The Omniscience of God

Isaiah 46:9-10

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’

The omniscience of God is a controversial topic in Christian circles. It is an incredibly important topic. If God is not omniscient He cannot be God. One characteristic of a God is that they are able to know the future. God Himself even said so (Isaiah 41:22-23). So is He omniscient and therefore a deity? Is He then responsible for every event on this earth, including sin?

God declares that He knows what will happen before it happens. “Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done,” (Isaiah 46:10). He also says His former predictions have been correct so there is much reason to believe His 'new' predictions will be too:

“Behold, the former things have come to pass,

And new things I declare;

Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

This prediction is on such a large scale that it would involve millions of human choices to bring it about. Yet God, being omniscient, foreknows them. This foreknowledge means He is God.

When Jesus was on earth He demonstrated His ability to know what was going to happen. Why? “[So] that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He” (John 13:19). Jesus proved His identity as God by showing His foreknowledge. First Jesus predicts Judas' betrayal (John 13:21, 26). Jesus “knew from the beginning” about this (John 6:64). Then He predicts Peter's denial. In Luke 22:31-34 Jesus not only predicts it but also prayed for Peter's future repentance! That's how sure He was that it would happen:

And the Lord said,“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (verses 31-32).

Does the fact that God foreknew a sin remove or reduce the responsibility of a sinner and place it on God? Peter didn't think so. After He denied Christ He “wept bitterly” (Luke 22:61-62). He was guilty and he felt it. Why didn't he say “Jesus predicted this sin, and so it had to take place and so I am not responsible for it?” It is something that may be incomprehensible to us, but according to God's perfect justice, a person is responsible for the sin they commit. God is not unjust by holding us responsible for the sins He predetermines and we commit (Romans 3:5-6).

God foreknew the fall into sin. He planned His own saving grace through Christ “before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9). This is what glorifies Him. God's plan from before the foundation of the world to save us from damnation is God-glorifying. Ephesians 1:4-6,

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace.”

In other words, God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world and predestined us to be adopted as sons by Christ. He did this for “the praise of the glory of His grace.”

What a comfort this is for us! God has predestined each and every event on this earth to His glory. He is fully and completely in charge. He is the one and only deity. No other can foreknow what will happen in the future. Don't take this characteristic away from Him. If He is not omniscient He is not God.

Let's look forward to that day when we will have no mistakes in our conception of God. We will never have an infinite knowledge. That is for God alone. However we will see Him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12) and know everything about Him:

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).