This is a series on the attributes of God.
Selected Scriptures
Purpose: In this session we shall see the Scripture in the Old and New Testament both teaches God’s omniscience.
- The Old Testament teaches God’s Omniscience.
- The New Testament teaches God’s Omniscience.
What is the omniscience of God? Definitions:
- John Frame: God’s “knowledge of everything.”[1]
- Wayne Grudem: “God fully knows himself and all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.”[2]
- Another popular view: “Divine omniscience means God knows all true propositions.”[3]
- John Feinberg has several pages in his book on God on the difficulty of defining God’s omniscience and concludes with this definition: “Hence, we can say that divine omniscience means at least knowing everything a being with attributes such as God’s can know.”[4]
The Old Testament teaches God’s Omniscience.
- God’s knowledge is perfect: “Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds, The wonders of one perfect in knowledge,” (Job 37:16)
- This here is Job’s friend Elihu testifying that God’s knowledge is perfect.
- Job’s friends might not have applied the truth of their theology correctly in every instances but they do at times utter truth of God’s attributes correctly.
- God’s knowledge is unlimited
- “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.” (Psalm 139:17-18)
- The Psalmist acknowledge that the sum of God’s thoughts is a lot when he said:
- “How vast is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:17b)
- “If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand” (Psalm 139:18a)
- Yet the Psalmist reaction is also to see “How precious also are Your thoughts to me” (Psalm 139:17a)
- The Psalmist acknowledge that the sum of God’s thoughts is a lot when he said:
- “He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.” (Psalm 147:5)
- Notice verse 4 stating that God can count the stars and even names them, something humans with their limitations cannot do thoroughly.
- Notice the end of verse 5 that summarizes God’s knowledge as infinite.
- “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.” (Isaiah 40:28)
- Note how the last phrase mentions that God’s “understanding is inscrutable.”
- This is one of several characteristics of God mentioned in the verse that sets God apart from His creatures.
- “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.” (Psalm 139:17-18)
- God also knows individuals and details of individuals’ lives
- “The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; 14 From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.” (Psalm 33:13-15)
- Notice God “sees all the sons of men” (13)
- Again this is reiterated: “sees all the sons of men” (14)
- God even “understands all their works” and the basis of that understanding has to do with the fact that God “fashions the hearts of them all” (15)
- “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all.” (Psalm 139:1-4)
- This Psalm also shows God knowing people in a detailed intimate manner; note verse 3b: “And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.”
- Unlike Psalm 33 here this Psalm uses first person singular pronouns of how God knows him.
- The Psalmist mentioned that God even knows the inner life of himself, something other creatures can’t access
- “You have searched me and known me” (v.1)
- “You understand my thought from afar” (v.2b)
- The knowledge of God of the Psalmist is even before things happened: “Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all.” (4)
- “The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; 14 From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.” (Psalm 33:13-15)
- Here we see God knowing the heart, even judging it: “If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?” (Proverbs 24:12)
The New Testament teaches God’s Omniscience.
- God sees all creatures: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13)
- In the context the previous verse just mentioned that God’s Word is able to judge the heart and intentions of people.
- Here we see a denial that anyone can escape God’s sight: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight” (13a)
- Follow by a positive statement that all is within God’s sight: “but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” (13b)
- Note the use of the phrase “all things,” and not just “all creatures”
- All things “are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him”
- Using metaphorical language, God is described as having eyes.
- His eyes sees all things in such a way that all things are open and laid bare.
- God knows the amount of hair on our heads: “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matthew 10:30)
- In the context Jesus is telling His disciples not to fear men but to focus upon God.
- Notice here in verse 30 the reason for the diciples to trust in God is God’s omniscience: He even knows that “the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
- The members of the Trinity have supernatural knowledge which we shouldn’t be surprised given that they are God
- Note: The New Testament is different than the Old in that the revelation about the Trinity is clearer in the New than in the Old. Thus we shouldn’t be surprised to see discussion about the members of the Trinity also mention attributes of God found in the persons of the Trinity. For the purpose of this session we will look at the supernatural knowledge of the Spirit and the Son since we take it for granted that people agree God the Father is omniscient.
- The Spirit
- “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:10)
- Notice here the Spirit is a person in that He has a will and intellect when He “searches all things”
- The Spirit’s search includes “even the depths of God”
- To search even the depths of God means that the Spirit must be God Himself and omniscient.
- “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:11)
- Again there is the affirmation that God’s thoughts no one knows except God and the Spirit of God.
- The analogy is drawn with even man’s knowledge is only known with his spirit himself.
- “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:10)
- The Son: “Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”” (John 1:48-49)
- By way of context this is early in Jesus’ ministry when Philip was trying to invite Nathaniel to see Jesus.
- Jesus was able to see Nathaniel supernaturally.
- God knows possibilities of things that did not happen
- Note that up to this point all the verses we have seen involves God knowing what is actually the case of things in reality. We are going to see in the following two verses that God also know what is called “counter-factual truths.” Counter-factual truths means claims that are true involving possibilities of things that didn’t happen.
- ““Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in [b]sackcloth and ashes.” (Matthew 11:21)
- Here is Jesus Christ speaking.
- Jesus is pronouncing woe upon two cities: “Chorazin” and “Bethsaida.”
- His condemnation involves stating something that didn’t happen: “if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago”
- Yet Jesus knows this and knows this supernaturally.
- “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.” (Matthew 11:23)
- Here is Jesus Christ speaking.
- Jesus is pronouncing woe upon the city of “”
- His condemnation involves stating something that didn’t happen: “f the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.”
- Yet Jesus knows this and knows this supernaturally.
Implications
- Are you grateful for God’s Omniscience?
- Imagine if God didn’t know wasn’t all knowing: “In fact, a relatively ignorant God with absolute power to do anything he wanted would be frightening, for his creatures might constantly fear that he would use that power in ignorance of the truth. He might not know who was truly guilty of sin, and hence might punish the righteous and bless the wicked, or without fully understanding the natural order, he might perform miracle which, because of ignorance, produces something monstrous.” [5]
- Be thankful to God that He knows all, and praise Him that He is so!
- If God knows you more than you know yourself, do you trust what God says about you?
- If God knows everything do you believe whatever His word has to say about His creation?
- If God knows you accurately and your sins, does that bring about a healthy fear of God that drives you to His grace as given through trusting Jesus Christ and His works to save sinners? How is your reading of the Word? Sometimes we don’t read because we don’t understand. But do you realized that the Spirit is our teacher and He knows thoroughly about God? Do you trust and ask Him for help to understand and know God?
- How is your prayer life? In light of the examples of the Apostles in Acts 1, do we pray to God in making decisions, knowing that He knows more than we do?
- Are you fearful of man and prone to peer pressure? In light of Luke 16:15, we should care more about what God thinks about us rather than being esteemed by men.
- We should also learn that just because we are esteemed by others that does not mean we are not harboring secret sins in our hearts in which God knows about.
[1] John Frame, The Doctrine of God (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2002), 414.
[2] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan), 190.
[3] John Feinberg, No One Like Him (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001), 304.
[4] John Feinberg, No One Like Him (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001), 304.
[5] John Feinberg, No One Like Him (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001), 299.
Excellent overview. Thanks. We serve an amazing God.
Your insight is so very valuable.
Blessings!
Edifying post with much needed truths. The ‘Implications’ are so important. Meditating on this attribute of God is a true source of confidence and strength when crisis and trials shake our core. Thank you for encouragement this morning.
Press on brother Slimjim!
Thank you Lisa for reading this post this morning and dropping by with a comment! This past year I’m struck to see how much things many don’t know concerning truth due to the media spin and omission of coverage but also how many things I myself can’t be sure about in current affairs…but so glad God knows all and we can trust in Him amen?
Amen!
So thankful our God is God in charge because no one else even comes close.
Thank you for this morning’s lesson and your article, Jim! Indeed, there is a strong connection between the Old Testament and New Testament in GOD’s Omniscience. It is comforting to know that our Creator GOD knows even every strand of our hair and every cell that we have. With that, He really knows the state of our health, emotions, and thoughts, among others. You are right, we are grateful for GOD’s Omniscience as He can easily heal (spiritually, emotionaly, and physically) us in His divine time, plan and providence of course, among all the infinite things He can do.
There is no hiding our sin too from the Omniscient GOD. That reminded me (yes, right after the Bible Study) of the first four Stanzas of the secular song by Police, “Every Breath You Take.” Blessings to you and your family, Slim!
Very good applications that you shared here! What an amazing God and what a marvel to think of Him as all knowing. I am praying for the prayer request you shared during the morning Bible study. It is truly a blessing to see you online and hearing your input along with Mandy and the rest of the believers. Often what you guys share also prompt some of the other believers to message me after the Bible study to share their thoughts and questions and applications. Which to me is a blessing and a good change since this virus began last year. Hope all is well with you Kent!
Enjoying my “vacation” in the blog, Jim! There are still some Psalms to cover. Thank you again for an edifying lesson! Good morning from Quezon City! Yes, I’ll be having a year record of not leaving more than 5 meters from our gate.
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Thank you, brother!
Thank you Maria for reading this! Hope your part of the country is warming up and the ice are melting!
It is! TX, brother!
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Thanks for another excellent outline on God’s attributes, this one on His omniscience. Like His omnipresence, His omniscience is a blessing. God knows us and our circumstances intimately. There is nothing we face that He is not aware of and does not permit. This should spur us on to holiness and trusting in Him more. Ravi Zacharias was not contemplating God’s omniscience if he even knew God at all.
A book I recently read conjectured about Jesus’ omniscience in light of His combined humanity and deity. Luke 2:52 states that young Jesus “grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” He also did not know the time of His Second Coming (Mark 13:32). So it seems there were some limitations to Jesus’ divine omniscience because of His dual nature. I’m sure you’re aware of some theological debates regarding this, although we’ll never get the full explanation this side of eternity.
Wow thanks for this rich comment! I would say it probably slightly differently in that Jesus’ divine omniscience itself was not limited, but Jesus in His human nature including His human mind, has chosen to limit access of knowing everything from His divine nature (that is, this limitation describes Jesus’ human mind rather Jesus’ Divine omniscience itself). There is something in theology called Extra Calvinisticum which is a doctrine that says while Jesus is wholly God and wholly man, yet the Divine aspect of Jesus also exists outside of Jesus’ human nature since you see Jesus sustaining all things in creation according to Colossians 1:17, and that is true even when Christ humanity died on the Cross.
You are right there is quite some discussions about this matter! Good stuff you shared brother Tom! What is the book called??? Curious!
Thanks for all of the good information and your thoughts on the subject. The book is “Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament” by Christopher Wright. An excellent book overall, but the author suggests that Jesus gradually acquired knowledge of His identity and mission. I just wrote a review today. I noticed another reviewer raised this concern and also mentioned the ongoing debate over “What did Jesus know and when did He know it?”
Great job in covering this topic. The omniscience of God is so comforting to remind ourselves when we are feeling like he is distant. Hope is renewed when we recognize this important attribute!
‘Tis a great comfort that God has such intimate knowledge of who I am, when I know so little about myself.
Amen it does bring about great comfort! Still praying for your health!
Thanks so much, Jim!
This is such a great Study! I love how God refers to Himself as El Roi, the God who sees. God saw Hagar’s struggles. God is omniscient in and of Himself and He also reveals Himself as the God who sees. This is humbling to me and I did not think of this until reading your post now! I am so thankful that you included prayer in your application part. There was a song that we sang in children’s church when we were growing up “oh be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above is looking down in love so be careful little eyes what you see…” this song also continues on with other parts of the body with ears, tongue, hands. Anyway, to know someone is to see them, is to spend time with them. May we spend time with our Triune God who sees all things, knows all things and sovereign overall. Love and blessings to you, Nancy and kiddos!
A rich comment sister! Wow thanks for sharing that from Genesis with Hagar’s narrative! I plan to speak from that narrative for our church’s couple’s meeting, it is a message that is applicable for single parents (and of course others too). It is amazing to think that God sees and there is a comfort that comes from that! I am so horrible with music, I actually don’t even know what’s the next lines with that song beyond the seeing Stanza so thank you for sharing that! It would be interesting to see a study on the attributes of God within the book of Genesis, Genesis is proving to be so much more richer than I can imagine, the more I read through it…does it amaze you that Genesis being the first book has so much going on that there is so much in terms of life story of relatable life drama, Messianic typology/prophetic anticipation, and other themes that is developed later on in Scripture??? Grateful for you sharing on Tuesday night, as always!
It’s funny you mention this. I am making a chart for the youth which have different names of God found in the Torah and making charts with the names of the Egyptian gods/goddesses and the Canaanites as well. Anyway, the whole point is that I was thinking of the same thing with the attributes of God in Genesis in conjunction with His Names. Like Elohim, Elyon, El Olam, El Shaddai, El Roi, Jehovah Jireh (Gen 22 😁) etc and then that leads to the question if God’s Name wasn’t revealed until Ex 3, how did they know God’s Name?! For the youth, the more I work on this the heavier on my heart it’s been to ask if you would consider a 4 part study with the youth? Why Christians should love the Bible Jesus Read looking at 1. Torah 2. Prophets 3. Writings and 4. NT use of OT.
This a great writing
Jim, as we study these verses and others, we quickly come to realize the blessings of our omniscient God.
Reblogged this on My Logos Word.
Excellent study presenting the omniscience of our Triune God. It brought to mind the book of Colossians where it reads that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. How privileged are we that we can trust Him to lead us with full assurance that He knows what we don’t and even if things don’t make sense to us at the time, we are not to trust on our own understanding but leave it all in His Hands.
Thank you brother Jim, for sharing this.
God bless you.
This is an accepted doctrine of the church that should be believed because the Bible teaches it and applied to our life.
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How much God loves us even as He know maybe how foolish humans are