pm
it is so wonderful that our God is so real and so loving and so forgiving and full of mercy.
June 30, 2013 at 9:18 pm
[…] or the Bible to tell me that, yes indeed, Christ was omniscient as it does with God the Father. (Fellow Blogger's List, most convincingly, 1 John 3:20) I mean, if God really is omniscient, then why not say so outright […]
November 9, 2013 at 6:14 am
if god is all-knowing then why would he need Abraham to prove his faith by attempting to sacrifice Isaac? i find it hard to believe that a book so open to interpretation would be that of an omniscient being – albeit through TEXT. a god willing to play games with people should not make you feel warm and fuzzy inside awaiting a so-called afterlife. religion is a philosophy of ignorance.
November 9, 2013 at 9:07 am
It is most kind of you to join this discussion – albeit months after we have moved on. However, your conjecture that the one true God, Father, Son & Spirit, leaves us feeling 'warm and fuzzy inside' is so far from the truth that it is clear that you are not a Christian yourself. Your disagreement with those who are Christian is therefore based in rejection of the truth, rather than acceptance.
I do not tell others how they should feel about Manchester United FC, nor do I insult them by calling them ignorant, simply because I do not agree with them. Please show a little more respect to others when you choose to join a forum talk about God and His nature.
The simple answer to your question is that Abraham is not omniscient – so whether or not God knows Abraham's response is irrelevant – Abraham is the one being tested. Abraham does not know what he 'will do', nor does he pre-know any of the events. He is, therefore, being tested in his faith.
(I do not feel warm and fuzzy about having eternal life to come, because I still have time to live here – among unbelievers, who, because I believe in the true God, Father Son & Spirit, and because I believe His Word, the Holy Bible, will do everything they can to make sure my time here is not warm and fuzzy).
January 23, 2014 at 3:21 pm
This is where false doctrine come from; not saying God is not "omniscience", but the word is not stated in the Bible, it is a word that "man" made and not God. God is infinite in all things, but He is not "scientific" as omniscience says He is "omni" + "science".
Science, for the most part, is the work of atheists and I hate the word for this reason.
February 15, 2014 at 4:27 pm
The true definition of science is "the state of knowing" so if God is all knowing than the word science fits.
The secularist have hijacked the word "science" and redefined it to mean something else.
February 23, 2014 at 7:42 pm
The concepts of free will and an Omniscient being simply cannot co-exist. Either god is omniscient and there is no such thing as free will, or there is free will and god is not omniscient. Both CANNOT be true. The only way that god could possibly predict your actions and still maintain free will is if his predictions are not 100% accurate…but then he wouldn't be omniscient would he.
February 23, 2014 at 8:53 pm
God is not bound by 'time' – He created it, ad lives outside it. Therefore, He does not 'predict' anything. He simply knows, and because He created all people then He knows what all people will and have done.
He knows what we will choose, and He knows that you will reject His omniscience – He also knows every person who will be saved, as the Bible says.
If the Bible is inaccurate in this then it is untrustworthy in anything and everything, and we have no knowledge of God that we can rely on, so why do we bother at all? For everything is then merely guesswork. But in fact God loves all men, so He reveals Himself, and He reveals an omniscient and sovereign self to us.
February 23, 2014 at 9:49 pm
You answered it for yourself – there is no way to know who God is. Take that further – if it even exists or if existence itself is a God. By the way, that mentality plays into the Bible. It's a matter on if you want to worship reality or not, but we all play into that in our own way. Also, time isn't a thing, it's a measurement. God couldn't live outside of time.
February 24, 2014 at 8:52 am
Ok, I get it – you're a god-denier – which you didn't have the grace to make clear in your first comment. Those who believe in God (because He is), also believe in His revelation of Himself, which includes omniscience. If you deny God why on earth are you bothering arguing about one aspect of His being? Rather troll-like.
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April 16, 2014 at 11:45 am
Genesis 6:6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
Can God really foresee man's personal actions if He gave him free will? God did foretell of the 400 years in Egypt because He took control of it.
God allows us to seek our own destiny, but the ultimate outcome is His – we can choose life or we can choose death.
May 7, 2014 at 11:26 am
If god is omniscient and wanted the fall to occur as C. Smith suggested. Then God told Adam not to eat from the tree but actually wanted him to. This definitely doesn't seem like a very godly thing to do. And if god didn't want the fall to occur why did he make Satan? I've always believed god is omniscient up until tonight I've just started questioning it. Maybe god couldn't comprehend sin until Satan fell. So he made us with intentions for perfection and goodness but Satan just messed it up. This would mean god isn't omniscient which seems most likely to be true. Maybe he knows everything now but before Satan fell he didn't?
May 7, 2014 at 3:29 pm
Denver, have you looked at the idea of "freewill"? God will allow you to do anything you want and that is where the rub comes in with omniscient. My suggestion is to look at prophesy and what has occurred and what is to occur. If you can look at the current condition of the world and ignore the following verses, then I would agree that God is not omniscient:
Gen 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every intent of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.
Matt 24:37 "But as the days of Noah [were,] so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
38 "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39 "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
July 9, 2014 at 2:43 am
First. Not one of the verses the author listed, support in anyway that God is Knows the future.
I am not a believer in Gods omniscience, but it is not because omniscience and free will cannot coexist. I believe they can coexist. I liken this proposed paradox to God already having watched the video tape ahead of the events that will occur on this earth. God watching that vidoeo does not require anyone to abandon their free will as they go through their life experiences. God would just be an observer in the video that shows the choices that we will make.
Here's the big question and an anology I like to use regarding this matter.
What could possibly be in it for our God to know the future, and decisions that each person will make? The analogy goes like this. If when your first child was born, the Dr. handed you a DVD and told both you and your wife that the DVD contains every second of your child's life beginning with that day and concludes with your child's death. Would you watch that DVD? I know you'd be curious, but would you actually put that in your player.
I think the answer for most of us is a resounding "No!". If we did, it would rob us of all of the anticipation of what will occur in our child's life. If tragedy was to befall our child prematurely, it would be horrific to know that in advance. In the same way, I can't fathom a God who would want to know these details. Again, what would be in it for Him? If He already knows all outcomes of His creation, then Why go through the whole experiment?
That does not restrict God from deciding when He might close shop by concluding the earths activity and I believe He does have a plan to do that. That's not Him knowing the future, but rather knowing that giving us our beloved free will would eventually create enough chaos that at some point will not be tolerable for Him.
July 9, 2014 at 8:11 am
You want a verse that talks of God knowing the future? Simples.
Eph 2:10 – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
July 9, 2014 at 1:22 pm
Isaiah 46:10King James Version (KJV)
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
July 10, 2014 at 1:10 am
Dominic and El, I fail to take anything away from the verses you cited that indicates anything close to God knowing in advance the details of our future thoughts, actions, or world events.
July 10, 2014 at 9:49 am
Dear Open,
If you cannot see the logic failure in what you have said in response to the two Biblical quotations we have said then there is nothing to be gained from debating with you.
July 10, 2014 at 10:38 am
Assuming you have a Bible, try reading Daniel, Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 and all of Revelation. Prophecy is the basis for God – He tells us the future so that we may escape His wrath.
Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old, For I [am] God, and [there is] no other; [I am] God, and [there is] none like Me,
10 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,'
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken [it;] I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed [it;] I will also do it.
July 10, 2014 at 3:14 pm
Thanks for your comments. As I mentioned in my first post, without any foreknowledge of future events, God has the right and can decide ahead of time, or at anytime, to intervene. I interpret the verses that you listed as God stating the things that He will carry out, which says nothing about His foreknowledge of the deatails of every persons actions. God can tell us through His word that He plans to destroy the world and have Jesus return, but that doesn't even remotely suggest that He has knowledge about every future event or the decisions that His creation will make.
Please tell me what could possibly be in it for a Creator (God) to know the future actions of His creation? Not sure if you have children or not, but would you want to know every detail of your childs lfe, every action and thought they would ever have, all the way to the day they die, all in advance from the day they were born? It would destroy all of the your anticipation of the unknown events (Good and Bad) that you would observe in those moments with your child.God took a risk when He gave us our free will. With that risk, He purposley gave up His ability to know exactly the decisions we will make. If He does have foreknowledge of every future thought and action of His creation, then it seems to me that there is nothing to be gained by God. It's like doing a science experiment and knowing the results in advance. What would be the purpose of that?
I'm of the opinion that it brings sadness (in the moment and not by foreknowledge) to God when we choose wrong. Likewise, I think it brings Him joy (at that moment becuase He is observing the event as it unfolds) when we choose to follow Him.
July 10, 2014 at 3:45 pm
How can God look forward and intervene if He does not foreknowledge? If something has already taken place, then it is too late to intervene.
Man has freewill and God will allow that to continue, but He has all foreknowledge of what man will do or He could not "declare the end from the beginning":
Isa 46:10 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,'
July 10, 2014 at 4:33 pm
Here in lies the reason for so many debates over our supposed inerrant scriptures. We simply have our own bias towards what we want to believe. That bias comes from the influences of our exposure to other peoples spiritul interpretation during our upbringing, our life experiences, and our own thinking processes as adults. We then align our interpretation of scripture with our feeble understanding of God. You interpret God "declaring the end from the begining" as His foreknowledge of knowing every detail and every action in between. I interpret it as He knows what He created in the begining and He will know every future event as they happen until the day He decides to end all of it.
This explains the reasoning behind the fact that there are more than 2,300 known different sects of Christianity, all with some variation of interpretation of scripture.
July 10, 2014 at 4:49 pm
So you don't believe the Bible is inerrant, but that it has to be interpreted. Your right, that is where sects come from, but only one is Christian, the rest are heretical.
September 6, 2014 at 4:29 pm
But Why Did God Regrate Ever Creating The People Of Sodom And Gomora?
September 6, 2014 at 5:37 pm
It is because God makes mistakes. The definition of perfect that man has created is flawed. None of us even know what perfect is. But it most certainly does not include not making mistakes. It is shown time and time again that God does make mistakes and has to correct them in the end. Look at Adam and Eve, the existence of Lucifer, Sodom and Gomorah, and the existence of humanity to start the list out.
September 6, 2014 at 6:34 pm
God does not make mistakes, man does; God gave man freewill and man abuses it.
September 6, 2014 at 7:28 pm
Matt 5:48 "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
September 18, 2014 at 2:46 am
[…] isn't God all knowing and there are so many verses in the bible that can back up that God is all knowing and all powerful. So to me the only logical answer that makes sense is that God entrusted them and they disobeyed […]
October 21, 2014 at 8:01 pm
The greatest reason I know that God is more real than anything we experience on this earth is that His Holy Spirit exists in my heart. It is by the Holy Spirit that I know the truth, and I received the Holy Spirit when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I will forever praise the God Almighty, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who created the universe. Yes! The God who poured His grace upon me, an awful sinner. Thank you Father, I say in the Name of Jesus Christ.
January 3, 2015 at 6:18 am
I have wrestled with many things and generated many questions about God. Some of the more important ones include; why would God lower his protection on Job his faithful servant so that Satan could do horrible things to Job and his family? Why does God have to create a competition with Satan to begin with? Would I lower my protection on my family so that evil could do horrible things to my family? I think not….how would you call me a loving father if I did such a thing? That story alone makes me feel like humankind was created just for the purpose of a competition between Satan and God (a battle for the ultimate prize…the soul). Another question would be is why God allowed Satan and man to be in each other's presence. If this is a dispute between God & Satan, what does man have to do with that and why didn't God just do away with Satan and his fallen angels when that revolt happened? It's been suggested by many that God allows for free will, that he doesn't want "robots". although the bible does not state that anywhere. That appears to be a supposition. I don't believe I have free will just for the simple fact no one asked me if I wanted to be put on this earth let alone be born. What we may have is the ability to think how we want, at least we would like to think we have that….there's no way of knowing for sure if what you think is by your own choosing. I once asked a friend who had been married for many years if he ever cheated or considered cheating on his wife. His answer was "absolutely not, because I know what I have is good, I wouldn't want to screw it up". If I went along with the notion that we have freewill, why would we even need freewill if God knows that he's good and the best thing for us? We would know that and would not want to screw it up. If I have an apple pie, I don't need to try a squash pie to know what I have is better. Im already happy and content with what I have. I don't need a choice.
So many questions with no answers: for example why was God sorry he created mankind?, the bible says he repented. If he is all knowing than he would have already known what man was going to do. Why was the penalty for disobeying God about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil so harsh (death)? And how would Adam & Eve comprehend what death is if they had never witnessed it? Interestingly they could have touched or eaten of the tree of life…..that's the first tree I would have run to before going to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That sure sounds like it was by design. Speaking of the penalty, who said Jesus had to be crucified for mankind to be saved. I guess that's God's rule, but then so once Jesus defeated death and rose from the dead, then why wasn't that the end of Satan? I asked a friend one time about Sodom & Gomorrah why God destroyed it…and we both agreed because the bible says that they would not repent and were wicked in their ways. And I said " would you agree with me that Satan is at least as wicked as those people"? and his response was "oh yeah, even more so". My question then is: God destroyed them, why is Satan still around? and what about when Jesus rules for 1000 years, the bible says then Satan gets loosed for a while. No telling how long a while is, but for what reason? so we can go through this all over again?. One more thought on the people who say we have freewill. when Jesus rules and reigns do we then become robots and lose our freewill? or do we lose it when we get to heaven?
On to the questions of faith: I have studied the concept of faith deeply. There are many references to faith, belief and trust in the bible. The bible tells us that if you have the faith of a mustard seed that you can move mountains. Although I have not attempted to move any mountains, I have had plenty of life experiences to examine the concept of faith, and I have witnessed others with incredible faith with no results. Life experiences are the only way we can measure the concept of faith. I have known a number of situations where people have had unshaken faith when it comes to a healing of a family member and yet that person died. I've seen it in health, marriage, financial situations you name it. I have concluded that the amount of faith, trust and or belief makes no difference if it's not God's will. Then why are we taught that it does make a difference? You can have all the faith possible and still not see the outcome you believed for. On the other hand you can not have faith and something does happen: for example, the Lord said that Sarah was going to have a baby. not only didn't she believe it, but she laughed about it. Yet it still happened.
There are so many more things that could be covered. Lately I have been wondering about life in general. Most of my life is behind me. Im starting to think what was it all for…why even try to be anything or do anything in this world. you're just going to lose it all when you die. I don't think in the next life you'll be talking about how you were an attorney from Dallas or a Salesman from Tacoma. Who's going to care, and what difference is it going to make? I don't even know why we get attached to anything in this world. If I love Jazz music, most likely Im never going to hear it again after I leave this world. if someone loves football, it would seem your not going to play it or watch it on TV in heaven. It will kinda be like your life here never really happened.
My conclusions are that Im more confused from reading the bible. Many years ago when I didn't read the bible, I just assumed that good and evil has always existed and that mankind screwed up….but I guess I was going on the assumption that God did not know what was going to happen in advance…and that would make it more understandable or acceptable. After reading and pondering for many years I realized that if God is really omniscient then God knew in advance, and he approved it. It must be exactly the way he wanted it to be otherwise he had the power to make it differently. He has to be completely in control still of everything that's ever happened and everything that ever will happen otherwise he would not be God. It continues to be confusing and I welcome your feedback.
January 3, 2015 at 11:36 am
Romans 9:20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed [it], "Why have you made me like this?"
January 4, 2015 at 6:59 pm
I feel ya JT.
I'm currently writing a book about many of the subjects that you mentioned in your post.
For me, we do have free will after we enter this world. You're correct that you had no say in your parents decision to bring you into this world, but after that, it's all about your free willed choices.
There is not a God who is active in This earth today. There are however, people on this earth who are inspired by Gods loving sacrifice through Jesus, who act as his hands and feet. We can pretend that God is manipulating all of our circumstances but that's not really anyone's reality. He's not healing cancers or providng jobs or great parking spaces at the mall. Jesus confirmed this when he told Thomas that he was blessed to have been able to witness the miracle of His resurrection but those after that time would be even blessed more by not witnessing anything.
There are many who stand on the "name it and claim it" verses where Jesus claimed that we can get anything we ask for when we have faith during our prayers. But, that was meant only for those who were in Jesus's presence at that time. Those verses do not apply to us today.
After Gods gracious gift through Jesus, and the written word being provided, we live by grace and not miracles.
When it comes to foreknowledge , I always ask myself, what would be the purpose for God in this whole life experiment , if He already knew what we would choose to do? If He already knows all of our future actions, what's really in it for Him? It would be like watching a movie for the second time which would not give God His deserved anticipation of Joy or sorrow when we make our good or bad choices. It's along the same line as your reference to God supposedly feeling sorry that he ever created mankind. Was he feeling sorry only after His observation as mankind committed thier sins, or did He feel sorry about what was going to happen even before He created the earth because He already knew that we would sin?
January 5, 2015 at 9:15 am
Your argument might hold more cogency if you didn't say Jesus said that "those after that time would be even blessed more by not witnessing anything". This is an alteration to what he said, enlarging his original words way beyond what he in fact said. If we are to argue from Scripture we must argue from what it actually says. What that verses actually says is "Blessed are those who believe without seeing ME" – which is an entirely different thing.
January 5, 2015 at 11:03 am
D Stockford, Amen, what we have here is a couple of non-believers who question the right of God to do His will.
January 5, 2015 at 6:00 pm
Roger, I can't speak for others, but I'm certainly not a "Non-believer", as you've suggested. I also do not question the right of God to do His will. In saying that, for me, God's will is displayed on this earth everyday by the events that actually occur – but not by His direct hand. Many of these events may not be His desires, but they must be his will -or He would have changed the outcome. His will is to allow man their free choices which allows for horrific acts by mankind as well as the random events that naturally occur. 55,000 people are killed each year in car accidents. These accidents are not ordained by God, but must be His will. A plane crash does not have a sin cause and neither do earthquakes or tornadoes, but if He is really all powerful and could change the outcomes, they must be His will. If the Holocaust was not His will, he would have stopped it. Picture a two year old who will die today from cancer as it's parents fervently pray to God for healing. Would you not agree that it must be God's will? Again, God's will it that He allows man to make his free choices, along with the random events that occur outside of man's control (natural disasters, Childhood cancer deaths, etc.). His will is to allow everything.
Too many people want to pretend there's a God who takes care of His people with miraculous interventions, but I see no validity to stories like that. Miracle claims are made by millions everyday. If their stories are true, then we have a God of favoritism. If Johnny really got his job directly from God as he claims after prayerful request, then what are we to say for those 6 million Jews that were wiped from this earth or the 230,000 who were wiped from the earth in the 2004 Tsunami?
There is a creator. There is a Jesus who died for our salvation. That Jesus performed miracles to provide evidence that He was who he said He was. John 10: 37-38 NIV "37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." He doesn't act that way anymore because He has suspended the miracle workings and has replaced it with His grace and His written word. Now we need to take Him on His word that He is who He said He was.
Even though God may be the same eternal entity in character, He has not acted out the same way throughout time. All one needs to do is look around and see the massive suffering that is occurring on this earth. Check out (Google) the CDC numbers from 2013. 20,000 people die each and every day (Yes, each DAY) from either malnutrition or from unclean water. There is not a God who provides manna from the heavens for these poor souls. There are no miracles coming their way. That is why I cannot bring myself to thank God for my food. If I gave God the credit for my cheeseburger today, I'd be charging Him with favoritism over the 20,000 who will take their last breath in the desert. Certainly, I'm not all that special in the eys of the creator that He would see that I am fed while others are not. I was diagnosed with a a form of blood cancer about 9 years ago that unfortunately is rapidly moving in the wrong direction. I cannot bring myself to ask God to solve this problem for two reasons:
1. I don't think that God acts in this world today and it does not affect my love for Him.
2. I would be standing on the premise that God would care more for me that than the millions who are suffering much more than I am.
God has given us life through the first two created humans, His laws, and His amazing Grace. There's nothing more to need for anyone (the 20,000 who will perish today in the African desert, or the person sitting in his office with blood cancer) who freely chooses to accept that grace.
January 5, 2015 at 6:12 pm
You do question God in almost every word you utter. To even set and wonder why God does things is questioning him, that is why I used Rom 9:20, only unbelievers do this. If you want to come into God's grace, then accept what happens and don't even think about it. God is righteous and everything He does is righteous – He sits up kings and He tears down kingdoms and it is not our right to question it.
January 5, 2015 at 8:47 pm
Roger, The verse you quote really has nothing to do with my plight. I'm not questioning God. I'm questioning man's interpretation of what the biblical authors wrote in the cannon. You have your interpretation of the same scriptures and I have mine. Who are you to say that your's is above mine?
I'm allowing reality to meet what is written in the Bible and calling out our misinterpretations and pious rituals when they do not meet. I'm using what we know and understand in todays world and attempting as best I can to reconcile it with the bronze aged authors of the Bible. I assume you are one who takes every word or story from the Bible literally. If so, this leaves all of what you read up for your interpretation. It also leaves you open to misinterpretation from your local pastor or from your human bible study groups. Is it any wonder as to why we have over 2,000 different sects of Christian faiths- and all because of different interpretations of the same scripture? Do you purport to know exactly how to interpret the Bible that is right in the way that God supposedly intended it to be?
Evidently, you have used your logic and reasoning to determine that Jesus is the true God of this universe and have used that same reasoning to discredit the other world religions. Certainly you must have questioned those other religious belief systems so that you could use your sound judgment to take your Christian position. In the same way, I hope that you have at least tackled the hard questions that surround the Christian faith structure. If you haven't, then I'm afraid you're just another follower who is willing to be led anywhere. A real faith in anything requires doubts and questions and is tested. To me, anything short of that is just a blind faith that shoves the items in question to be pushed under the proverbial rug.
I'm not saying that we have to have all the answers. I'm saying that there are many answers given by the majority of Christians that do not meet most peoples realities. If Christians claim every word and concept in the Bible is true, then I'm going to hold it to that standard. If reality (not just mine but for the general populous) does not intersect with the bible, then we need to find interpretations that do make them meet in the same place – even if they are not "feel good" positions.
Since Jesus told us that we will receive "whatever" we ask for in prayer, if we believe, it will be so, are you one to believe that this is applicable to us today? We know that this is not true for any us today and it really has nothing to do with God's will. No one is literally moving mountains with their faith. God is allowing everything and I'm ok with that. He's allowing my blood cancer and He's allowing 20,000 to starve on a daily basis. This is reality. I think it's up to us to do our best to remedy the suffering of our fellow brothers on this earth in the areas we are capable of. God's not doing anything about it and I think we need to come to that understanding. Some things we can do (alleviating Starvation, helping the elderly, loving our neighbor ) and other things for like many forms of cancer, we can't do anything about. Praying for safety from an oncoming tornado is simply foolish. God is not moving tornado's away from those who pray anymore than for those who do not pray. Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people.
If we really want to do our best to have the Bible be true, we're going to need to do some adjusting to our way of thinking / interpreting. When we come to the understanding that God is not active on this earth, we not only free ourselves of the false hope that He might provide miraculous help, but we also free God from what so many have interpreted as His promises to be there for us on this earth. God no longer has any false liability for the horrific things that occur, by anyone's standards, here on this earth. When we falsely believe that He takes care of us during our earthly existence, and He doesn't, we're not going to ask Him why He didn't help us. He's got our back, but only as it relates to our salvation. He does not have our back in the physical realm of the here and now. All of the earthly pretending isn't going to change that reality.
We can still Love God for what He did for us and we can rest assured that our salvation is sealed. We can live freely for our God knowing that the chains of our sins have been removed. We can also actively be His hands and feet on this earth. This is my reality.
January 5, 2015 at 9:41 pm
I am also not an "unbeliever" as suggested. I am not questioning God's authority or his will. Im simply trying to understand why there seems to be anomalies for example: Jesus said in Mathew 16:28 "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom" KJV. Obviously all those people have died. so what does that really mean? Where did Cain find his wife since there was only himself and Adam & Eve? Where is the part about other people being on the Earth and how did they come about? It is very plain that prayers are answered according to God's will, Jesus states that. My question was regarding faith. Obviously the two references about having the faith of a mustard seed uprooting a tree or moving a mountain is not necessarily literal, rather than it's a parable and the lesson being that nothing will be impossible to you. In fact that's what scripture says. I have known people to have this immeasurable & unshaken faith yet not receive the result they believed for. So If faith is similar to prayer and God only responds to faith according to his will….than why are those versus there and why isn't it made clear that God only responds to faith according to his will, like it is clear about prayer? One person commented about another respondents by claiming he used an "alteration" of what Jesus said. My question would be which one of hundreds of translations and versions of the bible just in English alone is the correct one to read? It would seem that unless you have the original word for word inspired writing from the Holy Spirit, that you are reading something has been added to or taken away from. Is it wrong to ask questions….for the purpose of better understanding? God gave everybody ( or most anyway ) a brain capable of analytical thought. To not want to try and understand scripture or God even more would make us the "puppets" or "robots" that many claim God doesn't want us to be….wouldn't it? That's why there are things like Mayflies, they hatch, live long enough to lay eggs, then fly off and die in a matter of hours. This doesn't need to be a bash session, although there are always going to be some who think they know everything about God and everything else. Why not use this forum to be productive and to try and enhance growth and understanding?
January 5, 2015 at 10:44 pm
Mathew 16:28: Mark 16:19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God (NKJV). Read all of Mark 16 and Acts 1:1-10.
The answers are all there, it just takes some understanding. One thing that should be stayed away from is when you hear someone say "I believe" because they are about to make statements that they cannot backup with scripture. Another problem is some try to twist scripture with "interpretation" – read the scripture for what it says and don't add to or take from what it says. Don't know if you have a Bible software program or not, but check out theWord.com, it is an excellent program and free that comes with the KJV. I also suggest the NKJV (not free) because it is easier to read. Stay away from the modern translations, they are from Westcott-Hort Greek and it is perverted.
The questioning of God is when we start to question why some die and others do not, or why diseases strike some and not others – this is God's work and not open to discussion.
January 5, 2015 at 10:55 pm
John, here is more confirmation of Mark 16:19: John 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."
January 6, 2015 at 8:52 pm
Roger, you wrote, "The questioning of God is when we start to question why some die and others do not, or why diseases strike some and not others – this is God's work and not open to discussion.".
I would like to know from your comment if you're suggesting that God is controlling and or determining (your term, "God's work") when or if each of us will contract a terminal illness or be killed by a drunk driver? It sounds like your saying that the 20,000 who will starve to death today are at the mercy of God's decision to make it so. Are you suggesting that God directed the misquotes to infect the 627,000 who died last year from malaria? Are you saying a two year old child who will die today from leukemia was caused by "God's Work" or would you just say that she randomly or genetically contracted that disorder and medical technology was unable to save her? Nobody is relying on God alone to save them from any illness. When there is a medical emergency and 911 dispatches an ambulance, the patient never requests the ambulance driver to take them to a pastor for prayer before going to the ER. We all have way more faith in our medical technology than we do in God solving our problems. That's why those who can afford health insurance, pay for it.
God has chosen to remove Himself from the events of this earth. It's not that God can;t intervene. He chooses not to. He is neither responsible for causing anyone's hardship, nor does He come to the rescue of anyone. If one suggests that God does pick and choose who He will help "God's work", then once again we are left with a God of favoritism.
If my premise that God is not active is correct, then God bears no responsibility in the outcomes of the life or death events that occur here daily. What evidence does anyone have that God is feeding the starving? Will you tell me that God is mysteriously and secretly feeding a lot more people and the 20K number would be much higher, but we just aren't aware of it? Or, are you suggesting that God has decided not to feed them at that's just His business? They're not being fed.
It's humanly natural for us to ask why bad things happen to some and not others. When there is a known cause for an event we can learn and understand from it. That doesn't mean someone is questioning God. It means that we are observing the events of our world and trying to make sense of them. We are also trying to reconcile these events with what the bible has to tell us about God's character or His supposed actions. When someone contracts lung cancer, the first thing we want to know is if that person was a smoker, because we want to confirm statistically if that person was at a higher risk. We don't think God inflicted lung cancer on that person because it was "God's work", whether the person was a smoker or not. We live in a cause and effect world and all of us try to make sense it.
We also have the picture and characterization of God's wrath from the OT, and His love from the NT.
Most Christians want to believe from the supposed promises of Jesus that He'll help us in times of trouble. They want to believe it because it makes them feel good as well as safe and protected. It may have been true when He walked this earth but it cannot be the case after He ascended. God loves us, but not with His active hand. He doesn't physically intervene to help us like a good earthly father would do for his child. That shouldn't deflate or love for Him. He fully demonstrated His love for us on that cross and that alone should be enough for us. Didn't Paul teach us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." ? There's no helping hand coming from the sky and the sooner we accept that the better off we'll be.
From time to time I reflect on that song I sang in my Sunday School class as child:
Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red yellow black and white
They're all precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
He may love the little children, but not the same way we love our children.
Can you imagine what it would be like if we Skype'd a Sunday School class singing that song today, onto big screens in the African plains as the African children were laying on their death beds? God might love them, but not by feeding them. This shouldn;t be "God's works". It should be our works to remedy this horrific problem.
The pleasures and Sufferings of this earth are not the ongoing "Works of God".
January 6, 2015 at 9:09 pm
Romans 9:20 says it all when questioning God about anything. I am not going to read your entire novel, it is a waste of time. If God is controlling an event, and you do not know if He is or not, then we do not question the potter who made us – Romans 9:21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
So if you want to question God, read Job 38.
January 6, 2015 at 9:15 pm
"How frail is humanity!
How short is life, how full of trouble!
We blossom like a flower and then wither.
Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.
Must you keep an eye on such a frail creature
and demand an accounting from me?
Who can bring purity out of an impure person?
No one!
You have decided the length of our lives.
You know how many months we will live,
and we are not given a minute longer."
Job 14:1-5
The Bible.
God's Word
About life and its length.
January 6, 2015 at 9:28 pm
So Dominic, you're saying that because Job's opinion that God knows exactly when we will die, implies that God does know this information? These are supposedly Job's thoughts / words, not God's words.
January 6, 2015 at 9:32 pm
"My times are in thy hand"
Psalm 31:15
January 6, 2015 at 9:33 pm
"If a man die, shall he live [again]? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come."
Job 14:14
January 6, 2015 at 9:34 pm
"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word"
Luke 2:29
January 6, 2015 at 9:35 pm
"LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am."
Psalm 39:4
January 7, 2015 at 9:58 am
"Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your Word."
Luke 1:38
January 13, 2015 at 12:50 pm
this verses are very knowledgeable i got so much knowledge from the verse and our god is increbible great i thank you so much and god bless you
March 4, 2015 at 5:02 pm
[…] https://thoughtfulfaith.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/ten-bible-verses-god-is-omniscient […]
April 29, 2015 at 2:35 am
I really enjoyed reading, to God be the glory amen
June 1, 2015 at 8:19 am
I am just trying to get closer to god i always bealived in him but never nurished my knowelge of him or givin my time the way i sould and i know i feel guilty for it every day life consumes me i wish to be closer to him and give my time showing him im worthy im afraid that there is a few things in my life i know is not holy i am not sure how to find strenth to be strong and vhange them i want it but i am fighting myself at this moment any advice
June 1, 2015 at 8:31 am
1. Keep your faith simple and straight-forward to start with. Don't want to run in the faith before you can walk in the faith – God is there and will help you, let Him lead you.
2. Please don't feel guilty. There is no Christian alive, or gone before us, and that includes Paul the Apostle, who thinks that they have achieved all they 'should have done'.
3. Look for God in the 'ordinary stuff of life' – he gave you that 'ordinary stuff' to do just as He may have given you more obviously Christian stuff to do.
4. In Jesus Christ we are more than conquerors, no matter how we might feel our own weakness at times.
June 1, 2015 at 9:27 am
Matt 22:36 "Teacher, which [is] the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38 "This is [the] first and great commandment.
39 "And [the] second [is] like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
June 3, 2015 at 5:47 pm
God is not only Omniscient, God is Omnipresent, and Omnipotent. Smith has it and the people who think like him. this knowledge is given to man through God. Holy Samarai and people who think like him are closed minded and are still knowing God at a physical /Omnipresent level. Do not argue or get upset about it. We first get to know go at a Omnipresent level, then at an Omnipresent/Scientific level, then Omnipotent/Spiritual level and this is how God say we must worship, in SPIRIT& TRUTH. There is more too, but we must be openminded.
June 3, 2015 at 7:58 pm
Ummm? What? Sorry, that is, to me, babble. Confusing and unclear.
June 30, 2015 at 12:23 am
So God knew Adam and Eve would mess up? He even created them to mess up?
June 30, 2015 at 12:41 am
I personally do not know the whole story about God's goal other than that we were created for Jesus' pleasure: Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (KJV).
As you probably know we were created with free will and if we have free will, I don't think God is influencing all of us and an example of this free will is God testing Abraham: Genesis 22:1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." (NKJV)
Another case of God forcing someone to do something is this: Romans 9:17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." (NKJV). Read Romans 9:15-24.
It appears that God does use some people, but other are free to do their own will.
June 30, 2015 at 1:12 am
Alright that makes more sense that it's for his pleasure. I don't think I've seen that before.
June 30, 2015 at 1:24 am
Like everything else, different versions of the Bible have words rendered according to the person doing the interpretation. In the case of the word pleasure in the kJV. The NKJV renders it this way: Rev 4:11 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." and replaces "pleasure" with "Your will". The translation of the word in Strong's is:
– Original: θέλημα
– Transliteration: Thelema
– Phonetic: thel'-ay-mah
– Definition:
1. what one wishes or has determined shall be done
a. of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ
b. of what God wishes to be done by us
1. commands, precepts
2. will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure
– Origin: from the prolonged form of G2309
– TDNT entry: 03:52,3
– Part(s) of speech: Noun Neuter
June 30, 2015 at 2:47 am
Bob then I'm lost again haha. Pleasure seems totally not accurate.
June 30, 2015 at 8:58 am
I now understand why you do not know why God created us, you do not read, you only assume. Do you not see the word "pleasure" in this line:
2. will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure.
I don't care what you call me, but you did not even read my name. Stop making unfounded comments, get your Bible out and go into a quiet room and read, read and read some more. Read the same passage 10 times until you understand it.
June 30, 2015 at 12:28 pm
Michael, you seem to me to be lost because you do not understand the meaning of 'pleasure'. When 'pleasure' is taken in something it is because it accords with the will of the person taking 'pleasure'. grater understanding of the real meaning of words helps enormously in understanding Scripture, especially given that the word is translated from the Hebrew, in which it means so much more than the paucity of meaning we give words today.
June 30, 2015 at 12:28 pm
'Greater', not 'grater. Sorry.
September 2, 2015 at 6:58 pm
Yes, in His name is greater than thazt
November 4, 2015 at 5:39 am
If God is all knowing then how do you explain free will and the evil of this earth why did He not stop
November 4, 2015 at 10:59 am
You have picked a subject that most do not understand. Jesus is the hope of mankind, but He will not be forced on us, we must freely accept Him. We are here and being tested on an individual basis and our final destination will be based on the test. Adam and Eve had free will and so does all of mankind. God is all knowing in that He knows man's desires of the flesh (1 John 2:16) and what his ultimate outcome will be, that is how we can have prophesy come true. Evil is man's doing and God will not interfere and remove man's free will, it is all part of the test.
November 17, 2015 at 3:20 am
Sounds like some messed up game. Because of the "free will" we were given by God, Adam and Eve chose to eat from the tree for their pleasure; it was their desire. God knew they would do that, yet somehow (when man wrote down in the Bible the story), they perceived that out of God's wrath, Adam and Eve were banned from the garden (like God was pissed off?). Why would God put us here when we could be in heaven? This seems like a prison. Of course I want to go to heaven but when I look around, I see no one resurrecting and ascending into heaven, nor do I see any healing of the sick or immunity to poison– everyone is descending into darkness. Perhaps the most blasphemous thing that man could say would be that the idea of God or creators is only because of our perception of life and our fear of death- a primitive mindset… Sorry bout that "Bob" BTW idk what that was supposed to be.
November 17, 2015 at 3:26 am
I really wish I could edit that. Sorry if there's any confusion.
November 17, 2015 at 3:36 am
… and I do know that "love" as we know (at least in America) today is just the provision of life…. we "love" video games because it creates a reality for us where we cannot die. We may "love" our family because they provide security for us. But that's all it is. It is selfish love. True unselfish love, I do not know exists. There is always (in any case that I've seen) an expectation from the other end. Every bit of "love" has to do with "can you provide me life somehow, or at least comfort my fear of death?"
November 17, 2015 at 11:15 am
Romans 9:20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed [it], "Why have you made me like this?"
November 19, 2015 at 3:44 am
First off thank you, but i have a lot of questions– dunno how much patience uou have, and trying to keep mind of others in this "forum" (or whatever it is), i dont want to be rude by taking up too much of the comment section.
I read a little bit of that Romans chapter, but these are definitely not perfect men saying this… And even if something was said by Jesus, his message was interpreted and written by imperfect men like 60 years later wasn't it? And on top of that it was translated and translated and perhaps translated again all by imperfect men, and even taught by imperfect men. This much compounded possible misinterpretation could render the Bible essentially useless. I'm just being real for the "real world". They speak like they are entitled and it comes from God, like God is " speaking through them", yet anyone can make this claim. And why can I not give up my "free will" to God so that he can act through me and get people to heaven? And as i said before, I see people only descending into darkness. And I could say that guy in Romans 9:20 is somewhat of a hypocrite because he is "penetrating" the "non believer" instead of giving the simple truth of God. Why does it take all of that? Like thousands of years of argument– and they did have that much time to come up with all of those defenses. Why would they preach the Gospel and argue for God when God is omnipotent and supposedly (to me) should be able to essentkalli speak one word into the imperfect men and show them the truth. What's the point of all of that? I have noticed in the Bible a few things where they could have used "God" (no disrespect) to their advantage– Moses was a murderer and was scared as hell about death and/or prison. Who knows if he just made those commandments to get popular support so that he wouldn't die? Another one… I don't remember the passage, buit seemed like this one guy used Lord as a deceitful tactic to say to the ruler of the estate that their King, the Lord over the ruler of the land, granted him land in the estate, otherwise he wouldn't have received it. Don't hold me to this though, I glimpsed over it.
November 19, 2015 at 3:49 am
Oh and Roger, what do you feel about Christmas, Easter, thanksgiving, and Halloween? Just curious. About how seemingly nearly everyone in America treats it.
November 20, 2015 at 10:28 am
Interesting idea that Moses would invent the commandment "Thou shalt not Kill" if he was worried about having killed and wished to prevent some action being taken against himself. Doesn't stack up, that.
November 20, 2015 at 11:25 am
Dominic, you are an atheist – right?
November 20, 2015 at 11:26 am
Michael, I replied to your comment, but evidently it got deleted.
November 20, 2015 at 11:39 am
No Roger, far from it.
Michael says: "Moses was a murderer and was scared as hell about death and/or prison. Who knows if he just made those commandments to get popular support so that he wouldn't die? "
I was pointing out that this concept doesn't stack up with the idea that one of the commandments Moses would have 'just made' would condemn him.
November 20, 2015 at 11:44 am
Sorry Dominic, I misunderstood. I don't know what the deal with Michael is, even his writings are not understandable.
November 21, 2015 at 2:36 am
Smh… It makes perfect sense about Moses… assuming that he came up with the commandments AFTER he killed the guy.
November 21, 2015 at 2:55 am
It makes sense. Check again. And if my writings aren't understandable it's because I'm assuming that certain things should be understood even though I might not blatently mention them. You might have to actually use your brain instead of mindlessly obeying like you're used to from reading the Bible.
How would the commandments condemn Moses if he just made them up? Meaning that they did not come from God.
November 21, 2015 at 3:22 am
But that was a bit of a rant I admit. My biggest point is What is the point of the Bible? Why would it take 3500 years to come up with it? That makes me think that it is not God's perfect word– that religion was created simply because of man's observation of life, and because of our fear of death. Why would they have to argue to people that God exists?
November 21, 2015 at 8:03 am
Michael you have a lot of problems and one is you keep calling the Bible a liar so this will be my last comment to you. Either you believe or you don't and in your case you are an atheist and nothing we say will change your mind.
November 21, 2015 at 8:49 am
"How would the commandments condemn Moses if he just made them up? Meaning that they did not come from God."
Because if they are entirely from man then it is entirely up to man to enact the punishments. Thus men would punish Moses for breach of the commandment that he (in that case, foolishly) made up.
I sympathise with Roger – and would point out that almost everything in 'this stuff' (to do with Christian faith and Bible teaching) is quite logical. The only illogical thing is why God would still want to save us despite our constant rejection of Him. Then you simply have faith in Jesus Christ crucified, or you don't.
November 21, 2015 at 10:34 am
The power of belief seems to be more powerful than God.
No one would condemn Moses if he was the chosen one to create the commandments. Idk tho I guess I don't know what it was like back then.
And lastly, I'm talking about the ultimate truth here.
November 21, 2015 at 11:35 am
Michael, let's try some yes/no questions without any further comments other than yes or no. If you are going to make any further comments other than yes or not, then the discussion will be ended.
You evidently believe Moses was a real person, so:
1. Do you believe Jesus existed?
2. Do you believe Daniel who wrote the book of Daniel existed?
November 21, 2015 at 12:06 pm
Maybe I shouldn't have said "mindlessly obeying like you're used to from reading the Bible" its more like you desire of "better" stemming from Adam and Eve. The desire of better and great… I say it's evil.
1. Yes
2. I guess so. Idk, not that informed about him.
November 21, 2015 at 12:22 pm
..desire 'for' better…*
November 21, 2015 at 12:27 pm
I guess 'of' works too though. OK I'll shut up now.
November 21, 2015 at 12:29 pm
Michael, do you see your problem, you can't even answer a question without throwing in your comments. The only thing you believe in is yourself. Everything in your life is relative to you because you are the center of your universe and nothing else matters. You need to grow up and face the fact that there are other things in the world around you.
November 21, 2015 at 1:57 pm
..smh… We'll just let the world speak for this one.
June 11, 2016 at 9:55 pm
Isaiah 46:9
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done.
August 17, 2016 at 8:40 pm
My brothers and my sister of all religious faiths and beliefs- each of you that made a comment here I can respect this what you speak. Yet there is-NOT- none other as the Holy "farther" who sits high and looks low unto all he–and he alone has made. Not only is he the inventor of inventors of creation his is the superb omniscient being that he and he is alone. Even his "morning star son"- satin- knows this to be true- for the record of accounts. I would say to each of you and to the world itself get to this one we call God- thru his son Jesus the Christ and yes for the record once again God has a son call Jesus. I would ask you all get to know the two we speak of today, and I challenge you to share the word of God to the Jew and Gentile as we have been called to do. For what we do..we do in honor of he- the OMNISCIENT "1"- the all knowing Lord of Lords & only (1) God- Amen…God bless you all..
Rev. A.F.Davis III
August 17, 2016 at 9:14 pm
Our goal that was given us by the Son was the great commission. The only way to God is through the Son and no one can come to the Son unless the Father draw him and that is where we come in.
Two responses, 1. The Son is not the Father, therefore He is not God and 2. God tested Abraham to find out what he would do therefore God is not OMNISCIENT.
August 18, 2016 at 10:01 am
I want to apologize here and say that I made a huge error in saying that God is not "infinitely wise" (OMNISCIENT) because the content by Rev. Davis was probably not meant to say that God knows everything that is going to take place but that he meant it as being "infinitely wise" and God is.
God does know that the heart of man is wicked and He can force us to do His will as He did with pharaoh and Abimelec, but He gave us freewill to do as we please and that is the reason we are tested.
September 8, 2016 at 3:59 pm
[…] *Several references above were compiled by thoughtfulfaith @ wordpress.com — https://thoughtfulfaith.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/ten-bible-verses-god-is-omniscient/#comment-8172 […]
February 4, 2017 at 4:25 am
God is awesome.
November 13, 2017 at 6:29 am
I read a small sampling of commentary at the beginning of this column and here's what I perceive: it's very difficult for those who believe in a god to imagine other truths or logics that are outside of their personal experience. One writer wrote of knowing versus commanding (making something happen) in the context of human experience. Consider this: a lab tech can build a very complicated maze. Into that maze, a hungry mouse can be placed at one end, with fresh cheese at the other end. To the mouse, every path it selects, it selects by force of its own free will. BUT, as there is only one path that leads to the cheese, the free choices made by the mouse are illusionary. There is only the one path, though the mouse may make a wide variety of decisions, to the cheese. The other paths lead nowhere and the mouse must retrace its steps. Because the path to the cheese is fixed, there exists no real choice for the mouse, though the illusion of a series of choices may play out.
If a god were omniscient, then there would be zero point to praying: the god would know why you were praying and all of the outcomes regarding whether or not your prayers were answered. I truly believe that people who exercise superlatives should strongly consider the full range of meanings and outcomes.
Consider this question: if a god existed, would there be any reason for the god, in creating a universe, to create one that was too small for the god?
Many concepts held by people are known to be relative: for example: there is no absolute up or down, only the response to gravitational fields. People also act as if time is fixed – it isn't: it's very much velocity dependent! Mass and length are also velocity dependent! But here's the true kicker: ask a religious person where all the universe came from and they answer: God! And then ask them, where did this god come from and they answer: He always was! Yet, in truth, that last answer is also valid for the first question… it's simply a matter of where you draw your lines. Ask someone, WHAT did a god use to create the univese? Usually I get silence as an asnwer. But the Christian Bible states that things started with a god and a void! Hint: the void is NOT GOING TO CREATE ANYTHING!!! So, if a god creates the universe, the sole source of material IS GOD!!! Of course a god would be everywhere: it's all a god, just in different forms! And if you truly want to dispute a god being able to know both past and present and future: consider wave/particle duality!!! For a particle: properties include here… and there; then… and now. For a wave form, tau = zero [special relativity applies], so for the wave form: it's all one place and all one time. And when one looks at zero point energy, at 10 to the 93rd grams per c.c., each cubic centimeter holds more mass energy than a trillion, trillion, trillion times the mass energy "known" universe [dark matter included]. The energy for "miracles" is available EVERYWHERE!!! And I'm talking about merely Minkowski 4-space, not the proposed eleven dimensions of "M" space.
Basically, it's the limited understanding of people that causes the disputes. Maybe if more religious people would do less pushing their view of a god and more investigating of this purported god's creation, they would, at a minimum, be more respectful of this god. It's very hard to appreciate what you don't understand!!! Good luck in your studies!
November 13, 2017 at 11:59 pm
Carl D Danko
I am sure that a new born kangaroo that is not as large as a spoon evolved in its' short time in the womb to know where to find the nipple in a pouch that it must travel too and live there or die if it doesn't make the trip.
All you wrote is guess work without any facts, we have documentation from a designer who created all things.
January 28, 2018 at 7:12 pm
Loving all the discussion about God, faith and eternal life. My sister sent me this sight to prove to me that God is all knowing…guess she didn't read through all the posts! 🙂