“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?”
Job 11:7-8
To say that God is “omniscient”—all-knowing—means that everything past, present, and future are known to Him. Further, that He knows all those things simultaneously—everything that has been, everything that is, and everything that will be are part of His knowledge base.
In his Systematic Theology, A.H. Strong lists the following as illustration of God’s knowledge:
David describes God’s omniscience in very personal terms in Psalm 139:
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”
John Frame asserts:
“God’s knowledge is a precious blessing to God’s people. Psalm 139 emphasizes how deeply God knows us, wherever we are. ‘Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it’ (v. 6). God’s knowledge of us pursues us wherever we may go: to heaven, to the grave, to great distances, to dark places (vv. 7-12). He knew us when he was forming us in our mother’s womb (vv. 13-16), and he knew, even back then, every day of our lifetime on earth (v. 16). Wicked people should well be terrorized by this doctrine; but to the Psalmist God’s knowledge of us is wonderful and good (vv. 17-18), and he prays that God will draw on this knowledge to lead him to repentance and forgiveness of sin (vv. 23-24).”[2]
Do you find the extent of God’s knowledge to be a bit overwhelming and perhaps frightening? The truth is, God knows what you did last night. He knows what you watched on television or on your computer. He was looking over your shoulder as you read that book or paged through that magazine. Tony Evans emphasizes this point when he says, “Moses reminds us that our secret sins are brought to light in His presence (Ps. 90:8). This is powerful information because it means all of our lives are totally known. He knows what’s done publicly for all to see and what’s done privately for none to see.”[3]
That’s the downside, if you will, to God’s omniscience. But there’s a positive side as well. Look at the following scriptures to see how God’s intimate knowledge of us benefits us in a number of ways.
God knows us, warts and all. He cares what happens to us, and He loves us! Arthur Pink declares, “There is no cause for fearing that the petitions of the righteous will not be heard, or that their sighs and tears shall escape the notice of God, since He knows the thoughts and intents of the heart.”[4]
But here’s another truth about God’s omniscience that should prove to be most comforting to the believer. Charles Ryrie explains is his Survey of Bible Doctrine:
“Omniscience means that God knows everything, and this includes the knowledge not only of things that actually happen but also of things which might happen. This kind of knowledge God had by nature and without the effort of learning….
“The practical ramifications of the omniscience of God are many. Think, for instance, what this means in relation to the eternal security of the believer. If God knows all, then obviously nothing can come to light subsequent to our salvation which He did not know when He saved us.”[5]
Did you get that? You cannot “unsave” yourself by committing some sin that God didn’t know about in advance! Your salvation is as eternally secure as the eternal, omniscient God. What He said, He will do. He promised:
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29)
Yes, God is omniscient. A.W. Tozer says, “To us who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before us in the gospel, how unutterably sweet is the knowledge that our Heavenly Father knows us completely.”[6]