God is All-Knowing
Joe R. Price

Some brethren do not believe God is all-knowing. They have concluded that there are things God does not know. The Scriptures are plain enough that God does knows all:

Psa 1:6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psa 38:9  Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.
Psa 139:4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

     Some see a problem in Bible passages that appear to say God does not know everything and those that say He does. Since we agree that God’s word does not contradict (“the sum of thy word is truth,” Psa. 119:160), we are confident harmony exists that neither reduces the omniscience of God nor distorts the context and meaning of each passage in question.

     Before looking at a couple of passages offered to affirm there are things God does not know, we must first remember there is a difference between inferences and necessary inferences. One may infer something from a passage, yet it is not the only, unavoidable (necessary) inference to be drawn. This appears to be the case in the passages we will notice, as well as in other verses that are offered to teach God is not all-knowing.

     Secondly, we must acknowledge the difference between God’s power to know all things and whether or not God chooses to know some particular event beforehand. If he chooses not to, that is his prerogative, and we will leave that to God. This does not detract from His omniscience.

     Following are two passages that some say tell us God is not all-knowing. We maintain these passages, when properly understood, do not diminish the omniscience of God in the least.

     1) Gen. 18:20-21: And the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

     The verse says God went to Sodom “because their sin is very grave.” God knew their sin. It was so dreadful that it provoked God’s impeding, certain and just punishment. God sent his angels to destroy the cities because he knew their sin: “the LORD has sent us to destroy it,” Gen. 19:13). Genesis 22:17 should also be consulted here: And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?” God knew full well what he would do with Sodom and Gomorrah, and he knew why he would do it. The fact that God told Abraham what he was doing gave an opportunity for Abraham’s intercession for the righteous, which emphasized the mercy of God in the midst of judgment (Gen. 18:22-33). If God did not know about the sin of Sodom until his angels arrived, are we to likewise conclude that God did not know about “righteous Lot” until His angels met him? Certainly not; God knew both. God sent his angels to confirm the great outcry of sin that came from Sodom and Gomorrah, and to confirm the righteousness of his judgment. Both the mercy and justice of God are on display; not any suggestion that God is not all-knowing. To infer that God did not know the moral status of these people is the wrong conclusion.

     2) Gen. 22:12: And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” God is not saying he had no knowledge of Abraham’s godly fear; He did (see Gen. 18:19ff, “For I have known him…”). “Now I know that you fear God” is an affirmation of God’s approval and acceptance of Abraham’s faith that had been tested, not a divine admission of imperfect knowledge (Gen. 22:1-2; Jas. 2:21-23; Heb. 11:17). Abraham’s obedience showed his perfect faith, and God acknowledges it to Abraham. God knew Abraham’s faith before this event (see Gen. 15:6). It is wrong to infer from Genesis 22:12 that God was ignorant of Abraham’s faith. Instead, God is emphasizing his acceptance and approval of Abraham’s faith on this occasion (Heb. 11:17-19; Jas. 2:21-23).

     God is all-knowing: “all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13). He knows me and he knows you. Will he punish our sin or praise our faith on the day of judgment? That will depend on whether we choose to live in sin or to live by faith.

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Satan is Alive!
Keith Greer

One of man’s greatest questions concerns a person whom no one has seen. Yet, he is real, living, dangerous, and the cause for every evil under the sun. Who is he? The Devil, Satan, Old Scratch, Dragon, and man’s Adversary. By whatever name men may call him, the majority of the world is serving him.

“Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” {Genesis 3:4,5} This is our first introduction to Satan. From the beginning, he placed himself at odds with the God of heaven. This is the position he will always occupy. God is good, and Satan is evil. Whatever God designs to build up, Satan tries to tear down. God and Satan will always be bitter enemies and on opposite sides of any issue.

From the time he first lied to man, he has been an enemy to the welfare of mankind. We need to understand our adversary. Give him his due. Know how he works, what he seeks to accomplish, and how unrelenting he is. In 2 Corinthians 2:11, we are told that if we don’t know his devices, he will gain an unfair advantage over us. This makes it extremely important to know all we can about him and his methods. Why? To prepare and equip us for the conflict. To take him for granted and underestimate him is foolish. Sadly, many have made this grievous mistake to their soul’s destruction. In this special edition, we seek to shed some light on his character, methods, designs, and strategy. The better we know and understand him, the less effect he has on our lives. Never forget, he will use whatever he can to get us away from God. Take a good look around; he is very good at what he does!

The Knollwood Messenger (January, 1999)

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You can find the complete outline of this sermon at BIBLE ANSWERS

Paradoxes of the Cross

I. CURSE & BLESSING.

  A. The Curse of Sin & Death, Gal. 3:13 (Isa. 53:6; 1 Pet. 2:24); 2 Cor. 5:21.
  B. The Blessing of Redemption, Gal. 3:14 (Gen. 22:18); 2 Cor. 5:19, 21; Col. 1:20.

II. HUMILIATION & EXALTATION.

  A. Humiliation of Death on the Cross; Isa. 53:3-6; Phil. 2:5-8 (Jno. 19:15; Heb. 12:2).
  B. Exaltation in Heaven, Jno. 17:5; Acts 2:33; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 2:9.

III. INJUSTICE & MERCY, Acts 8:33; Matt. 26:59-61; Lk. 23:41-43.

  A. The Evil Plot to Kill Jesus is Carried Out, Matt. 26:1-5, 59-61.
  B. Mercy of Jesus Applied, Lk. 23:34, 39-43.

IV. HATE & LOVE.

  A. Jesus was Hated without a Cause, Jno. 15:18-25.
  B. God’s Love for Sinners, Rom. 5:8 (Jno. 3:16); 1 Jno. 4:10.

V. SIN & RIGHTEOUSNESS, Matt. 27:24-25; Acts 2:23; Rom. 10:3-4.

  A. The Sin of the Murderers, Matt. 27:24-25; Acts 2:23, 37-38.
  B. Sins of the World, 1 Pet. 2:24; Heb. 2:9.
  C. Personal Righteousness of Jesus, Lk. 23:47.
  D. Righteousness of God & Sinners, Rom. 10:3-4; 1:16-17.

VI. DEATH & LIFE, Jno. 19:31-35; Rom. 1:4.

  A. Death of Jesus, Jno. 19:30; Lk. 23:46.
  B. Life in Christ (Victory over Sin & Death), Ro. 1:4; Eph. 2:4-5; 1 Jno. 4:9 (Ro. 6:20-23).

VII. DEFEAT & VICTORY.

  A. Apparent Defeat of Jesus, Matt. 27:39-44.
  B. Victory over Satan, Sin & Death, Jno. 12:31-32; Heb. 2:14-15.

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You can find the complete outline of this sermon at BIBLE ANSWERS

The Christian's New Life in Christ

1. Suffering of Christ compels us to suffer for Him, 1 Pet. 3:17-18; 2:21.
2. Christians unwilling to suffer for their faith are not yet living by faith, have “little” faith, a weak faith, or no faith, 1 Pet. 3:13-14.
3. 1 Pet. 3:18-4:6: Reasons why we must remain faithful to Christ in the face of suffering opposition.

I. YOU HAVE ENTERED A NEW WORLD, 1 Pet. 3:20-21.

  A. Like Noah Entered a New World when Saved through Water, You Entered a New World in Christ When You were Baptized; Jno. 3:3-5; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:1; Matt. 28:19 (Gal.3:27; Rom. 6:4-5); Rom. 6:4, 6-7, 17-18, 21-23.
  B. Therefore, do not Live in the Old World of Sin, Eph. 4:17.

II. YOU HAVE A NEW MIND, 1 Pet. 4:1.

  A. Christ had a Mind to Suffer for the Sake of Righteousness, 1 Pet. 2:21-24.
  B. We Must Arm (Equip) Ourselves with the Same Mind, 1 Pet. 3:14; Matt. 5:10-12.
    1. Our previous mind, Eph. 4:17-19.
    2. Our present mind, Eph. 4:20-24.
  C. Person with the Mind of Christ has Ceased from Sin, 4:1 (Rom. 6:1-2,11,14; Col. 3:2).

III. YOU HAVE A NEW WAY OF LIFE, 1 Pet. 4:2-4.

  A. No Longer Live for the Lusts of Men, 4:2-3; 1 Jno. 2:15-17.
   1. Lewdness (4:3): No restraints, Ro. 13:13.
    2. Lusts (4:3): Evil cravings.
    3. Drunkenness (4:3): “Excess of wine,” KJV.
    4. Revelries (4:3): Riotous conduct.
    5. Drinking parties (4:3): drinking that gives opportunity to excess.
    6. Abominable idolatries (4:3).
  B. You Now Live for the Will of God, 4:2.
  C. You will be Considered Evil & Spoken Evil of (suffer for doing good, 3:17), 1 Pet. 4:4.

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NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the light of Scripture)

"Christian Worker Shot Dead for Preaching in India"
Joe R. Price

Above is the October 1, 2007 headline from Compass Direct News. The opening paragraph stated: NEW DELHI – Villagers in Jharkhand state arranged for a Christian worker, Ajay Topno, to be shot to death earlier this month for converting three tribal families to Christianity, according to police.

Tribal areas like this one commonly follow indigenous faiths, although “Hindu nationalists claim they are followers of Hinduism,” wrote journalist Vishal Arora.

   “The 38-year-old Topno, who worked for Christian media organization Trans World Radio, was found dead with bullet wounds on September 19 in a jungle near Sahoda village, in Lapung block of Ranchi district.

   “At least three tribal families in Sahoda village had converted to Christianity, which infuriated some local villagers, who held a meeting with each other and decided to ‘reconvert’ those families to Hinduism,” Inspector Rajesh Mandal of the Lapung police station told Compass. “After reconverting the Christian families, the villagers arranged for Topno’s killing through a local criminal, who shot him dead.”  (www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/11555472/)

I am aware of gospel preachers in other parts of India who are teaching Hindus and Muslims, and some are being converted to Christ. Others are teaching in remote villages. The pressure on those who obey the gospel and on those who are teaching them is great. Please pray for our faithful brethren and for those who hear the gospel through them. Pray for their courage and conviction to obey the truth, and to endure the threats and dangers from truth’s enemies. And, pray for ourselves as we live in this land of religious tolerance, that we do not become complacent and negligent of our great responsibility to teach the lost and to stand for truth. One of the greatest tests of our faith comes when we think we are not being tested (2 Tim. 3:12; 4:5; Matt. 24:45-51; 1 Cor. 10:12). Work while it is day (Jno. 9:4).

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