"Part 01450 - God, OMNISCIENT"
01450
GODISOMNISCIENT The term omniscient comes from two Latin terms, "omnis" meaning "all," and "scientia" meaning "knowledge." Calvin said of the term, "that attribute whereby God knows Himself and all other things in one Eternal and most simple act."
I like the thought of "and most simple act." It isn’t really a biggy with the LORD. It isn’t even an activity. It just is the way He is.
HISKNOWLEDGEISALLINCLUSIVE:
GOD’S knowledge is all inclusive (1 John 3:20). It includes all that is. It includes all that was. It includes all that will be. It includes all THAT is possible.
It includes the material world (Job 28:24). He knows the number of grains of sand on the beaches of the world as well as the pounds of dust on the books in my library.
It includes the animal world and all that are in it (Matthew 10:29). He knows of the needs of the animals, as well as their passing from life.
It includes the world of the dead (Job 26:6). He knows every soul in it and from what generation they came. None will be lost from His great accounting.
It includes the human world (Psalms 33:13-15, MAt 10:30, Acts 15:8).
It includes the inner world of man, the minute details of life (Jeremiah 1:5, Psalms 139:15, Psalms 139:1-4, Psalms 56:8, Job 14:16,17, MAt 10:30, Proverbs 5:21). From before our conception, throughout our days unto our returning to the dirt of his creation. From our thoughts to our intents, from our hair to our steps, from our rights to our wrongs, He knows all there is to know about us.
It includes the past, and the future world (Isaiah 46:9-11).
HISKNOWLEDGEINCLUDESMORALPURPOSE:
It is always directed toward a good end. Even judgment is directed toward a good end - the culmination of GOD’S great plan.
Man’s knowledge generally is destructive. Smoking, war, fast cars, immorality, etc.
HISKNOWLEDGEISETERNAL, COMPLETEANDPERFECT:
He has perfect knowledge of every detail of life for every believer throughout the past ages, as well as all of those that are to come. Indeed, He knows the detail of the lives of all lost people both past and to come. He knows the tides and the details of the sea. He knows the woods and the intricacies of the forest. He knows the deserts and the vastness of their dunes. (Acts 15:18, Job 37:16, Hebrews 4:13.
He promises to raise all of mankind to stand before Him in the future. He knows where to find each and every one of us, no matter where we die and are buried.
HISKNOWLEDGEMUSTBEUNDERSTOODINTHREEWAYS:
First, it is not like man’s. HEAVEN FORBID! We learn by comparing one piece of knowledge with another. He has His knowledge directly without comparison. He in eternity past knew all there was. He has always known all there is.
Secondly, it is not learned as is man’s. He did not have to go to kindergarten to learn the ABC’s. We learn step by step, fact by fact, and principle by principle, while there is no sequence to His knowledge.
Finally, His knowledge is complete and certain, while man’s is incomplete and not certain. Man learns as he ages, he learns as he makes mistakes, and he learns as he is taught. God is free from all of these limitations.
HISKNOWLEDGEISALWAYSUSEDWISELY: His knowledge is always used toward good ends which shows His wisdom. His omni-sapience or all wisdom is usually covered in this section. Cambron is the only author I have found that separates and gives title to GOD’S all wisdom.
He knows past, present and future as one entire whole. He knows all at all times without sequence. He knows all and uses that knowledge in a responsible manner to bring about His ends.
PROBLEMSWITHTHEDOCTRINE:
1. How do we explain Deuteronomy 8:2 if God knows all there is to know? "And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, OR no."
First of all, God communicates in a form that the people He is communicating with, can understand. Would they have understood if God had said, "I’m omniscient?" No, I don’t think so.
He was not doing this to learn something He did not know. He was trying them to see what was in their heart - to show them what was in their heart.
How do we explain Genesis 18:20,21? This speaks of Sodom and Gomorrah and God mentions, "I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not I will know." vs 21. The answer is the same as for the preceding text.
There is also the declaration of God, in the anthropormorphisms, as having physical features. He does not have the ears that the Psalmist mention, yet He does hear His people.
2. Isn’t God too great to be interested in every detail of our lives? It is this point that adds to GOD’S greatness! It does not detract from any of His attributes nor the doctrines that we hold concerning Him. He can see to the details of life while controlling nations. He provided food, water and raiment in the wilderness for 40 years, yet was able to lead Moses and the other leaders to what He wanted for the nation.
APPLICATION He knows all there is to know about our particular problems and troubles!
I once read a poem that detailed the bitter, the hard, the fights, the wounds, the struggles of life, yet it ended with the thought that we can bear all that He allows because we know that He knows what is going on in our life. The doctrine should be a warning to the wicked. Proverbs 15:3 mentions that He sees evil as well as good. Proverbs 15:11 - Sheol and destruction are before Him. The real threat is seen in Revelation 20:15ff where John describes The Great White Throne. This throne is where the judging of all the lost of all generations will be held. All that has gone on throughout the ages will be brought before those involved, and they will be judged accordingly. The doctrine should be a warning to the erring Christian. Proverbs 15:3 mentions that He sees evil as well as good. Hebrews 12:6,7 mentions that He chastises His children. The judgment seat of Christ will be the occasion of the believer being judged according to his works. This will be a sad time, a time of losing of rewards and a time of acknowledging our short comings to the LORD face to face.
GOD’S omniscience should be a consolation to the believer. Matthew 6:8 - He knows our needs before we have them. He numbers the hairs of our head. How can anything miss His attention to each and every one of us?
He knows our every feeling. He is our Father! We are His children! He feels for us as a Father feels for his natural children. A friend that I used to work with had married his daughter off on a Thursday evening. She had to go to work on Sunday and my friend and his wife felt very sorry for her having to return to work so soon. On the way to work she wreaked the car and had to have emergency room treatment. She called her folks in tears and my friend said, "I felt so sorry for the little kid but couldn’t do a thing." Fathers hurt when their children hurt. He was very frustrated because he didn’t have enough money to help the new couple out. The difference with our heavenly Father is that He feels in a most perfect way for His children, and He can do something about it! He can comfort us for He is the God of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3. If there is a need of finance, He can intercede, if there is a need of emotion, He can lift us up, If there is a need of strength, He can empower us.
He knows what is best for us for He knows the future. HOWBOUTTHATONE? We should pray as Jesus prayed, "...not as I will, but as thou wilt." Matthew 26:39b. We should not hurry into things which are not clearly His will. Wait upon His will. At the same time we should be satisfied with the situation and position in life that He has given us. It is perfect for us at this time in our life.
He knows all the evil that others do to us whether it is a believer or a nonbeliever. We should learn to leave those things alone and not worry, fret or seek revenge, for He will keep close accounts of all things.
If we realize He knows everything. If we realize He can lead us. If we realize He cares and knows about even the little things. THEN We can let Him lead us in the smaller areas of our lives as well as those major moves. While living in Nebraska and Colorado I always went shopping for snow tires before winter set in. I went out to find snow tires in the mid 70’s and found several very good buys which I had money to cover. I did not have peace about buying any of them. I decided not to get any for the first winter in several years. That winter we did not need snow tires once. God knew a light winter was coming along. If you don’t have complete peace about something don’t do it!
He knows all things which should bring us to confess our sins more quickly and completely! If we know He knows, why are we so slow to confess and correct our state before Him? Why don’t we confess our sin immediately? It is illogical.
Ryrie lists four applications which I would like to include:
"Omniscience and security." We are safe in His hands for His hands are directed by perfect knowledge of what is and is to be. "Omniscience and sensitivity." His warnings are based on true and complete knowledge, thus we should be sensitive to mind them carefully. "Omniscience and solace." God knows what happened, as well as what might have happened and what will happen from what happened. "Omniscience and sobriety." He relates this to our lifestyle and walk. (Reprinted by permission: Ryrie, Charles C.; "BASIC THEOLOGY"; Wheaton: Victor Books, 1986, p 42)
CONCLUSION
Since we know all of these applications are true then we know that we have one Person on our side THAT is all of the following: Complete consolation, our Father, our Comforter, our Fortune teller (if I may use that term), our Avenger and our Guide.
Remember, He has the knowledge, and the only way that we can tap into it is to be communicating with Him through prayer and the Word.
Ryrie quotes A. W. Tozer (PP 61-62 THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY).
"God knows instantly and effortlessly all matter and all matters, all mind and every mind, all spirit and all spirits, all being and every being, all creaturehood and all creatures, every plurality and all pluralities, all law and every law, all relations, all causes, all thoughts, all mysteries, all enigmas, all feeling, all desires, every unuttered secret, all thrones and dominions, all personalities, all things visible and invisible in heaven and in earth, motion, space, time, life, death, good, evil, heaven, and hell."
"Because God knows all things perfectly, He knows no thing better than any other thing, but all things equally well. He never discovers anything, He is never surprised, NEver amazed. He never wonders about anything nor (except when drawing men out for their own good) does He seek information or ask questions." (Reprinted by permission: Ryrie, Charles C.; "BASIC THEOLOGY"; Wheaton: Victor Books, 1986, PP 41-42)
GODISOMNIPOTENT The term omnipotent comes from two Latin words, "omis" meaning "all" and "potentia" meaning "power".
There have always been many questions raised in the area of this doctrine that are aimed at making difficulties for the theologian. Can God make a rock too big for Him to lift? Can God draw a shorter than straight line between two points? Can God make two parallel lines meet? Can God make two mountains without a valley between? Can God commit suicide? Can He create a material spirit? Can He create a sensitive stone? Can He create a body without parts? Can He create a square triangle? Can He create a round square?
Let us end this foolishness by stating that He can do anything that He cares to do as long as it does not contradict any of His other attributes.
Let us define the doctrine.
God is able to do all things that are consistent with His own nature and character. God cannot be untrue to Himself. His power is limited by His nature. God is not free from all restraints of reason and morality. He must and always does act within the confines of his character.
God is never exhausted by the exercise of His power neither is His strength diminished (Isaiah 40:28). God is the only perpetual motion possible. He can go on working overtime, if there is overtime for Him, and never run out of energy, initiative, nor ability to cope.
Augustine, "God is omnipotent, and yet he cannot die.....How is he omnipotent then? He is omnipotent for the very reason that he cannot do these things. For if he could die, he would not be omnipotent."
Ryrie, "Omnipotence means that God is all-powerful and able to do anything consistent with His own nature. In actuality He has not chosen to do even all the things that would be consistent with Himself for reasons known ultimately only to Himself." (Reprinted by permission: Ryrie, Charles C.; "BASIC THEOLOGY"; Wheaton: Victor Books, 1986, p 40) In other words He could have created fifteen earths side by side. He could have given them each a moon of a different color and caused a shuttle to move people from one earth to the other. He did not decide to do that, however.
God manifests His power in many ways. I want to list some of these before we move on. In Creation: Jeremiah 10:12, Romans 1:20 In Preservation: Hebrews 1:3 In Nature: Jeremiah 10:13 In History: Daniel 4:17 In delivering Israel from Egypt: Ps. 114 In Heaven: Daniel 4:35 In miracles: Luke 9:43 In the resurrection: 2 Corinthians 13:4 In Redemption: Nehemiah 1:10, Luke 1:35, 37, Ephesians 1:18-23 In Security: 1 Peter 1:5 In whatever He pleases: Psalms 115:3
Even in these we see only a part of His power. Job 26:7, "He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." I always wondered if there was a big hook and large string up on the north pole holding things up! Picture God hanging earth, as a Christmas tree ornament - on nothing!
These are only areas where He has revealed his power to us. He may have thirty million different ways of demonstrating His power for us in the eternal state, when He has time to explain things to us in a little greater detail.
Some other references that relate to the study:
Genesis 17:1, "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." God is addressed as "almighty" 56 times in the Scriptures.
Genesis 18:14, "Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
Exodus 15:11, 12, "Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? (12) Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them." The context is the Egyptian army having their long drink in the Red Sea.
APPLICATION:
Don’t mess with Him FOR HE CAN CREAM YOU!
There is nothing that He can’t do for us if it is within His will.
There is no way that the Devil can rip us out of GOD’S hand. We are secure!
He is powerful enough to withstand all the national forces that might come against us or turn our forces to jelly.
If you have a hymnal handy, turn to "It Took a Miracle" and read it. (Peterson, John W.; "It Took a Miracle"; New York: Hill and Range Songs, Inc., 1948 by Crawford, Percy B.)
I trust that this section has brought you to appreciate your God a little more than before. If not, you might reread it, for the passages given declare a God THAT is mighty and powerful, and He is ready to hear your needs, be they humongous or minute. He is aware of His children and He is desirous of helping us do His work.
01500
GODISPERFECT
God is perfect or complete in all, and deficient in nothing. He has no flaws, He has no chips, and He has no hidden imperfections. He is as gold perfectly refined, with no impurities. He is perfect in all of His attributes.
Let us look at some of the areas where GOD’S perfection is seen.
GOD’S knowledge is perfect: Job 37:16 mentions that He is "perfect in knowledge." There is nothing that He does not know, and there is no defect in that knowledge. So, don’t think that when you step into that little secret sin that He won’t notice, OR that He will forget. His knowledge of our sin is perfect, His knowledge of your thoughts is perfect, and His knowledge of your deeds is perfect.
GOD’S will is perfect: Romans 12:2, "...ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Now, when you have gained knowledge of His will for your life, you don’t need to second guess it, you don’t need to worry about it, and you don’t need to worry about opposition. His will is perfect and you only need to follow it.
GOD’S law is perfect: Psalms 19:7, "The law of the LORD is perfect....." The Word is our guide for life. It is there to help us through the problems and trials of time. If we go to it, then we have perfect guidance, for It is perfect.
GOD’S way is perfect: Psalms 18:30, "As for God, his way is perfect....." The only way to God is through Jesus Christ the LORD. THAT is the perfect way to God. GOD’S paths, OR way, is always correct and perfect, be it the way He is taking you or the way He is leading you. All His ways are perfect and complete.
GOD’S work is perfect: Deuteronomy 32:4, ".....his work is perfect....." What He has done in your life is perfect. What He wants to do in your life is perfect. What He will do in your life is perfect. So, why do we feel that we are inadequate, inferior, and ill prepared? Why can’t we be satisfied with His perfect work in us? We are just the way He wanted us. Proper looks, shape, hair, eyes, mentality and personality. This is not to say that He can’t change some of these items if He should desire, but He did a perfect work in you as you are at this point.
GOD’S gifts are perfect: James 1:17 , "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above....." So, If you are a good evangelist, don’t covet the good preacher or teacher their gifts. He gave the gift that He wanted you to have and it is perfect. Indeed, every gift is perfect, even if it is money, talent, spouse, education etc. The USAge of the term "perfect" in Scripture:
Old Testament USAge: One of the main terms ["tamiym"] translated perfect in the Old Testament is also translated many times "without blemish" and is translated "complete" once. Complete seems to be a good definition of the term. (Leviticus 23:15 = complete) This is the term used of the sacrificial lambs that were to be without blemish. God is without blemish, He is complete, and He is perfect in all that He is.
New Testament USAge: Perfect is the translation of "telios." It also has the idea of complete. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament show the complete, perfection of God.
SUGGESTEDPROBLEMSWITHTHEDOCTRINE:
1. The same term "perfect" is used of both God and man. How can man be as perfect as God? (Noah was perfect, Genesis 6:9; Job was perfect, Job 1:1; Satan was perfect in his original state, Ezekiel 28:12.) The answer is that created beings are held as perfect in relation to other created beings, and not God. God is a perfect being; His perfection is absolute! The term shows that the person or creation mentioned is complete and ready for operation. They are perfect in light of the perfectness THAT is available to them.
Only God is a perfect Being. We are perfect in our completeness to do the job. A car being moved off of the assembly line is complete and ready to roll, but the latest survey’s show that if you inspect a car closely that there are usually at least twenty defects of some sort. It is a complete car, but it is not a perfect sort of car.
GOD’S being is perfect. We are a perfect creation, but far from the classification of a perfect being.
2. Matthew 5:48 mentions that the believer is to be perfect. If the above is true, then how can man be perfect. Again, we cannot reach GOD’S perfection, but we can achieve perfection in relation to other men. We can reach the perfection THAT is available to us. That perfection includes the spiritual standing that we have in Christ, the completely perfect and justified standing that we have before God because of the finished work of Christ. That perfection includes the spiritual state - having all sin confessed and waiting for the next one to confess. This is the perfection THAT is available to us through Christ in this life. The idea of Matthew is moral completeness rather than perfection. The New Testament idea is complete and ready to run. The car coming off the assembly line of a factory is complete and ready; All parts are installed and present.
GOD’S perfection can certainly be our goal but we will not attain GOD’S perfection because we are not purely spirit beings.
APPLICATION:
1. If He is perfect in all ways, then we can find ALL we need in Him. We need not look for fulfillment in the business world. We need not look for fulfillment in marriage. We need not look for fulfillment in the ministry. We need not look for fulfillment anywhere but in HIM! Fulfillment in these areas is not wrong but if we seek God to the best of our ability He will give us the fulfillment that He wants us to have. Matthew 6:33 mentions that He will supply all of our need. If we seek after material things we may end up with more than we need.
2. The New Testament tells the believer to seek perfection. Matthew 5:48 tells us to be perfect as the Father is perfect. Colossians 1:28, commands that we are to be working for the perfection of the saints (Ephesians 4:11-12 also). James 1:4 tells us that we will be perfect one day.
3. Since GOD’S will is perfect we can trust in that will when the prices are up and our income is down and nothing seems to be going right and we just know that God has made a mistake. NO! He makes no mistakes. If you are in His will and things are down, you can KNOW that it is His plan for your life!
4. If He is perfect we should be moved to follow Him explicitly in our lives to gain the most out of our lives for Him! Our goal in life should be His perfect will for us. Nothing else should enter in to our decisions - only following His leading.
5. If He is perfect then we know man can never be perfect, so we SHOULD grow to tolerate those imperfections that bother us in our mates, our children, our pastors, our teachers, our neighbors and our co-workers.
6. We are all in the process of becoming perfect. Paul mentions that he isn’t perfect yet in Php 3:11,12. NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOU ARE, YOU ARE NOT PERFECT. NOT EVEN IF YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE. God can improve on you if you allow Him to work.
7. We should realize we are all perfect (completed) in His eyes through Christ and that the new Christian is as perfect as the mature Christian - thus we have no grounds for feeling inferior or superior about our spiritual position. A question came up in class one time concerning whether God can sin. We considered the possibility for a time and came to some conclusions: We didn’t think He could, but that there was no real Scripture on either side that we could think of, however we drew some logical conclusions.
1. It would violate His purity. It would violate His righteousness. It would violate His holiness.
2. He could not condemn man if He were sinful.
3. The whole of Scripture would be a sham if He did sin. We know the Bible is truth and totally reliable so this would not be possible.
4. Sin was introduced by Satan - a created being - not by God. It was not present prior to Satan’s fall.
5. Sin is defined thusly. Sin is rebellion against God. So how can God sin? The creator can do anything he wants, but the creatures can disobey the creator. A landowner can put up a sign saying keep off the grass. Anyone stepping on the grass is going against the owners wishes - except the owner. He is not bound by the sign. In conclusion, God is perfect, so how can He sin and have imperfections? He cannot.
GODISINFINITE The term infinite only appears in scripture once in Psalms 147:5, "Great is our Lord, and of great power; his understanding is infinite." The term seems to have the idea in the Hebrew of without number. (This is Strong’s word number 4557 "mis-pawr") The term is used in purely mathematical thought of number, OR is also used to tell of GOD’S wonders that are without number. Psalms 40:5 mentions that His thoughts and works are so many that we can’t number them.
Another term you may find is "immensity." Immense according to Webster is, ".....marked by greatness esp. in size or degree; esp: transcending ordinary means of measurement....." (By permission. From WEBSTER’S NINTH NEW COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY copyright 1991 by Merriam-Webster Inc., publisher of the Merriam-Webster (registered) Dictionaries.)
What is the difference between immensity and omnipresence? Immensity is the size or extent while omnipresence is the fact that He is everywhere, OR his presence if you will.
Infinite has two directions of definition. First, He is in size, limitless. Secondly, He is in characteristics, limitless to the extent of his attributes and nature.
He may be limited by some of his attributes. For example we saw that His power was limited in that He cannot act inconsistently with Himself. He cannot make a rock too big to lift. In this sense He has limitations within His attributes, however not in His size.
He is limitless. It is not that we don’t know His limits, but that He is truly limitless.
Theissen says, "By the immensity of God we mean His infinity in relation to space." (Thiessen, Henry C.; "LECTURES IN SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY"; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1949,p 122)
REFERENCES YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER: 1 Kings 8:27, 2 Chronicles 2:6, Jeremiah 23:24, Job 11:7-9, Psalms 139:7ff, Isaiah 66:1, Acts 17:28.
POSSIBLEPROBLEMS:
1. Does the person that rejects Christ diminish GOD’S mercy? Does the person that rejects Christ diminish any of GOD’S attributes? NO! That person rejects and refuses to accept those perfect gifts of mercy, grace and salvation that have been set before him. God is not diminished in any way!
2. Psalms 78:41 mentions, "Yea, they turned back and tested God, and limited the Holy one of Israel." How do we answer this statement if we say that God is infinite and that man cannot diminish God? They limited what God could do for them but they set no limit on God as such. His attributes, character and nature were unaffected. He could not do the great things that He wanted to do for them.
3. Some suggest that man is infinite as well. Job 22:5 mentions that man’s sins are infinite. The thought being that, if we can sin infinitely, we must be infinite in other ways. WRONG! This is a different word than we have been considering. Our sin is infinite for it is toward an infinite God. Our sin is infinite for we can do nothing with it in and of ourselves. Our sin is infinite for it will go on for eternity if it isn’t cared for. The infinite thought is carried into hell which is for all of eternity.
APPLICATION:
1. God is infinite so as we learn of Him we can know that we can never run out of things to learn about Him. We can study for years and never know all there is to know about Him.
2. Would it be safe to assume that the attribute of infinite is why God is so longsuffering? He allows man to run on as long as His justice will allow. He is infinitely gracious, at least to the limits of His justice and righteousness.
3. He is infinite in understanding. He can understand any mixed up mess or problem that we present to Him. Sometimes I have a big truck load of facts that just boggle my mind and I have a terrible time figuring out all the details of the mess. He instantly knows all of the ins and outs of such messes and has no problem in understanding. He is the one to go to when you have a mess that you can’t sort out!
4. I wonder if this does not relate to the infinite types and looks of people. We are created in His image. He would have infinite creativity. I can be very pleased and thankful that I am one of a kind.