Condensed Theology, Lecture 10: Theology, Omniscience and Omnipotence

8/14/2019 Condensed Theology, Lecture 10: Theology, Omniscience and Omnipotence

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Condensed Theology

A Primer in Systematic Theology


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Theology Proper:

The Doctrine of God

What does the Bible teach about

God?


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Where Were Going

Ten lectures covering four subjects:

The existence of God

The attributes of God God as Trinity

Gods works of creation & providence


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The Attributes of God

What Is God Like?


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General Categories of the

Attributes


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General Categories

1. Communicable

The communicableattributes of God are

those characteristicsof God that arepeculiar to him butwhich he shares withhumanity

2. Incommunicable

The incommunicableattributes of God are

those characteristicsof God that arepeculiar to him butwhich he does notshare with humanity


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The Incommunicable

Attributes of God

Qualities of God Peculiar to

Himself that He Does Not Sharewith Us


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Omniscience

God is all-knowing


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Omniscience

God always knows all things, and alwayshas and always will know all things.


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Direct Biblical Assertions of

the Omniscience of God


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Direct Assertions of Gods

Omniscience Job 37:16: Do you know about the layers of the

thick clouds, The wonders of one perfect inknowledge [i.e., the Lord].

Job 28:24: For He looks to the ends of the earthAnd sees everything under the heavens.

Heb 4:13: And there is no creature hidden fromHis sight, but all things are open and laid bare tothe eyes of Him with whom we have to do.


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Omniscience Isa 40:13-14, 27-28: Who has directed the Spirit of

the LORD, Or as His counselor has informed Him?With whom did He consult and who gave Himunderstanding? And who taught Him in the path ofjustice and taught Him knowledge And informed Himof the way of understanding? 27 Why do you say, OJacob, and assert, O Israel, "My way is hidden fromthe LORD, And the justice due me escapes the

notice of my God "? Do you not know? Have you notheard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creatorof the ends of the earth Does not become weary ortired. His understanding is inscrutable.


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Omniscience Ps 94:9-11: He who planted the ear, does

He not hear? He who formed the eye,

does He not see? He who chastens thenations, will He not rebuke, Even He whoteaches man knowledge? The LORDknows the thoughts of man, That they are

a mere breath.


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Omniscience Rom 11:33-36: Oh, the depth of the riches both

of the wisdom and knowledge of God! Howunsearchable are His judgments and

unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWNTHE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAMEHIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRSTGIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK

TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Himand to Him are all things. To Him be the gloryforever. Amen.


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Indirect Biblical Assertions of

the Omniscience of God


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Indirect Assertions of Gods

Omniscience 1 Sam 16:7: But the LORD said to Samuel, Do

not look at his appearance or at the height of hisstature, because I have rejected him; for God

seesnot as man sees, for man looks at theoutward appearance, but the LORD looks at theheart.

2 Chr 16:9: For the eyes of the LORD move to

and fro throughout the earth that He maystrongly support those whose heart is completelyHis.


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Omniscience Prov 15:3: The eyes of the LORD are in every

place, Watching the evil and the good.

1 John 3:20: in whatever our heart condemns

us; for God is greater than our heart and knowsall things.

Heb 4:12: For the word of God is living andactive and sharper than any two-edged sword,

and piercing as far as the division of soul andspirit, of both joints and marrow, and able tojudge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.


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Omniscience Ps 139:1-4, 15-16: O LORD, You have searched

me and known me. You know when I sit down andwhen I rise up; You understand my thought fromafar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, Andare intimately acquainted with all my ways. Evenbefore there is a word on my tongue, Behold, OLORD, You know it all. 15 My frame was not hiddenfrom You, When I was made in secret, And skillfullywrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes haveseen my unformed substance; And in Your bookwere all written The days that were ordained for me,When as yet there was not one of them.


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Implications of the

Omniscience of God


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Implications of Gods Omniscience

1. God has always been and always will beaware at all times of everything past,present, and future

2. Gods knowledge of himself and hiscreation is utterly exhaustive

3. Gods knowledge is eternally intuited;

that is, he has never learned, nor can helearn anything

4. God knows all possibilities


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Omniscience Implication 1:

Knowledge of Past, Present, Future Isa 44:7-8: Who is like Me? Let him proclaim

and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me inorder, From the time that I established the

ancient nation. And let them declare to them thethings that are coming And the events that aregoing to take place. Do not tremble and do notbe afraid; Have I not long since announced it to

you and declared it? And you are My witnesses.Is there any God besides Me, Or is there anyother Rock? I know of none.


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Knowledge of Past, Present, Future Gods knowledge of the future is what sets

him apart from all the other so-called gods

Isa 42:8: I am the LORD, that is My name; Iwill not give My glory to another, Nor Mypraise to graven images. Behold, the formerthings have come to pass, Now I declare newthings; Before they spring forth I proclaimthem to you.


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Knowledge of Past, Present, Future Isa 41:22-23, 25-27: Let them bring forth and declare to uswhat is going to take place; As for the former events, declarewhat they were, That we may consider them and know theiroutcome. Or announce to us what is coming; Declare thethings that are going to come afterward, That we may know

that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we mayanxiously look about us and fear together. 25 I have arousedone from the north, and he has come; From the rising of thesun he will call on My name; And he will come upon rulers asupon mortar, Even as the potter treads clay. Who hasdeclared this from the beginning, that we might know? Orfrom former times, that we may say, "He is right!"? Surelythere was no one who declared, Surely there was no one whoproclaimed, Surely there was no one who heard your words.Formerly I said to Zion, Behold, here they are. And toJerusalem, I will give a messenger of good news.


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Knowledge of Past, Present, Future Isa 45:21: Declare and set forth your

case; Indeed, let them consult together.Who has announced this from of old? Who

has long since declared it? Is it not I, theLORD? And there is no other God besidesMe, A righteous God and a Savior; Thereis none except Me.


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Knowledge of Past, Present, Future Isa 48:3-7: I declared the former things long ago Andthey went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them.Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. Because Iknow that you are obstinate, And your neck is an ironsinew And your forehead bronze, Therefore I declaredthem to you long ago, Before they took place Iproclaimed them to you, So that you would not say, Myidol has done them, And my graven image and mymolten image have commanded them. You have heard;look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? Iproclaim to you new things from this time, Even hiddenthings which you have not known. They are created nowand not long ago; And before today you have not heardthem, So that you will not say, Behold, I knew them.


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Exhaustive Knowledge Gods self-awareness is exhaustive

1 Cor 2:10: For to us God revealed themthrough the Spirit; for the Spirit searches allthings, even the depths of God. For whoamong men knows the thoughts of a manexcept the spirit of the man which is in him?Even so the thoughts of God no one knows

except the Spirit of God.


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Exhaustive Knowledge Gods creation-awareness is exhaustive

Ps 147:4: He counts the number of the stars;He gives names to all of them.

Luke 12:6: Are not five sparrows sold for twocents? Yet not one of them is forgotten beforeGod.

Matt 10:29-30: Are not two sparrows sold for

a cent? And yetnot one of them will fall to theground apart from your Father. But the veryhairs of your head are all numbered.


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Eternally Intuited Knowledge Isa 40:13: Who has directed the Spirit of

the LORD, Or as His counselor hasinformed Him? With whom did He consultand who gave Him understanding? Andwho taught Him in the path of justice andtaught Him knowledge And informed Him

of the way of understanding?


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Knowledge of All Possibilities 1 Sam 23:11-13: Will the men of Keilah

surrender me into his hand? Will Saul comedown just as Your servant has heard? O LORDGod of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant. And the

LORD said, He will come down. Then Davidsaid, Will the men of Keilah surrender me andmy men into the hand of Saul? And the LORDsaid, They will surrender you. Then David andhis men, about six hundred, arose and departed

from Keilah, and they went wherever they couldgo. When it was told Saul that David hadescaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit.


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Knowledge of All Possibilities Matt 11:21, 23: Woe to you, Chorazin!

Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracleshad occurred in Tyre and Sidon which

occurred in you, they would have repentedlong ago in sackcloth and ashes. 23 Andyou, Capernaum, will not be exalted toheaven, will you? You will descend to

Hades; for if the miracles had occurred inSodom which occurred in you, it wouldhave remained to this day.


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Omniscience

God always knows all things, and alwayshas and always will know all things.


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Omnipotence

God Is All-Powerful


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Omnipotence

God is able to do all things according tohis own will


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Direct Biblical Assertions of

the Omnipotence of God


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Omnipotence The rhetorical question, Is anything too

difficult for the Lord? is meant to assertthat God is all-powerful

Gen 18:14: Is anything too difficult for theLORD? At the appointed time I will return toyou, at this time next year, and Sarah willhave a son.

Jer 32:27: Behold, I am the LORD, the God ofall flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?


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Omnipotence Jer 32:17: Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You

have made the heavens and the earth byYour great power and by Your

outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficultfor You.

Luke 1:34, 37: Mary said to the angel,How can this be, since I am a

virgin?.For nothing will be impossiblewith God.


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Omnipotence 2 Cor 6:18: "And I will be a father to you,

And you shall be sons and daughters toMe," Says the Lord Almighty.

Rev 1:8: "I am the Alpha and the Omega,"says the Lord God, "who is and who wasand who is to come, the Almighty.


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Indirect Assertions of the

Omnipotence of God


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Omnipotence Eph 3:20-21: Now to Him who is able to

do far more abundantly beyond all that weask or think, according to the power thatworks within us, to Him be the glory in thechurch and in Christ Jesus to allgenerations forever and ever. Amen.


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Omnipotence The Bible implies Gods omnipotence

through its effects

In creation: For since the creation of the worldHis invisible attributes, His eternal power anddivine nature, have been clearly seen, beingunderstood through what has been made, sothat they are without excuse (Rom 1:20).


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Omnipotence The Bible implies Gods omnipotence

through its effects

In providence: And He is the radiance of Hisglory and the exact representation of Hisnature, and upholds all things by the word ofHis power. When He had made purification ofsins, He sat down at the right hand of the

Majesty on high (Heb 1:3).


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Omnipotence The Bible implies Gods omnipotence through its

effects In redemption

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the powerof God for salvation to everyone who believes, to theJew first and also to the Greek (Rom 1:16)

and what is the surpassing greatness of His powertoward us who believe. These are in accordance with

the working of the strength of His might which Hebrought about in Christ, when He raised Him from thedead and seated Him at His right hand in theheavenly places (Eph 1:19-20).


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Limitations of the Doctrine of

the Omnipotence of God


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Limitations of the Doctrine of Gods

Omnipotence Though the Lord has the power to do

whatever it takes power to perform, he islimited in the performance of certain acts

by his own character and natureHe cannot deny himself: If we are faithless,

He remains faithful, for He cannot denyHimself (2 Tim 2:13).

He cannot lie: in the hope of eternal life,which God, who cannot lie, promised longages ago (Titus 1:2).


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whatever it takes power to perform, he islimited in the performance of certain actsby his own character and nature

He cannot break promises: For as many asare the promises of God, in Him they are yes;

therefore also through Him is our Amen to theglory of God through us (2 Cor 1:20).


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He cannot change: God is not a man, that Heshould lie, Nor a son of man, that He should

repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Orhas He spoken, and will He not make it good?(Num 23:19).


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He cannot be tempted by or tempt with sin:Let no one say when he is tempted, I am

being tempted by God; for God cannot betempted by evil, and He Himself does nottempt anyone (Jas 1:13).


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He cannot exhaust his power: He can domore than he has done.

See especially Job 26:5-14.


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Implications of the

Omnipotence of God


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Implications of Gods Omnipotence

1. God is not subject to anothers dominion,authority, power, or control

2. Gods power cannot increase or diminish


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Omnipotence Implication 1:

Absolute Sovereignty Deut 10:17: For the LORD your God is the God

of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, themighty, and the awesome God who does not

show partiality nor take a bribe. 1 Tim 6:15-16: He who is the blessed and

only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord oflords, who alone possesses immortality and

dwells in unapproachable light, whom no manhas seen or can see. To Him be honor andeternal dominion! Amen.


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Absolute Sovereignty Rev 17:14: These will wage war against

the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcomethem, because He is Lord of lords andKing of kings, and those who are with Himare the called and chosen and faithful.

Rev 19:16: And on His robe and on His

thigh He has a name written, KING OFKINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.


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Infinite Power Gods power cannot increase or diminish

1 Tim 6:15-16: He who is the blessed andonly Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of

lords, 16 who alone possesses immortalityand dwells in unapproachable light, whom noman has seen or can see. To Him be honorand eternal dominion! Amen.


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Omnipotence

God is able to do all things according tohis own will


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Conclusion

For purposes of teaching, we havedivided the attributes of God into twocategories: communicable andincommunicable

This lecture addressed two of Godsincommunicable attributes: His

omniscience and his omnipotence.


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Conclusion

Gods omniscience refers to his quality ofbeing all-knowing.

Gods omnipotence refers to his quality ofbeing all-powerful

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Condensed Theology, Lecture 10: Theology, Omniscience and Omnipotence