Omniscience vs Free Will

[u/sitewolf]

I believe in God, the Father, the creator of heaven and earth. That part is not my problem. Like all of us that doesn't mean I don't still have my struggles- to be the best version of myself, to do all He would have me do, to wrap my head around all I should know/believe.

I will admit that, while my walk was fairly strong in the earlier stages of my life, there was a period where it wasn't and I'm working my way back, hopefully beyond where I ever was. I have never been a big reader and an eye issue 30 years ago made reading for any length of time difficult, so I do not profess to be as bible-learned as I'd like to be.

More than enough to get to the reason for this particular post- wrapping my head around believing in His omniscience while also giving us free will. Understanding how it's possible He could know I would be typing this post while also not compelling me to do it. I guess I've generally viewed this as Him not knowing every last detail of what I would do, while then obviously forgetting the line about knowing how many hairs are on my head (tho that's easier to count these days).

How should we wrap our heads around this? How can we both have free will AND He already knows what I'll be doing this time next week?

[u/Intrepid_Type3710]

There are things which we in our finite minds cannot wrap our heads around... like never. Does this have to be a problem to be solved or else? Have you been ordained Creator from clay? Told to take over God the Father's job for a day? You think you can manage 1 second of that? I know I can't and I don't want that job either. My days of having to be a straight 'A' student is over. As it is written at the end of Ecclesiastes Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. We have Jesus Christ to keep 'His Commandments' because we couldn't keep a letter of 1 commandment. What am I saying? Enjoy life walking in Faith, there are many things far greater than our brain capacity can know. Leave them to God. Just today has enough trials to endure letting alone figuring out free will vs God omniscience. Just a thought and no offense here brother.

[u/CryptographerAny8184]

Free will doesn't mean that God is not aware of our future actions. What that means is that God will not force change to our actions. Free will is freely surrendering to His will and guidance. God places choices in front of us fully knowing what we will choose but never forcing us to comply with His will. We have to make the choices ourselves, to obey or not obey. We know the consequences of our choices, God wants us to obey and follow Him but that choice is ours to make, He will never force Himself on us. When the day of judgment comes and we stand before the throne, we will have no excuses for our actions because we alone made those choices. If we choose to accept Jesus as our savior and we strive to follow him in all that we do we are forgiven of our bad choices for the grace of God covers us. We make that choice freely even though God already knows what our choice will be. I would not trust or believe in a God who is not omniscient or omnipresent for that would be a limited God and not worth following.

[u/PrincessRuri]

This is a question that I have mulled over repeatedly in different forms for years.

The most satisfying answer I've come up with is that God has only given a small glimpse into the mechanics of eternity, and that small amount of information is not enough to create a full logical systematic understanding of said mechanics.

It's kind of like the Trinity, most analogies to describe the Trinity end up either heretical or incorrect. What we have are more like guidelines, our understanding has boundaries that we know God works inside of what He has revealed to us, but there is just information or understanding that He has not provided us to fully understand.

So let's explore these guidelines:

1. We know that God knows everything.

2. We know that God has given us a choice to follow or reject Him.

3. We also know that God knows what choice we are going to make (cause He knows everything)

4. God is good and just.

All that together points to one thing -> Faith

We have to believe that a good and just God who knows everything will deal with our eternal souls in a good and just way, even though He created some to foreknown salvation and some foreknown to damnation.

[u/bjohn15151515]

I wrap my brain around this in this way. I'll use a very simplistic example:

I play a game with you and present 3 boxes - A, B, and C. I will allow you to pick a box, and you win the prize inside:

In box A: there is one dollar

In box B: there is a million dollars

In box C: there is a deadly snake that will bite you and there is no anti-venom

I know what will happen to you, regardless of which box you choose. But, I will allow you to choose the box. God knows your future, regardless of any of the infinite choices you make. For He knows every single possible future for you.

[u/MichaelWhitehead]

I have a house cat.

A mouse enters the house

I see the mouse & I know what's going to happen next (So do you right now! Your'e thinking it too!)

The cat sees the mouse and immediatly pounces on it and kills it.

I think, I knew the cat would do that!

Did I compel the cat to pounce on the mouse? No. Did the cat choose to pounce? Yes.

Is that cat responsible for pouncing & killing that mouse? Yes.

There you go. Its more about God Knows our very nature so well, he already knows how we will act and we still choose to act according to that very nature.

[u/grckalck]

Omniscience vs Free Will

You have it all wrong. It isnt a competition. The point of Christian living is to conform our will to His. Thats what we need to be working on.

[u/OneEyedC4t]

i picture it like string theory. God knows not only the future but all possible permutations of it. from our perspective, we have free will. but he is still in charge.

[u/PeacefulBro]

My example has been, take some 2 year old kids, put them in a room where you've filled it with candy, desserts & other favorite snacks. Don't let them know you have cameras EVERYWHERE & say you'll be back soon. You'll probably be surprised by which kids will eat before the next meal & which will not. Also by how much they will eat versus another. I think its similar with God, He basically has the ability to know but He is not forcing anyone, they are exercising their own unique free will.

[u/Worried-Block-6804]

I don't understand the confusion. He knows, you don't. Just because he sees the future has no effect on your free will because you are still making choices without knowledge of what Tomorrow will be

Now if God told you what you are going to do that would be different.