God's Omniscience

[TexUs]

You won't get straight answers out of Tom, I've tried it before... He can't back up Scripturally much of his ideas.
The very fact "millions of years" between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 shows how flawed this thinking is, it's adding to the text that which isn't there. There's more than him (including the admin) that hold to this as well.

Christ was slain before the foundations of the world. Christ was never Plan B as this teaching would have to maintain. It also means that God was able to create something with flaw. How do we have any assurance the end of times will go like he plans? After all, if God didn't know what was coming- and his plan for the earth failed- nothing is to say his plan for our future fails, either.

This is destructive teaching.

Yes i have, and his view is still the same. He doesn't believe that God, being good, would knowingly allow "certain" evils to happen, such as I've mentioned before, the stoning of Stephen, Lucifer's rebellion, and others.

Well there's Biblical verses that directly show God allows sin to happen.
1 Samuel 2:22, specifically. Read the context to understand what's going on here.

In my opinion, as I also outlined above, denying God's very nature is quite destructive and has more ramifications than just "free will". I'd leave that church if your pastor can't see what's in the Bible. This is holding human teachings over that of God's.

Do you think God created us to be His toys, to play with us? Did He create Satan (Lucifer) so He could have someone to burn up? NO! He created us to be His companions, for His enjoyment.

According to the Bible he creates some to be used for destruction in his grand scheme of things.
Romans 9:15
Romans 9:18
Romans 9:21

 

[JohnDB]

In Addition to what TexUs said,

God's prophesies can and have gone right down to the hour and sometimes the minute..
He has shown clearly that he knew what people would be thinking hundreds of years before they were even born.

So...when it comes time for God to know everything....yeah...I am going to credit him with that.

I think that there is one thing that God wanted to experience through Jesus...surprise.
In the story of the "Faith of the Centurion" Jesus was surprised at the Centurion's faith.
I find that fascinating.

 

[TexUs]

Well there's Biblical verses that directly show God allows sin to happen.
1 Samuel 2:22, specifically. Read the context to understand what's going on here.

In my opinion, as I also outlined above, denying God's very nature is quite destructive and has more ramifications than just "free will". I'd leave that church if your pastor can't see what's in the Bible. This is holding human teachings over that of God's.

Sorry, OP, it's 1 Samuel 2:25, not 2:22.

 

[dajoshe]

Sorry, OP, it's 1 Samuel 2:25, not 2:22.

My thanks to all of you for your input. I am putting together all of the scripture references you all have posted, along with the ones I already have, and I am going to present them again at bible study on Wednesday. We'll see what happens. The pastor and the others in the bible study truly love the Lord Jesus. I just can understand their position on God's omniscience. To me, this is a serious issue.

 

[Larry Conlley]

"I am going to present them again at bible study on Wednesday. We'll see what happens." They will give you verses out of the Bible that in their wisdom will justify themselves. And in some sort of way, tell you that you are taking yours out of context or something to that nature. That is what will happen.

Just exactly like they do on all the forums.

Then you will go home and pray to God to help them see the light and they will go home and pray to God to help you see the light and then you wonder if God wants you to stay or go, and they will wonder if you will stay or go. It will go something like this along those lines.

 

[TexUs]

"I am going to present them again at bible study on Wednesday. We'll see what happens." They will give you verses out of the Bible that in their wisdom will justify themselves. And in some sort of way, tell you that you are taking yours out of context or something to that nature. That is what will happen.

Just exactly like they do on all the forums.

Then you will go home and pray to God to help them see the light and they will go home and pray to God to help you see the light and then you wonder if God wants you to stay or go, and they will wonder if you will stay or go. It will go something like this along those lines.

The difference is the OP is rooted in Scripture and they are not. There is one side standing on the Word of God and one side not.

 

[tomwebster]

My thanks to all of you for your input. I am putting together all of the scripture references you all have posted, along with the ones I already have, and I am going to present them again at bible study on Wednesday. We'll see what happens. The pastor and the others in the bible study truly love the Lord Jesus. I just can understand their position on God's omniscience. To me, this is a serious issue.

Just a few verses for you to consider:

If God is omniscient why does he have to find things out: Gen 18:20,21 (the outcry against Sodom)?

Why did God need to send Jonah to Nineveh?

Why did God “repent (to be sorry) for creating man in the flesh” Gen 6:6?

Does God change His mind?

I believe God has a plan, I know He knows how things will work out. I do not believe He has everything prearranged to every minute point. He has His elect, those that were justified before the foundation of this age because of what they accomplished in the first age. He can interfere in the lives of His elect to bring about His plan. There are also those with free-will and God will not interfere in their lives.

Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

The fact is we have a different view of Scripture. Those that don’t understand the first Heaven and earth age will not understand the verses listed above the way other do, and those verses are just a start. Some Christians are into milk, some pabulum, others like meat.

What is the reason for the millennium? What will happen during it?


Tex, The OP is rooted in an interpretation of Scripture. And the only reason you think my answers are not straight is because you do not understand them. Someday you will but it might be too late.

 

[TexUs]

If God is omniscient why does he have to find things out: Gen 18:20,21 (the outcry against Sodom)?

Why did God need to send Jonah to Nineveh?

Why did God “repent (to be sorry) for creating man in the flesh” Gen 6:6?

Does God change His mind?

Because he uses these things to teach us with.
Was Noah really bargaining with God? Did God really not know how many existed in Sodom? Or was he teaching Abraham a lesson? Perhaps... It doesn't matter if I find this many, I know there are none righteous.

I'm sure the Nineveh reference is that he "changed" his mind to not destroy it? Let's think about this. He said if they didn't repent, he'd destroy it. They did, he didn't. How is this changing his mind? He knew what would happen. Would you repent if told, "The Lord said you will repent"? Or, "The Lord said you'll be destroyed if you don't repent"??? Again- he does this for the sake of people.

God's "repentance" in Gen 6:6 was expressing his disappointment. Should he never had said anything, or would his point be made known to us better if he tells us he is filled with regret?

 

[tomwebster]

In looking up the origin of "omniscient" I found on Merriam-Websters website its first known use was in 1604. It states it comes from the Medieval Latin "omniscientia". Good question, I will be looking into it a little further. I'm still having the problem of some in our bible study not believing the God knows everything that is going to happen to each one of us, and I'm still praying as to whether or not I should seek another church and bible study to attend. God bless

I'm going to go back here again, remember daj. I asked you in post #30: "... Where does the word "Omniscience" come from, is it a Biblical word or a Theological word? " and you responded with the statement above.

Well, Omniscience is an attempt by man to describe God. Now do you think it's possible for man to totally understand God? Their are ways in which God is Omniscience (all knowing) but I still do not believe He is a micro-manager, He leave some things to free-will. He makes some adjustments here and there.

 

[dajoshe]

I'm going to go back here again, remember daj. I asked you in post #30: "... Where does the word "Omniscience" come from, is it a Biblical word or a Theological word? " and you responded with the statement above.

Well, Omniscience is an attempt by man to describe God. Now do you think it's possible for man to totally understand God? Their are ways in which God is Omniscience (all knowing) but I still do not believe He is a micro-manager, He leave some things to free-will. I think He makes some adjustments here and there.

Scripture, in many places, says God is all knowing. Nowhere does it say He knows almost everything.

 

[TexUs]

I'm going to go back here again, remember daj. I asked you in post #30: "... Where does the word "Omniscience" come from, is it a Biblical word or a Theological word? " and you responded with the statement above.

Well, Omniscience is an attempt by man to describe God. Now do you think it's possible for man to totally understand God? Their are ways in which God is Omniscience (all knowing) but I still do not believe He is a micro-manager, He leave some things to free-will. He makes some adjustments here and there.

There's a difference between knowing and doing, perhaps...
You begin with speaking he doesn't KNOW everything and end with saying he doesn't WILL/DO everything.

You'll quickly run into walls on both sides of this issue because the same God sits on today as he did at Creation. There isn't a history- he just is. So what he knew "then" is what he now knows, he's already in the future- he doesn't have to "know" it, he's already there.