Last week, we talked about the importance of establishing a sound foundation for our ideological frameworks and we established what it means when we say that God is love. God’s love for us isn’t limited to God having the “warm and fuzzies” when we obey a long list of do’s and don’ts. God’s love for us is the very essence of who He is and everything He does is rooted in that love.
This week, we’re going to go over what I believe to be the other two most important aspects of who God is: His omniscience and His omnipotence.
“The Bible teaches that God is all-knowing or omniscient. The word “omniscient” comes from two Latin words omnis signifying all, and scientia signifying knowledge. When we say that God is omniscient it means that He has perfect knowledge of all things. He does not have to learn anything and He has not forgotten anything. God does not have to reason things out, find out things, or learn them gradually. He knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen. God also knows every potential thing that might happen. God even knows those things that humankind has yet to discover. This knowledge is absolute and unacquired. The omniscience of God means that He has perfect knowledge, perfect understanding, and perfect wisdom as to how to apply the knowledge.”
Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed (1 Samuel 2:3)
O LORD, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it (Psalm 139:1-6).
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; his understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:5).
Known to God from eternity are all his works (Acts 15:18).
“When we speak of God being omnipotent or all-powerful we must understand exactly what that means. It means that God is able to do anything that is consistent with His holy character. He is not able to lie, do anything sinful, or do anything that is logically impossible. This does not limit His power. He can do everything that is holy and wise.”
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns. Revelation 19:6
Come and see the works of God; he is awesome in his doing toward the sons of men. He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the river on foot . . . he rules by his power forever; his eyes observe the nations; do not let the rebellious exalt themselves (Psalm 66:5-7).
But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27).
“Omnipotence does not mean God cannot exercise self-limitation. God cannot contradict His nature or the nature of things as they are. It is not possible for God to either lie or to die. Neither can He make two plus two equal five.
The biblical God has limited Himself only to acts that are consistent with His righteous, loving character. Therefore, God’s power is self-restrained. He cannot do evil and He cannot do anything irrational. He cannot go back upon His word. He is all-powerful when it comes to doing things that are right, but He has no power to do things wrong.”
The Big Picture
You’re probably wondering why all of that is so important. Personally, I wholeheartedly believe that God is unconditional love, that He is all-knowing, including having foreknowledge, and that God is all-powerful. The overwhelming majority of what I disagree with regarding traditional Christianity conflicts with either God being love, God being all-knowing, and/or God being all-powerful. Too much of what is generally accepted, from how we view the cross to how we view sin and salvation, can’t truly be reconciled with who God is supposed to be. Before we get into debunking some of the flaws in the reasoning those things are based on, there has to be a consensus on who God is, and if anything should inflexible, it’s that. If God is x, then y must be true. And if God is NOT x, then y CANNOT be true. No exceptions. No excuses.
So there you have it: the foundation, and I actually don’t think any of those concepts are especially controversial in theory. The problems arise when we try to apply them practically to established doctrine and what’s already been accepted as true. In my opinion, the biggest hurdle to accepting these traits at face value is how we conceptualize sin.
I think a lot of people view God’s response to sin as being reactionary, i.e. God had a plan, humans messed up the plan, and God had to send His Son to die and save us from ourselves. But I don’t worship a reactionary God. I worship a God of power, love, foreknowledge and intention. And if God is not reactionary, if God had the power to prevent sin from ever existing, if God created humanity despite knowing what the consequences of creating humanity would be….the question is….why?
Tune in next week to find out!
