Now I Know
Erroneously, some have even taught that God does not know the end from the beginning. Proponents of this “God of limited knowledge” doctrine insist that in the case of Abraham’s faith that God was unaware of the true devotion of Abraham until Abraham raised his knife to sacrifice his son Isaac, then, and only then, as the event unfolded and actions became apparent, God was to have “learned” the faithfulness of Abraham and declared, “Now I know.”
Was God truly lacking knowledge of Abraham’s devotion prior to the raising of the knife? Was the God of all light in darkness as to the true intentions of Abraham? Is God unaware of the outcome of events only until they have been played out? Is God “learning” as the human drama unfolds? How then is it possible for God to declare the end from the beginning? Isa 46:9-10, “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”
How could an unknowing or limited in knowledge God possibly move men called prophets to “prophesy”? Since “prophecy” means to “foretell,” how could such a thing as prophecy even exist? These “foretellers” would not have been “prophets” at all but rather “guessers,” or, better yet, “perhaps-ers” if the Spirit that moved on them was uncertain as to the outcome of events.
There is a vast difference in the “fore-knowledge” of God and the “predestination” of God, for God to fore know is not the same as predestined. His knowledge of future events is not the same as predetermining events.
A poor analogy of this would be having read a book previously before your friend ventures to do so. Since you have read the book already you can tell him the turn of events in the book before he himself reads it. You did not create the events nor make them happen you only had a knowledge of the outcome of the events prior to that of your friend. Likewise, God has seen the end from the beginning. He has knowledge of the outcome of events prior to their happenings.
That foreknowledge of God did not produce the events necessarily, but only tells us that as far as human history is concerned all is open before Him with whom we have to do, like an open book. That is, of course, a simplified explanation of the foreknowledge of God.
God, of course, is not just a reader of events but in many things He is the Author of certain events. However, one must never confuse the “foreknowledge” of God with the “predestination” of God. Neither does this foreknowledge of God do injustice to the grace of God or any other attribute of God—rather it enhances them all! When one considers that God knows all our actions (past, present and future) and yet still loves us is an awe-inspiring thought!
Whereas human love must wait for the outcome of events to determine if love is still justifiable. You must recall that God died for us “while we were yet sinners.” Do a “Selah” (pause and consider) on that thought!
–jlg–