Speaker: Chen Boon Tai
Text: Isaiah 40-48
What do men say:
"Throughout the history of the church, Christians have discussed the nature and content of God's foreknowledge.... But now the debate is taking place not only in elite theological circles, but also in churches, on campuses, at denominational conferences and in popular Christian magazines (such as Christianity Today)," so wrote Beilby and Eddy in their book Divine Knowledge: Four Views (2001).
1. The Open-Theism View
This view states that God, by His own self-limitation, has no complete knowledge of the future; He is the God who takes risks, a God who learns, reacts, makes mistakes, regrets, changes His mind, as He interacts with men who are free beings and whose decisions God has no control over. All this is based on scriptural passages.
God has made Himself vulnerable by empowering others to make decisions that may grieve Him, but at the same time He has not given away more power to creatures than He can handle. Thus in the end, God is still sovereign and will still triumph over all. His sovereignty is a sovereignty of love rather than control.
2. The Simple-Foreknowledge View
God simply knows the future, because He can see everything including the future, and this is wholly compatible with human freedom, divine agency and enhanced providential control.
3. The Middle-Knowledge View
God's knowledge of the future is not based on his "looking' ahead and "seeing" what lies in the future. Rather God's knowledge is self-contained; it is more like a mind's knowledge on innate ideas.As an omniscient being, God has essentially the property of knowing all truths, including truths about future events. He knows what every creature would freely do under any circumstances.
4. The Augustinian-Calvinist View
God know everything, but this is not inconsistent with human accountability.
What does God say:
Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.
7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—
yes, let him foretell what will come.
8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."
24 "This is what the LORD says—
your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:
I am the LORD,
who has made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
25 who foils the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,
who overthrows the learning of the wise
and turns it into nonsense,
26 who carries out the words of his servants
and fulfills the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, 'It shall be inhabited,'
of the towns of Judah, 'They shall be built,'
and of their ruins, 'I will restore them,'
27 who says to the watery deep, 'Be dry,
and I will dry up your streams,'
28 who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, "Let it be rebuilt,"
and of the temple, "Let its foundations be laid." '
Isaiah 45
7 I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
11 "This is what the LORD says—
the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?
12 It is I who made the earth
and created mankind upon it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;
I marshaled their starry hosts.
13 I will raise up Cyrus b]">[b] in my righteousness:
I will make all his ways straight.
He will rebuild my city
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,
says the LORD Almighty."
Isaiah 46
9 Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.
11 From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that will I bring about;
what I have planned, that will I do.
Isaiah 48
3 I foretold the former things long ago,
my mouth announced them and I made them known;
then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
4 For I knew how stubborn you were;
the sinews of your neck were iron,
your forehead was bronze.
5 Therefore I told you these things long ago;
before they happened I announced them to you
so that you could not say,
'My idols did them;
my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'
6 You have heard these things; look at them all.
Will you not admit them?
"From now on I will tell you of new things,
of hidden things unknown to you.
7 They are created now, and not long ago;
you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
'Yes, I knew of them.'
8 You have neither heard nor understood;
from of old your ear has not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous you are;
you were called a rebel from birth.
9 For my own name's sake I delay my wrath;
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to cut you off.
10 See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?
I will not yield my glory to another.
And now, what do you say?
Ecclesiastes 5
2Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.
Ecclesiastes 12
13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
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