God is Not Omniscient: A Biblical Refutation

God is Not Omniscient: A Biblical Refutation


The classical doctrine of God's omniscience claims that God knows all things—past, present, and future—in exhaustive detail. But does the Bible really teach that God knows everything ahead of time and never learns, reacts, or changes? When we examine Scripture closely, we find that many passages portray God as dynamic, relational, and even surprised. Let’s explore 15 verses that challenge the idea of divine omniscience.



1. Genesis 3:9

"But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?'"

Why would God ask this if He already knew? This suggests He was seeking, not merely making a rhetorical point.


2. Genesis 11:5

"But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built."

If God already knew all things, why would He need to “come down” and examine?


3. Genesis 18:20–21

"I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to Me; and if not, I will know."

This verse clearly shows God investigating, implying a process of learning.


4. Exodus 32:14

"So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people."

God's change of mind implies that He was moved by Moses' intercession—something He didn’t anticipate.


5. Numbers 14:11–12, 20

God threatens to destroy Israel, but after Moses pleads, He relents. If God's knowledge was fixed, there would be no room for persuasion or change.


6. Deuteronomy 8:2

"And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness…to test you, to know what was in your heart."

God tested Israel to know—implying that He didn’t already know the outcome.


7. 1 Samuel 15:10–11

"I regret that I have made Saul king."

Regret suggests God’s prior decision did not turn out as expected.


8. 1 Samuel 23:11–13

David asks God if the people of Keilah will hand him over. God says “Yes,” yet David flees and it never happens. God’s knowledge included potential outcomes, not fixed certainties.


9. 2 Kings 20:1–6

God tells Hezekiah he will die. Hezekiah prays, and God adds 15 years to his life. This change contradicts the idea of a fixed, omniscient decree.


10. Jeremiah 7:31

"…a thing which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart."

God says child sacrifice never even entered His mind, suggesting He didn’t foresee this evil.


11. Jeremiah 19:5

"…which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind."

Repeated again, reinforcing the idea that some things happen that God did not anticipate.


12. Jeremiah 32:35

Once more, God states child sacrifice was something "I never commanded, nor did it enter My mind."


13. Jonah 3:10

"When God saw their deeds... God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring."

God responds to repentance. His decision was contingent on human behavior, not fixed from eternity.



14. Hosea 8:4

"They set up kings, but not by Me; they made princes, but I did not acknowledge them."

This shows that God was not involved in or even aware of certain political decisions until after the fact—another indication that He does not have exhaustive foreknowledge of every human action.


15. Isaiah 5:4

"What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes, did it produce worthless ones?"God “expected” a different outcome than what occurred. This portrays a genuine disappointment, not a preordained or foreknown result.




Conclusion: A Relational, Present God


Rather than depicting God as a timeless, all-knowing observer of history, these verses present a God who is active, involved, responsive, and emotionally engaged with His creation. He tests, learns, relents, and even regrets. Far from diminishing God, this view emphasizes His relational nature and willingness to walk alongside His people in real time.


The doctrine of omniscience, as classically defined, often comes more from Greek philosophy than from the Hebrew Scriptures. A biblical God is not a detached knower of all facts, but a living God who interacts with a dynamic world—learning, loving, and responding.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

No One Knows the Day or Hour — Matthew 24:36, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Witness of 70 AD

 No One Knows the Day or Hour — Matthew 24:36, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Witness of 70 AD When Jesus said in Matthew 24:36, "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only," many have taken this to mean a far-future, end-of-the-world event. But what if this phrase had a much more specific meaning to Jesus’ Jewish audience—one tied to their festal calendar, their historical context, and even the events of 70 AD? Let’s unpack this verse and its connection to the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), the idea of two witnesses, and the prophetic imagery of Revelation 11—all pointing to a first-century fulfillment. The Feast of Trumpets and the Phrase "No One Knows the Day or Hour" The phrase “no one knows the day or the hour” was commonly associated in Jewish idiom with the Feast of Trumpets—the only festival that began on a new moon (Tishri 1). Since the new moon is difficult to predict precisely, ancient I...
Read more

Ezekiel 38-39 has been fulfilled in the book of Esther-Quick Reference

Ezekiel 38-39 has been fulfilled in the book of Esther-Quick Reference ***The Jews’ victory caused 75,310 people (Esther 9:10, 15, 16). This corresponds with the enemy deaths in Ezekiel 38-39. ·          Esther 9:10 10 the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder . ·          Esther 9:15-16 15 The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men , but they did not lay their hands on the plunder . 16 Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies . They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder. ·          Ezekiel 39:11 11 “‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, ...
Read more

Ezekiel 40

Image
INTRODUCTION Picture yourself as a Jew in the exile. You lost your home, your family, and even questioning your faith in the midst of God’s promises. You are traumatized and broken by the events that have transpired. All hope seems loss. Then Ezekiel the Priest says that you will inherit a new Temple and a new land with more responsibility added to you. More responsibility that you couldn’t fulfill the first time, which is why you are exiled in the first place. And get this, it is all invisible. This would have not gone well for Ezekiel by simply telling the Jews their inheritance was invisible. However, that’s not the case. Thankfully, our God is very descriptive about the measurements and dimensions of the Temple. We have a basis to compare the old Temple and old land to these new promises. Since the Jews were involved in the construction, they would be familiar with the size of the Temple and the land. When Ezekiel was telling the Jews about these measurements, it blew their mind...
Read more