Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
(Psalm 147:5)
And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the LORD: So you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind.”
(Ezekiel 11:5)
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
(Hebrews 4:13)
on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
(Romans 2:16)
Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel?
(Isaiah 40:13)
When we say God is omniscient, we mean that He knows all that there is to know. You can also say He is all-knowing. Think about that. There are no secrets to Him. There is nothing that is outside the scope of His conception, understanding, or attention. His knowledge is perfect.
God neither studies nor learns for one cannot increase a knowledge that is already insurmountable. Neither does probability exist for God; all things either are or are not in His perspective. There is no maybe. There are no potentially infinite realities as the faux-hip coffeehouse philosophers and comic book writers are so fond of speculating.
There is only one reality and God knows it in its entirety, as it exists by, through, and for Him. God is neither surprised by the way the world works itself out, nor shocked by the choices we make. Omniscience is the passive end of His providence — the working out of God’s predetermined purpose via His sovereignty (that is, His mastery over all that is) — in that it is the means by which providence can exist, but neither the engine nor the fuel that brings about His action.
And to think – God our Father knows our frame of mind and the depravity of our fallen nature and for His love and glory He chose to engage Himself and save us. Simply amazing.
Other attributes we’ve discussed so far:
- Righteousness
- Omnipresence
- Immanence
- Eternality
- Goodness
- Immutability
- Transcendence
- Self-existence
- Holiness
- Omnipotence
[This post is adapted from Blue Letter Bible’s Theological FAQs page.]