If God were to know everything then he wouldn’t be free to do anything otherwise it would be considered a paradox to do something differently than predicted. How can omnipresence and omnipotence make sense together?
This is the type of contorted question that derive out of the false understandings of Calvinism/Reformed and Arminianism’s teachings. You would have this problem if all things were predestinated. Under Open Theology, these kinds of questions do not exist.
Open Theology asserts that history is flowing in real time and that God is controlling and guiding all things within the bounds of his general plan. Only certain things were predestinated from the beginning as integral parts of the plan: the plan of salvation which included Christ’s atonement, the final judgments, etc. In between these, there is room for man’s free will, time and chance, and God’s judgments upon man which can change the course of history within the limits of God’s chosen end. History is open and ongoing under the direction and control of God.
The things that are foreknown are those things God has predetermined and will guide history to make them happen. The consequences of the choices the Lord gives men are predefined, which choice they make is not. This eliminates the idea of infinite possibilities.
History is open and running in real time so there is room for a little free play between those things that are set in stone. Whereas, in other theologies history is closed, completed, unchanging which gives us paradoxes, contradictions, and questions like this one.
God knows all there is to know at the moment it becomes knowable. The future not having happened as yet is not fixed except for the events God has predefined. Therefore, there can be more than one way to reach those events: the easy way, obey God; the hard way, via God’s judgments.
You should be familiar with four main theologies in your study of the Scriptures.
- Calvinism/Reformed
- Arminianism,
- Neo-Arminianism
- Open Theology
The first three have history closed. You will find in doing so they all limit God is some way.
Yea, they turned back and tempted God,
and limited the Holy One of Israel.
Psalms 78:41
Views: 2
