Does God Know Everything?

I realize this question to many of my readers might be controversial. Pastor Jim? By asking this question are you not a heretic? Should we get our torches and come visit you?

Well first let me say this, GOD WANTS YOU TO ASK QUESTIONS! Especially those questions about His very nature and character! When I was a child I asked my Dad and my Mom many questions. I even danced on the edge of heresy by challenging their very character or authority. All of these 'questions' were learning experiences. They were times I got to know my parents AND THEY GOT TO UNDERSTAND THEIR BUNDLE OF JOY! You cannot have a relationship if you don't ask questions. I ask my wife, Miss Carol, questions all the time. And, as you can imagine, Miss Carol has spent the last 45 years questioning me... and perhaps herself... "Why did I ever marry this idiot?" This is at least one of the many questions that has crossed her mind.

Well, before we go any further let me answer the question, "Does God know everything?" 

YES!

VERY IMPORTANT CONCEPT: However, I do not know, if God knows… what decisions you will make out of the many decisions you could make! I like to tell people, I don't want to tell God what He does or does not know. I do know that in the endless matrix of decisions I could make, God knows every result of every potential decision... I could make!

Let me explain. I do not believe we live in a determinant universe. I believe we live in a God-managed chaos. And, I believe God allows us FREE WILL to make decisions which encourages a level of chaos. I think God is encouraged and discouraged by the decisions we make. I think God allows us to interact to change His mind and I believe God interacts to change ours! IT’S CALLED A RELATIONSHIP!

Some people believe that God knew before the foundation of the world that I would one day be writing this blog while wearing my Packer shirt. I would beg to differ! I DO believe God knows the future results of ALL POSSIBLE decisions we could make. HOWEVER, I doubt or don't know, if God knows which decisions we will make? We make an endless amount of decisions from the time we get up in the morning till the time we go to sleep. Our decisions are a part of WHO WE ARE! God is excited about who you are, but like any parent, He would prefer you make the BETTER DECISIONS!

The ability of God being ALL POWERFUL, ALL KNOWING, and ALWAYS PRESENT is called the SOVEREIGNTY of God. So, Pastor Jim? “Is God NOT sovereign? Let me be very clear…

Yes, indeed God is sovereign!

I want to ask you this, "Is God more or less sovereign by managing a determinant universe where everything has been planned out or a universe in which our decisions can influence and even change the future?" A determinant universe implies that before the creation of the world God knew all decisions His creation would make. In my view, often called Open-Theism, I believe God knows the outcome of ANY POSSIBLE decision, BUT in His sovereignty, ANY DECISION we can make can... "work together for good" as we discover in Romans 8:28…

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.

The fact of whether I make a good or bad decision, does not change the ultimate coming of Christ. It does not change the fact that God loves me, see Romans 8:31-39…

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. ³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

MY DECISIONS DO NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT GOD CAN REDEEM and RESTORE the REPENTANT heart. My decisions do influence my relationship with God and others. My decisions both Good or Bad, DO NOT DETER God from His ultimate will. And, HIS ULTIMATE WILL IS TO CONSUMATE ALL THINGS IN CHRIST. And, at this time, God can and will heal ALL THINGS and make ALL THINGS NEW! Our disobedience does not change the ability of God to control the universe. It may dampen my ability to be all God wants me to be, BUT IT DOES NOT CHANGE ANY TIME-SPACE EQUALIBRIUM, for any of you 'Back to the Future' movie fans!

I have been at bedsides in which a person has died due to disease. And, almost always, someone will say, "It must be God's will!" NO! It is not! God does not want us to suffer. However, the fabric of this universe was changed from early in the Garden when we chose to make the first BAD decision. Ever since this time, the world is contaminated, by a whole host of BAD DECISIONS. Not only with the sins of humankind, but also with disease and entropy our bad decisions helped to create in our universe. This is why our sins DO matter! It is NOT necessarily someone's fault they get a disease, but it should be a reminder of the PERFECT WORLD GOD ORIGINALLY INTENDED!

We were created to have ETERNAL LIFE! We were created to have ETERNAL LIFE in an ETERNAL LIVING WORLD! However, decisions have consequences. Jesus (God) does not condemn us, but we condemn ourselves by not practicing a life of faith. Therefore, a PLAN OF REDEMPTION was initiated. God is now spending many millennia being patient for humankind to be in relationship with Him.

This doctrine is important! A lot of Christianity believes in the teachings… or at least a portion of the teachings of a Protestant Reformer called John Calvin. No doubt, John Calvin was a brilliant man. However, like all humans we can appreciate the good and should throw away the bad… as taught by the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22…

¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies (teachings) with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil.

John Calvin taught a theology which was placed into an acrostic:

	Right or Wrong with Pastor Jim's Comments
T	TOTAL DEPRAVITY: Correct, we cannot save ourselves. Since the first ‘BAD’ decision, SIN made REDEMPTION impossible. However, what is impossible with man is possible with God.” (See Luke 18:27) In other words, REDEMPTION IS ONLY THROUGH JESUS (GOD).
U	UNLIMITED ELECTION: Wrong! This very misguided Calvinist doctrine teaches God created some people for destruction and others for salvation
L	LIMITED ATONEMENT: Wrong! This Calvinist doctrine teaches God’s grace is limited to only to an elect group as described under the “U.” In other words, those created for salvation, i.e. ‘elected’ by God. God’s grace is UNLIMITED to ALL THOSE WHO ‘CHOOSE’ TO BELIEVE. (See Romans 10:9-10). In John 3:16-18 we find Jesus teaching that He does not condemn, but we condemn ourselves by not believing.
I	IRRESISTABLE GRACE: Wrong! This Calvinist doctrine teaches the ‘elect’ as defined above will not be able to say “No” to God’s offer of salvation. This is wrong because the FREE WILL given by God allows us to RESIST God’s grace. He did not make ROBOTS! Non-Calvinists believe God is persistent and longsuffering and will make many offers of salvation. But, we must make the decision to believe!
P	PRESERVATION OF BELIEVERS: Kind of Wrong! This Calvinist doctrine is wrong if you believe in the Calvinist idea of the ‘elect.’ We are called to actively persevere in our faith. This implies we have the choice not to persevere. (See Hebrew 6:1-8 regarding 'turning away' and Hebrews 10:26-31 regarding 'willful sin.') It is not wrong to believe that Jesus will make every attempt to keep us from being plucked (see John 10:29) from His hand. Non-Calvinists believe that if we place our faith in Christ, Jesus will not work overtime through the Holy Spirit to keep us in the household of faith. However, is it possible to intentionally give up your faith? Possibly, but if the intent of your heart is God directed then we will not be plucked. Sinning does not cause us to be plucked from God’s hand, only an intentional desire to tell God we don’t need Him or don’t believe does!

Therefore, the problem with Calvinism is its short sightedness of the comprehensiveness of God’s salvation. Calvinism worries that if God does not know all things, then God could lose control. Therefore, it is important for the Calvinist to hold on a MECHANIZED universe. How sad!

I love my Calvinist friends, but I believe it is a serious error in the Church and it is now seeing a resurgence in mainline and Evangelical circles. Any doctrine diminishing the PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP  Jesus calls us into is misguided at best. This is also true for any for any DOCTRINE, such as CALVINISM that strikes at the core of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

See you tomorrow!