Does scripture indicate that God is omniscient?

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See Job 38-39
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind: 2 "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements–surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth from the womb; 9 when I made clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10* and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, 11 and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed? . . . 19 "Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with strength? * 20 Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrible. 21 He paws* in the valley, and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons. 22 He laughs at fear, and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the sword. 23 Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear and the javelin. 24 With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground; he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet. 25 When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting. 26 “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and spreads his wings toward the south? 27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high? 28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home in the fastness of the rocky crag. 29 Thence he spies out the prey; his eyes behold it afar off. 30 His young ones suck up blood; and where the slain are, there is he.”
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Joe_Kelley said:
See Job 38-39
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According to this verse, and other verses in the Bible, I would have to say - NO!

This passge in Job has shown that God knows a LOT! But that does not make God omniscient.

Let’s clarify what omnsience is - it means that God knows EVERYTHING! It means that He not only knows everything cited in Job, but much more than that. He would not only know everything that has happened or is happening, but
He will also know everything that is going to happen.

But for the life of me, I cannot think of a passage in the Bible that says that God knows everything in the future. True, there are prophesies where God predict the future. But this only show that God knows some things in the future, and these things He may e able to predict because He will determine it to happen.

This is why there is a new theology among Protestant Evangelicals called Open Theism. Open theism teaches that God does not know the future completely.

However, although I cannot think of any scripture that teaches that God is omniscient, I still believe it without hesitation. Since I am Catholic, I believe it not because of the Bible, but because of philosophy and tradition. In philosophy, as spelled out by ST. Thomas Aquinas, if anything was to exist at all, the ground of all existence would have to be an Infinite Being. Being infinite, any attributes this being had would to be infinite. This Being’s knowledge would be infinite, so God would be omniscient. Also, Church tradition and philosophy would support the idea that God is outside of time. Since He is outside of time, He can see everything in future.
 
I personally believe that scripture teaches that God is omniscient but I don’t know of any specific verses that teach this other than this one: :o

John 21:17 RSV He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.

Emphasis mine.
 
There’s one verse in scripture which probably indicates that God is not omniscient.

Genesis 18:20-21

Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomor’rah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know.”

This implies that **God as yet did not know **whether the Sodomites had done all those evil deeds that he was being informed about.
 
packermann said:
This is why there is a new theology among Protestant Evangelicals called Open Theism. Open theism teaches that God does not know the future completely.
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Even I think so. According to me, God does know all the posibilities, but he does not know which of those possibilities will occur.

Take an analogy from chess. Vishy Anand knows he’s going to win after 30 moves, but he does not know the exact course of moves that will lead him to victory (for his opponent might play different moves than what Vishy expected). But he’s sure that he’s going to win, for he knows that no matter what his opponent does (possibilities) he has got a reply to it.
 
iaskquestions said:
Even I think so. According to me, God does know all the posibilities, but he does not know which of those possibilities will occur.

Take an analogy from chess. Vishy Anand knows he’s going to win after 30 moves, but he does not know the exact course of moves that will lead him to victory (for his opponent might play different moves than what Vishy expected). But he’s sure that he’s going to win, for he knows that no matter what his opponent does (possibilities) he has got a reply to it.
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Its ridiculous to say God doesn’t know everything.
He would not be God if he was not omnipotent and omniscient.
 
thistle said:
Its ridiculous to say God doesn’t know everything.
He would not be God if he was not omnipotent and omniscient.
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Then please explain **Genesis 18:20-21 **as quoted in my earlier post.
 
Matt. 6:8 says:
"Your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
1 Sam. 16:7; Acts 1:24; 15:8; Rom. 8:27; 1 Cor. 3:20
God knows a man’s heart (cf. 1 Ki. 8:39; 2 Ch. 6:30).
1 Ch. 28:9
God searches the heart and understands all the intent of the thoughts (cf. 2 Ch. 16:9; Heb. 4:12).
Matt. 6:4, 18
God sees the things done in secret.
Heb. 4:13
There is no creature hidden from God’s sight.
Matt. 6:32
God knows all our needs.
Matt. 10:29
Nothing happens apart from God’s will (cf. Ja. 4:13-16).
Acts 2:23
Jesus was delivered to the Jews to be crucified by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God.
Matt. 24:36
No one but God knows the day and hour of judgment
 
iaskquestions said:
Then please explain **Genesis 18:20-21 **as quoted in my earlier post.
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That would fall under the label of an anthropomorphic device.
Wikipedia:
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, natural and supernatural phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropomorphism
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Not sure as much beyond that…except maybe to help us understand God by applying human concepts, which later became obsolete as we understand more of God. 🤷
 
CGDouglas said:
That would fall under the label of an anthropomorphic device.

Not sure as much beyond that…except maybe to help us understand God by applying human concepts, which later became obsolete as we understand more of God. 🤷
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👍 I agree with this - great explanation and the earlier response with verse support for God knowing all was excellent.

God knows all - He is timeless so he knows the future as he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I believe that we experience time in linear fashion, but to God, He knows what will happen as he is not governed by time. That is the concept of “foreknowledge” - God knew from the beginning of time who would be His (not election against our will - as Calvinism teaches - but knew who would choose to respond to His call - Arminian thinking). I believe this concept of “free will” is consistent with Catholic doctrine as is the concept of God’s foreknowledge.

Blessings,

Brian
 
iaskquestions said:
Then please explain **Genesis 18:20-21 **as quoted in my earlier post.
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Your profile says you are a Catholic. How can you possibly believe God doesn’t know everything?

D-R Bible, Haydock Commentary:

Ver. 21. I will go down, &c. The Lord here accommodates his discourse to the way of speaking and acting amongst men: for he knoweth all things, and needeth not to go any where for information. — Note here, that two of the three angels went away immediately for Sodom; whilst the third, who represented the Lord, remained with Abraham.
 
1 John 3:20 *
For if our heart reprehend us,
**God **is greater than our heart,
and knoweth all things
 
thistle said:
Your profile says you are a Catholic. How can you possibly believe God doesn’t know everything?
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Being a Catholic, is it required of me to believe that God knows everything?

Also, I disagree with Haydock’s fallible opinion on Genesis 18:20-21
 
I doubt whether I would accept anything less than an official church teaching on Genesis 18:20-21. Haydock commentary might not be infallible.
 
iaskquestions said:
Being a Catholic, is it required of me to believe that God knows everything?

Also, I disagree with Haydock’s fallible opinion on Genesis 18:20-21
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Yes, if you claim to be Catholic, you MUST believe that God is all-knowing. Haven’t you ever recited the Nicene Creed in mass on Sunday?
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

I already pointed out several Scripture verses that point to this truth in my post #9.

If all of the above still doesn’t satisfy you about God’s omniscience, then you obviously suffer from a lack of faith.
 
elvisman said:
Yes, if you claim to be Catholic, you MUST believe that God is all-knowing. Haven’t you ever recited the Nicene Creed in mass on Sunday?
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

I already pointed out several Scripture verses that point to this truth in my post #9.

If all of the above still doesn’t satisfy you about God’s omniscience, then you obviously suffer from a lack of faith.
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I agree with what you say.

I am also having doubts that the OP really is a Catholic even though that’s what his profile states. I have quickly reread the other threads he has opened and actually he seems to be totally ignorant about Catholic teachings. I mean he doesn’t seem to know any Church teachings. That makes me suspicious.
 
thistle said:
I agree with what you say.

I am also having doubts that the OP really is a Catholic even though that’s what his profile states. I have quickly reread the other threads he has opened and actually he seems to be totally ignorant about Catholic teachings. I mean he doesn’t seem to know any Church teachings. That makes me suspicious.
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Ahhhhh . . . that answers everything then.
**Thanks for the insight. 👍 **
 
I would be inclined to view the OP more charitably as a questioning Catholic.

After all, we don’t have to know everything (and thank God for that!) in order to be Catholic. Baptism and a lack of formal apostasy is all that’s required.

Adherence to all the Church’s teachings is a goal, of course, but one is certainly allowed to question and learn more about them.

iaskquestions has indicated that he would be willing to accept an infallible Church teaching, but right now he is having problems with Scripture passages that anthropomorphize God as having to gather information.

We should be willing to help, not go about questioning his allegiances while he’s (metaphorically) standing right there.

Usagi
 
iaskquestions,

I don’t know if the Church has a binding interpretation of the passage in Genesis you cite; I would doubt it, as the Church has not seen the need to pronounce infallibly a single “correct” reading of the majority of Scripture, finding instead that there are always new aspects to discover.

That said, it certainly is binding Church teaching that God is truly omniscient. He doesn’t just see all the possibilities of the future; to Him there is no future. He is outside of Time, and perceives all of Time as a finished product.

Passages in Scripture which seem to indicate God’s ignorance are therefore interpreted as anthropomorphisms, just as are passages that seem to talk about God (outside the Incarnation) having a physical body with hands and feet and so forth.

Interpreting such passages literally and taking them as evidence against God’s omniscience is moving out of step with Catholic (and the vast majority of Christian) tradition, which can lead to some dangerous places. The Scriptures belong to the Church, and must be read in the context of constant Christian tradition, rather than used to buttress divergent hypotheses.

Usagi
 
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