OMNISCIENCE

GOD IS OMNISCIENT

 

The second attribute in this trilogy, and one vitally associated with omnipresence, is that of OMNISCIENCE. In the opinion of theologians there is some reason to believe that on the basis of logic it should come next in the order of study. Simply stated in the words of Scripture, "God…..knoweth all things" (1 John 3:20).

   1. In the presentation of this doctrine the stress in the Bible is laid upon its scope. It is universal. As described by the Scriptures, "His understanding is infinite" (Psa. 147:5).

  It involves the person of the Creator. God knows Himself perfectly and completely. "The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:11). "No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him" (Matt. 11:25). Only the Infinite can know the infinite. He knows His own essence, that which is known by no other. This exceeds beyond any limits the knowledge He possesses of the creature which He has made. For it is the act of knowing that which was never made. The infiniteness of this knowledge is exhibited in the fact that He has perfect and comprehensive knowledge of His own infinite perfections. "The spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Cor.2:10).

  He searches out these things in the sense that He knows exactly and thoroughly understands. It therefore follows that only God can reveal Himself to men (1 Cor. 2:10).

  This knowledge covers the entire extent of creation. This includes material creation in its entirety (Job 28:24), even to the numbering and naming of the stars (Psa. 147:4), and the most secret and subtle processes of nature (Psa. 139:15). His knowledge extends to the animal world, including the diminutive sparrow (Matt. 10:29). The unseen spirit world also is known of God (Job 26:6). God is perfectly knowledgeable of the world of mankind (Psa.33:13-15), and this knowledge penetrates to the innermost recesses of each heart (Acts 1:24).

  The most minute details of personal life come within the scope of this knowledge (Psa. 139:1-4), reaching to life while yet in the womb (Jer. 1:5). All past future events come within God's comprehension (Isa. 46:9-11), and also future possible events under all possible combinations of circumstances (Matt. 11:21).

God's omniscience involves the sphere of moral purpose. "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3).

This is in keeping with the fact that the attribute of God's holiness is present in fullness in the attribute of omniscience. It follows therefore that God's knowledge is not an end in itself. The end is the glory of God, whose chief attribute is holiness (Rom. 11:33-36). God's knowledge will therefore be directed to an exposure of secret sins (Psa. 90:8), good and evil works (1 Cor. 3:13-17; 2 Cor. 5:10), and a discerning between the righteous and the wicked (Mal. 3:18).

Wisdom is an aspect of God's knowledge, that aspect which seeks the highest ends with the fittest means for the greatest good. It was by wisdom that God created the heavens and the earth (Prov. 3:19). The wisdom of God reached its highest point in Christ when He was "made unto us wisdom" (1 Cor. 1:30), yes, "the manifold wisdom of God" (Eph. 3:10).

  The knowledge of God includes everything, and is therefore eternal, perfect, and complete. It is eternal in that it knows the end from the beginning (Acts 15:18). It is perfect in that it lacks nothing (Job 37:16). It is complete that "all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:13). The knowledge of God issues from His essence (Psa. 94:9-10), is intuitive and immediate and never successive (Heb. 4:13), is absolutely free (Isa. 40:13-14), possesses perfect precision (1 John 1:5), is infinitely infallible (Matt. 5:18), positively unchangeable (Prov. 19:21), and is perpetual in its effect (Psa. 90:4).

   2. There are problems associated with the doctrine of omniscience, but they are not insuperable. In most cases the problems arise due to the fact that the language of Scripture is adapted to the thinking of primitive men.

  Gen. 11:5; 18:20-21; and Deut. 8:2 suggest that it is necessary for God to investigate each situation before He has the facts of knowledge in hand for the action He must take. But, in the light of the clear teaching of the Bible, this could not be true. It would present an imperfect and finite God. On the other hand, God condescends to the limited thinking of man, and expresses in this man­ner His divine deliberation and the fact that He will not act hastily in judgment. This is a way of displaying the fact that God allows men time to demonstrate to themselves their own wicked character under certain circumstances.

One of the popular criticisms brought against the record of God's knowledge of minute details is that He is too great to be concerned with trivial events. But this attitude grows out of a false notion of greatness. The facts are that God is so great that He never grows weary or is in danger of fainting (Isa. 40:27-28). The glory of His greatness is exhibited in being occupied with the insignificant details of every child of God (Psa. 113), though He is high above the heaven and the earth, He does not hesitate to humble Himself to them (Psa. 113:5-6); He raises the poor from the dust, and the needy from the dunghill, and places them among princes (Psa. 113:7-8); He makes the barren woman able to keep a home, and gives her children so that she may be joyful (Psa. 113:9). He records the cup of cold water that is given in His name (Matt. 10:42). The tears of His own He treasures in a bottle (Psa. 56:8). And even the hairs of our head are numbered (Matt. 10:30).

A problem which continually confronts the thinking mind concerns the certainty of future events. If God knows all future events, are they certain? The answer to that question is an absolute affirmative. The reason this is true lies in the fact that God has placed every one of them in His one eternal plan for the universe and has determined that they shall take place. This is called predestination. This does not mean that God causes them all. In some cases He permits them, such as the actions of evil men. In others, He does cause them. But in both cases they are included in this one plan, so that there will not be any slip or chance in the outworking of His one eternal purpose. In this sense God works all things after the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11), and He is therefore able to prophesy accurately the future (Isa. 46:9-11).

Many are confused by the words of 1 Cor. 13:2--"Then shall I know even as also I am known." This passage sounds very much to them as though when salvation is complete the saints shall know as much as God knows. But the answer is to be found in the fact that this does not involve the content or amount of knowledge, but rather the method or way of knowing. Whereas in this life we are compelled to follow the tedious steps of logic, then we shall know like God. He knows intuitively, immediately, without the successive steps of logic in or­der to the final conclusion. Then, face to face, we shall confront each situation and comprehend its meaning. But unlike God there will be a progressive build­ing up of the content of knowledge forever.