Spiritually Discerning Omniscience
Romans 11:33 (KJV) O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
When last we addressed the Omniscience of God (part 1) we dealt with two arguments that atheist and open theist contend are true of God. For the atheist with the goal of disproving the existence God is a fair stance, that is who they are and they are very upfront with their goal. However the stance taken by the open theist scares me in that to the casual observer they (open theist) appear to be true believers, and without a discerning eye can so easily be mistaken for true believers by a new convert. The open theist may not have the goal of humanizing God but their atheistic mindset unwittingly puts them on the same path of destruction.
Rather then act as an atheist or a theologian I’m going to do something very profound I’m going to act as a believer.
God Knowledge and Man’s knowledge
Francis Turretin. In his discussion of the doctrine of God knowledge writes;
Concerning the intellect of God and the disquisition of his knowledge, two things must be attended to above all others: the mode and the object. The mode consists in his knowing all things perfectly, undividedly, distinctly and immutably. It is thus distinguished from human and angelic knowledge: perfectly because he knows all things by himself or by his essence (not by forms abstracted from things--as is the case with creatures--both because these are only in time with the things themselves, but the knowledge of God is eternal, and because he can have no cause out of himself).[1]
I know he is a theologian but I’m moving from that point as quickly as I can. So what is the point here? Simple God does not perceive knowledge as we perceive. As I said in the previous blog that the atheist tries to humanize God by putting the limitations of man on God. Man perceives though his senses but there are limits to what we can perceive even in senses that work excellently.
Consider this two people can watch a sudden car accident at the same time, from the same vantage point but when asked the chronology of the event they will give you two different stories, one may even leave out or add something to the actual event. But God does not perceive things with his senses like man does; God’s perception is the Work of the Holy Spirit therefore it can have not limitations because it is God.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10 (KJV)
For the man of God spiritual understanding of God’s knowledge brings us comfort, because we can spiritually discern the Omniscience of God. We don’t have to intellectually know God is Omniscience we can unlike the rest of the world let his Holy Spirit reveal to us his Omniscience. This becomes true when we began to act on the spiritual knowledge of His Omniscience, when we are in doubt we cry out “Search me, 0h God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24)
This is the Spiritual knowledge of God’s Omniscience that the world can’t comprehend. We discern the infinite knowledge of God which fills us and unctions us to exalt His heavenly name. Way above even the wisest man is the simplest knowledge of God, as the heavens are above the earth so is the knowledge of God above man.
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36 (KJV)
References
1. Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology (Philipsburg, New Jersey: P & R Publishing, 1997), 1:207
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