Omniscience and God's desire

[Byrhtferth]

Hi all,

I’m struggling to reconcile God’s omniscience with his desire that all men be saved. God being omniscient, He surely thus knows that some of us will not be saved - and He also has surely thus decided to allow these people not to be saved for a greater purpose (much like, for instance, he allowed the Fall to happen).

If this is the case, how can we speak of God desiring that all men be saved? Can God desire something that He knows is impossible (i.e. all men being saved and His greater purpose being maintained)? Is it really His ‘desire’ if He has declined to use His power and make it happen, on the grounds that it would defeat a greater desire of His?

As I said, I’m not sure how to reconcile these doctrines, and any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Wesrock]

I might desire that all of my children clean their rooms each Saturday, but that doesn’t mean I force them to. It may be my will that, while I desire them to do this, I also will at the same time that they exercise their free will. In other cases where I may desire that they always make good choices, but it’s also my will that they make their choices freely and deal learn from the consequences.

 

[fladreamer]

Hi all,

I’m struggling to reconcile God’s omniscience with his desire that all men be saved. God being omniscient, He surely thus knows that some of us will not be saved - and He also has surely thus decided to allow these people not to be saved for a greater purpose (much like, for instance, he allowed the Fall to happen).

If this is the case, how can we speak of God desiring that all men be saved? Can God desire something that He knows is impossible (i.e. all men being saved and His greater purpose being maintained)? Is it really His ‘desire’ if He has declined to use His power and make it happen, on the grounds that it would defeat a greater desire of His?

As I said, I’m not sure how to reconcile these doctrines, and any help would be much appreciated.

He wishes they would while at the same time knowing not all will. MY problem is with omnipotence: he could get all men saved if he wanted to, he’d just have to change a few rules here and there, ormake his person and salvation appear more desirable to men and sin less desirable. Perhaps restrict free-will a little, make us more like Adam. It wouldn’t necessarily ensure universal salvation but it would certainly increase the size of the harvest (i.e. people saved).

 

[Blue_Rose]

But people CHOOSE to reject God, or to enjoy evil.
There are plenty of people sitting in jails all over the world who have commited terrible crimes that don’t repent, don’t feel any guilt and actually enjoy what they did.
They’re putting themselves into hell.

 

[fladreamer]

But people CHOOSE to reject God, or to enjoy evil.
There are plenty of people sitting in jails all over the world who have commited terrible crimes that don’t repent, don’t feel any guilt and actually enjoy what they did.
They’re putting themselves into hell.

Things are actually much more complicated. The propensity to evil is not equal in all human beings. There is a % of the population made up of psychopaths, who’d kill or torture someone wihtout batting an eye. If all humans were equal in their natural, openness to God and good, and equal in their aversion to evil to the demonic, then you’d have a point.