GOD KNOWS – EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME

 

GOD KNOWS – EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME

I read Bible commentaries and theologian’s reviews, and many times I find myself having to pick my jaw up off the floor. (That is an exaggeration, of course – but not by much.)

They, these ‘experts’, say that God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (ever present), omnipotent (all powerful), and that is true! Then, in their next breath, they make statements or draw conclusions that say the exact opposite – and teach as much. Their defense is usually something like, “There are just some things we cannot know”. Well, there are some things we can absolutely know, so please either quit contradicting yourselves or just be silent. After all, you passed a bunch of tests and got your PhD or M Div, etc., and you now expect others to listen to you as an ‘expert’. I’ll tell you what. You now have a responsibility to either get it right or just be silent.

Let me give you a couple of glaring examples.

#1. A doctrinal statement made by a leader in a certain mainline Church:  “Man was made in the image of God, but by his own will, sinned and rebelled against God and was put out of the Garden of Eden.” This type of teaching shows the shallow thinking and flaws in denominationalism, which frequently leads to the religious experts trying to put ‘square pegs into round holes.”

First:  If God is omniscient, did He not know man would rebel? Did God make a mistake in His creation of mankind? The answer to both questions, a resounding ‘NO’. God knew and knows exactly what He is doing, all the time!

God knew He created mankind with a propensity to fail and sin (please click the preceding link for detail on this teaching). God knows exactly what was going to happen; and God planned a Savior to redeem humankind. It is all part of His process of perfecting humankind into His image and likeness!

It’s either that, or we cannot trust God to get it right the first time. Furthermore, it’s either that, or God is not omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (ever present), omnipotent (all powerful) and He makes mistakes. But NO.

God is perfect, and He tells us, “Therefore, you are to be perfect (“esomai” = future tense, shall be, will be, it shall come to pass), as your heavenly Father is (esti = present tense) perfect.”

The Greek language reveals that perfection is God’s plan and the only ‘say-so’ we have in the matter, is whether we choose to follow Him or not. Once you become a Christian and follow Him, God will begin the process of perfection through His sanctifying of you and your life.

#2. We are taught that “all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” (see Romans 3:23). This is an accurate quote from scriptures. It is usually presented and taught that sin is a series of behaviors or acts that reveal our corrupt nature. We are taught that we are born with a ‘sin nature’ inherited from Adam, which is true.

We are taught to believe that sin is your willful and deliberate rebellion against God, as if we had a choice. But, that type of teaching shows the shallow thinking and flaws in denominationalism, which frequently leads to the religious experts trying to put ‘square pegs into round holes.”

The Apostle Paul tells us, in Romans 7:21-25, that sin has always been and continues to be ever-present within your natural body, waging war against your natural mind, making you a prisoner, leading to death. Dear friends, know that God made you, from the beginning, with this flaw, this sin-nature! It was not your choice, though it is now your responsibility.

Could God have made you differently? YES, He could have. Did He not know the dilemma this would create in our lives? YES, He knew. Yet, He chose this method to subdue you and me and to show us our need for Him; to make us dependent on Him for His great salvation! And it is in this knowing that we are given a choice: Either suffer and die in our sins or accept the sufferings of Jesus as our gift of the propitiation for our sins, and live because of Him as our Savior.

(Note: The word ‘sin’ in the New Testament is ‘harmatia’ = a sin is the failure to ‘hit the mar; i.e., missing the mark; it means, more literally as having “no share“, or “no part of”; it is a loss, or a forfeiture. So, not hitting the target, or to miss the mark results in you forfeiting or losing your share of the inheritance God has laid up for you, both now and eternally.

Then what is the ‘target’ we are missing? It is the target of God’s perfection. Being perfected into the image and likeness of God which makes you a joint heir and friend of Jesus, sort of His ‘twin’, so to speak –  perfected into God’s image and likeness.)

So, what does all of this tell us? It tells us that we have been set up, first to fail, then to be offered a rescue from that failure and finally to receive the victory of God’s Success in our lives! We were programmed to fail. But God prepared a Remedy, a Savior, Jesus Christ.

It has been God’s plan and purpose all along, to perfect us into Him image and likeness. And He is using this our failed nature to make us aware of our need for Him to save us and to bring us into His Holiness.

Why does God choose to do this and in this way? I do not know. No one knows. Only God knows. But now that we do know about these things, and we can also know what to do and how to get it done!

So, the next time you ‘sin’ and fall short of God’s glory, confess your sins. He is faithful and righteous, and He will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. (See 1 John 1:9). But you can do this only if you have surrendered your natural self and been remade, born again, as Jesus puts it. (See John 3:7)

So, the next time trials, troubles and tribulations come upon you, and you feel the pinch, pain and toils of life pressing down upon you, remember that in this you can rejoice, that even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, (you can know) that this is an opportunity for the proving of your faith – your faith, which is more precious than gold which perishes, (and that being) tested by fire, (the perfecting of), your faith may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ in and through your life! (See 1 Peter 1:6-7)

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

SAVED: Strong’s concordance #4982 sozo, (pronounced, sode’-zo), meaning -to save, make whole, heal, to be whole; to be given purpose for your life.

To save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; from injury or peril in your mortal body, in your mind, in your will and emotions (your soul).

To save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; from injury or peril in your relationship with your spouse, your children and your family.

To save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; from injury or peril in your relationships with your friends, acquaintances and the world at large.

To save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; from injury or peril in your job, your career, your finances and all that God has entrusted to you.

Being saved literally means to save a suffering one (from perishing); to save one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health; to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue; to save in the technical biblical sense, to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment.

(The complete Bible translation from Strong’s concordance #4982).