The Attributes of God Steve Lawson
Trinity Bible Church, Men's study, March 3 & 10, 2022
LESSON 7. The OMNISCIENCE of God
MESSAGE INTRODUCTION
When reflecting on the limited capacity of the human mind, it is difficult to fathom a being who knows everything perfectly. There are some today who would limit God's knowledge, arguing that it interferes with the free choices of individuals, but this runs counter to the clear and consistent teaching of Scripture. In this message, we consider what it means to affirm that God is omniscient and why this aspect of His character is essential to our understanding of who He is.
Louis Berkhof: "The knowledge of God may be defined as that perfection of God whereby He, in an entirely unique manner, knows Himself and all things possible and actual, in one eternal and most simple act."
Job 37:16 "Those wonderful works of Him who has perfect knowledge"
Psalm 147:5 "His understanding is infinite"
Isaiah 40:28 "His understanding is unsearchable"
1 John 3:20 "God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything."
Psalm 139:1–4
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
1. To consider the height, depth, length, and breadth of God's omniscience
2. To explain how God's exhaustive knowledge ought to both comfort and convict
3. To impart humility in light of God's limitless understanding
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Perfect self-knowledge
A. God's omniscience includes perfect knowledge of Himself, the triune Godhead.
B. The three persons of the Trinity know each other fully, with no gaps in their knowledge (Matthew 11:27; John 10:15).
C. Though no human can fathom the thoughts of God, He knows them completely (1 Corinthians 2:11).
II. Perfect knowledge (Job 37:16: Psalm 147:5)
A. God knows all things as they truly are.
1. God never learns anything new.
2. Nothing ever surprises God or takes Him off guard.
3. God is not prone to confusion or misunderstanding.
B. There is no darkness in God's knowledge (1 John 1:5).
C. When we bring our petitions and requests before God, we know that His responses are grounded in His all-encompassing knowledge.
III. Eternal knowledge
A. Human knowledge is gained through a succession of experiences.
B. Humans can forget what they know.
C. God, on the other hand, has known all things from before the foundation of the world, and this knowledge remains intact forever (Isaiah 46:8–10).
D. God not only knows the outcome of history, but He is also familiar with every human thought and action throughout history.
IV. Immediate knowledge
A. God knows all things instantly & simultaneously.
B. God has never needed anyone to instruct or counsel Him (Romans 11:34; Isaiah 40:13–14).
V. Exhaustive knowledge
A. God's knowledge encompasses minute details.
1. He numbers and names the stars (Psalm 147:4).
2. He counts the hairs on a person's head, and not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Lord's knowledge (Matthew 10:29–30).
B. God knows unseen details about our lives, and there is nothing that we can hide from Him (Psalm 33:13-15, Psalm 147:4, Proverbs 5:21, Psalm 15:3).
6. Penetrating knowledge
A. God's knowledge penetrates the depths of the human heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)
B. He knows us far more intimately than we know ourselves (Psalm 139:1–4).
C. Even though God is fully acquainted with the depths of our sin and depravity, He does not withhold His love and forgiveness from His redeemed people.
7. Future knowledge (Psalm 139:4; Isaiah 42:9; Isaiah 46:9-10)
A. God knows the future because He has foreordained whatever shall come to pass.
B. God's knowledge of future events sets Him apart from lifeless idols.
8. Possible knowledge
A. God knows not only the reality of what is, but also the possibility of other things that might have been.
B. He is aware of the potential consequences of every possible human action that ever could have been taken (Matthew 11:21, 23).
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. God's "immediate knowledge" primarily refers to: a. His simultaneous knowledge of everything
b. His knowledge specifically in the present
c. His knowledge of the thoughts of individuals
d. His knowledge of the future
2. Concerning God's omniscience, which of the following statements is false?
a. Since God knows everything, humans can't be responsible for their own actions.
b. God's knowledge includes the past, present, and future.
c. Humans are dependent upon God for true knowledge of Him.
d. The fall of mankind into sin did not surprise God.
3. God knows us even better than we know ourselves.
a. True b. false
God's knowledge compared with man's knowledge (Brad Klassen)
1. God knows all things naturally.
Man knows things only by learning.
When we affirm that God is omniscient, we affirm that God knows all things intuitively. All that can be called "knowledge" God knows because of who He is. In other words, God never learns, never discovers, never forgets, and is never surprised. God never "acquires" knowledge.
On the other hand, we as creatures know things only by learning. We need the five senses—hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling—in order to acquire knowledge. We contemplate and exercise logic in order to learn about principles and causes. We reflect, inquire, compare, contrast, and memorize. To us, knowledge must be learned. But not so for God.
2. God knows all things independently.
Man knows things dependently.
As creatures, our knowledge is subsequent to the fact. We gain knowledge through a process of observation of existing realities. As such, our knowledge is always dependent. We rely on the existence of things outside of ourselves in order to understand them.
God's knowledge, however, is knowledge that is previous to the fact. God's knowledge of people, places, things, etc.—is known apart from and prior to their coming into being. His knowledge is therefore independent of anything external to Himself. He does not need a teacher. He does not need something to happen. He knew how the earth would function, all its chemical components, etc.—before He even brought it into existence! He knows what He knows independently.
3. God knows all things infinitely.
Man knows things partially.
The omniscience of God refers to His infinity with respect to knowledge. It is not only that God knows some things exhaustively. It is that He knows all things exhaustively. There are no details which lie beyond God's understanding. He is not one grain of sand off in His knowledge of the number of grains of sand on all the seashores. He knows what He knows exactly, as it truly is—without approximation.
Man, however, is limited in both the quantity and quality of his knowledge. What he knows he knows in very limited degrees.
4. God knows all things immutably.
Man knows things variably.
To be immutable is to be permanent, established, and unchanging. Since God is immutable, His knowledge is also immutable. His quality and quantity of knowledge is not subject to change; it neither increases nor decreases, improves nor deteriorates. It is eternally constant.
Man, however, is always growing (or declining!) and changing in his understanding.
5. God knows all things instantaneously.
Man knows fragmentarily.
What God knows He also knows instantaneously. He is fully and eternally conscious of the depth and breadth of all knowledge. He does not need time to recall information, to apply laws of logic, or to reason through levels of argumentation or equations. He knows everything at once.
Creatures, on the other hand, know what they know very differently. A genius may possess tremendous knowledge, but it is piecemeal knowledge. He can only think of one thing at once. He cannot think of all that he knows instantaneously, nor can he understand the interconnectedness and distinctives of this knowledge in one and the same moment.
6. God knows all things infallibly.
Man knows things fallibly.
God knows everything perfectly, without error. In His infinite reservoir of knowledge there is not the slightest miscalculation or faulty proposition.
Man's knowledge, however, is filled with error. And what is worse, man does not even recognize where the error exists!
What does God know about you?
Genesis 6:5 "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time."
1 Kings 8:39 "You alone know the hearts of all men."
1 Chronicles 28:9 "Serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts."
2 Chronicles 6:30 "You alone know each human heart!"
Job 21:27 "Behold, I know your thoughts!"
Job 31:4 "Does He not see my ways, and count my every step?"
Psalm 7:9 "O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts"
Psalm 44:21 "Would not God have discovered it, since He knows the secrets of the heart?"
Psalm 69:5 "O God, You know my foolishness; my sins are not hidden from You."
Psalm 90:8 "You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence."
Psalm 94:11 "The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are a mere breath"
Psalm 139:2 "You perceive my thoughts from afar!"
Proverbs 15:3 "The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good."
Proverbs 15:11 "Death and Destruction lie open before the Lord—how much more the hearts of men!"
Ecclesiastes 12:14 "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."
Isaiah 66:18 "I know their works and their thoughts."
Jeremiah 17:10 "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."
Jeremiah 20:12 "Almighty Lord, You test people justly; You know what is in their hearts and minds."
Ezekiel 11:5 "I know what is going through your mind."
Matthew 9:4 "And Jesus knowing their thoughts said: Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?"
Matthew 12:25 "But Jesus knew their thoughts"
Luke 6:8 "He knew their thoughts"
Luke 9:47 "Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart"
Luke 16:15 "He said to them: You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight."
Acts 1:24 "Lord, You know everyone's heart."
Romans 2:16 "God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all."
1 Corinthians 4:5 "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts."
Revelation 2:23 "I am the One who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How should the fact of God's omniscience humble us?
2. How should the fact of God's omniscience challenge us?
3. How should the fact of God's omniscience comfort us? (John 21:17)
4. How should the fact of God's omniscience change our life? (Psalm 139:23-24; Romans 11:33)
5. Why is sincerity so important in the Christian life?
(Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Luke 12:1-3)
ILLUSTRATION: There are audio recorders and video recorders. God has a _______________ recorder that perfectly records every one of our ______________!
QUOTATIONS
Arthur Pink: What a wondrous Being is the God of Scripture! God is omniscient. He knows everything:
everything possible,
everything actual,
all events,
all creatures,
of the past, the present, and the future.
He is perfectly acquainted with every detail in the life of every being in Heaven, in earth, and in Hell. Nothing escapes His notice, nothing can be hidden from Him, nothing is forgotten by Him.
His knowledge is perfect.
He never errs.
He never changes.
He never overlooks anything.
God not only knows whatever has happened in the past in every part of His vast domains; and He is not only thoroughly acquainted with everything that is now transpiring throughout the entire universe—but He is also perfectly cognizant of every event, from the least to the greatest, that ever will happen in the ages to come! God's knowledge of the future is as complete as is His knowledge of the past and the present; and that, because the future depends entirely upon Himself. God has Himself designed whatever shall yet be, and what He has designed, must be effectuated. God's knowledge does not arise from things because they are or will be—but because He has ordained them to be! Yes, such is the God with whom we have to do!
How solemn is this fact: Nothing can be concealed from God! "For I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them" (Ezekiel 11:5). Neither the darkness of night, the thickest walls, nor the deepest dungeon—can hide any sinner from the eyes of Omniscience!
Men would strip Deity of His omniscience if they could—what a proof that the carnal mind is enmity against God (Romans 8:7)! The wicked do as naturally hate this Divine perfection as much as they are naturally compelled to acknowledge it. They wish there might be no Witness of their sins, no Searcher of their hearts, no Judge of their deeds. They seek to banish such a God from their thoughts!
An omniscient and ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of sin, was never invented by any of Adam's descendants!
J.C. Ryle: In all our duties, whether giving or praying, the great thing to be kept in mind is, that we have a heart-searching and all-knowing God. Everything like formality, being artificial, or mere bodily service, is abominable and worthless in God's sight. He takes no account of the quantity of money we give, or the quantity of words we use. The one thing at which His all-seeing eye looks at is the nature of our motives, and the state of our hearts. Our Father sees in secret!
J.C. Ryle: "All things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13). Nothing can be concealed from Christ.
What do we think of, in private, when no man sees us?
What do we think of, in church, when we seem so serious and worshipful?
What are we thinking of at this moment, while these words pass under our eyes?
Jesus knows. Jesus sees. Jesus records. Jesus will one day call us to give account. It is written that "God will judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ" (Romans 2:16).
Richard Baxter: 'Oh how ashamed you would be if men could see your thoughts! Is not the eye of God ten thousand times more to be regarded?"
Spurgeon: Do I address anyone who is just now practicing a 'secret' sin? Believe me, your sin is known!
Dexterous though you have been in the attempt to conceal it—it has been seen! As surely as you live, it has been seen!
"By whom?" you ask.
Ah! by One who never forgets what he sees, and will be sure to punish it. Certainly He will one day proclaim it by the sound of trumpet to listening worlds.
You are watched, sir; you are known.
You have been closely observed, old man; those
things you have hidden away will be brought to light,
for God is the great discoverer of sin. His eye has marked you. It is vain to think that you can conceal your transgressions. Before the all-knowing God, disguise is futile. Yes, the darkness does not hide you. That infallible Eye which never mistakes—is never closed; from Him no secret is hidden.
Why, therefore, do you imagine that you can deceive your Maker? "Be sure your sin will find you out." The hounds of justice, strong of scent and swift of foot, are on your trail!
Thomas Watson: "My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from Me, nor is their sin concealed from My eyes!" Jeremiah 16:17
If God is a God of infinite knowledge, then see the folly of hypocrisy. Hypocrites carry it fair with men—but care not how bad their hearts are; they live in secret sin. "They say: How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?" "What does God know? Can He judge through thick darkness?" "God has forgotten, He hides His face, He will never see it!"
But, "His understanding is infinite!" He has a window to look into men's hearts! He has a key to open up the heart. "Your Father who sees in secret." God sees in secret. As a merchant enters debts in his book, so God has His debt-book, in which He enters every sin!
The hypocrite thinks to disguise and juggle with God, but God will unmask him! "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing." "For they have done outrageous things . . . I know it and am a witness to it—declares the Lord." Jeremiah 29:23
The hypocrite hopes he shall color over his sin, and make it look very good. Judas cloaks his covetousness, with the pretense of "charity to the poor." But God sees through these fig-leaves! He who has an eye to see—will find a hand to punish!
Since God is infinite in knowledge, we should always feel as under His omniscient eye. "I have set the Lord always before me." The consideration of God's omniscience would be preventive of much sin. The eye of man will restrain from sin; and will not God's eyes much more? Will we sin when our Judge looks on? Would men speak so vainly, if they considered that God overheard them? What care would people have of their words, if they remembered that God heard, and His pen was writing everything down in Heaven? Would they commit immorality, if they believed that God was a spectator of their wickedness, and would punish them in Hell for it? Would they defraud in their dealings, and use false weights, if they knew that God saw them; and for making their weights lighter—would make their damnation heavier?
Maria Sandberg: "I know your works, your labor, your patient endurance. You have persevered and have endured hardships, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary!" Revelation 2:2-3
It is a great consolation to the Christian to know that his Savior is omniscient, that He knows . . .
his every thought,
his every desire,
his every motive,
everything concerning him.
For, although he is conscious of much imperfection and sin—he is conscious also of the sincerity of his desire after holiness and for the glory of God. And his Savior knows this too. He can appeal to that Omniscient One, whose eyes are as a flame of fire, and can say, "Lord, You know all things! You know that I love You!"
Jesus knows what others do not. He knows the difficulties you have to encounter, both from within and from without. He knows all the temptations you have to suffer. He knows the amount of labor and patient endurance those things cost. Oh! let this encourage you on your way to the kingdom of glory—Jesus knows all your trials along the way!
James Smith: "The Lord searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought!" 1 Chronicles 28:9
"I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person!" Revelation 2:23
God's perfect knowledge is cause of terror to His enemies—but it is a source of comfort to His redeemed people.
"O Lord, You know" my sins and follies! No one else does. No one else ever will. How could I look anyone in the face—if I thought he knew what was passing in my heart, or what is transacted in the chambers of my imagination within!
The Lord alone can search the heart. He alone knows the worst of us—and He alone knows the best; for the best and the worst, are both concealed in the same heart. The eye of God sees . . .
every motive,
every thought,
every lust,
every action!
His eye is on that mysterious portion of our nature, called the imagination, on which such strange pictures are often painted, in which such fearful scenes are sometimes transacted. What streams of moral filthiness sometimes flow from the heart into the imagination! How difficult sometimes to keep it back.
What a depth of pollution there is within us!
What billows of corruption sometimes roll and swell!
But blessed be God, the perfect righteousness of Jesus covers all—and conceals all; and the grace and Spirit of God will ultimately purge away the whole foul heap from us!
Now our iniquities are forgiven, and our sins are covered; but then our natures will be perfectly purified, and be as white as the falling snow!
Thomas Brooks: "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." Proverbs 15:3
The harboring of any known sin, either in heart or life, is high contempt of the all-seeing eye of God—of the omnipresence of God.
O sirs! to do wickedly in the sight of God, is a thing which He looks upon as the greatest affront and indignity that can possibly be done unto Him. "What!" says He, "Will you be drunk before Me, and swear and blaspheme before Me, and be immoral before Me, and break My laws before My eyes!"
This, then, is the killing aggravation of all sin: that it is done before the face of God—in the presence of God! The consideration of God's omnipresence—that He stands and looks on, should be as a bar to stop the proceedings of all wicked intentions; and a great dissuasive from sin.
When you are in secret—consider that God is present.
God is all eye. He sees . . .
all things,
in all places,
at all times.
The godly are dissuaded from wickedness, upon the consideration of God's eye and omniscience. Joseph saw God in the room—and therefore dared not yield to lust. But Potiphar's wife saw none but Joseph—and so was impudently alluring and tempting him to sin.
I have read of two godly men, who took contrary courses with two harlots—whom they desired to reclaim from their wicked course of life. One of the men told one of the women, that he was desirous to enjoy her company in secret. After she had brought him into a private room, and locked the door, he told her, "All your bars and bolts cannot keep God out!"
The other godly man asked the other harlot to be unchaste with him openly in the streets—which she rejected as an insane request. He then told her, "It was better to be immoral before the eyes of a crowd—than before the eyes of the all-seeing God!"
Oh, why shall not the presence of that God who hates sin, and who is resolved to punish it with Hell-flames, make us ashamed or afraid to sin, and dare Him to His face! Let your eye be ever on Him—whose eye is ever on you!
John Newton:
"The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I know! I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives." Jeremiah 17:9-10
The heart, with all its deceitful and wicked workings, is incessantly under Divine inspection and examination! The Lord searches the heart—He traces and investigates the inmost principles of our souls and their motives, with the utmost exactness!
To form a more just idea of this scrutiny, let us ask ourselves how we could bear to be compelled to declare aloud, in full company—every thought, wish and desire which pass through our minds—with no exception! People, if they were brought to this trial, would rather choose to die than comply with it!
If every man was compelled to speak all that he thinks—that would be the end of human society; and man would no more venture to dwell with man, than with tigers and bears!
We know what mischief one ungoverned tongue may sometimes occasion. But the tongue can do no evil, any farther than as it is an instrument of disclosing the hidden things of the heart—yet it is but a small part of these, that the worst tongue is capable of disclosing! What then would be the case, if all our hearts were open—and all our evil thoughts, motives and desires known to one another! What a mixture of confusion, shame, rage, fear, and contempt—would overspread every countenance!
And yet, we are thus exposed to the searching eye of the infinitely pure and holy God! The Lord knows the thoughts of man's heart, that they are vain. He long ago declared the result of His examination, "God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth; and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually!" Thus, we see how vile and hateful our hearts must appear in the sight of a heart-searching God!
And consider that the Lord does not observe the heart of man with the indifference of a mere spectator, but as an impartial and inflexible Judge! "I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve!" Alas! Is it not sufficient to fill our souls with dread—that God sits as Judge, not only upon outward actions, but He examines the very thoughts and intents of the heart! Can any of us stand under such a trial?
"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account!" Hebrews 4:13
This is a most uncomfortable doctrine indeed—if there were no remedy provided!
"The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin!" 1 John 1:7