Christians: How can you explain the combination of omniscience and free-will?

Question

Here are two postulates whose necessity for Christian ethics cannot be argued against:

GIVEN: God knows everything (not generally, not after the event, EVERYTHING for ALL TIME). also GIVEN: Humans have the ability to choose different actions in life at any moment ( the ability to make not a FAKE, illusory choice, but a meaningful, REAL choice).
How can these two postulates, both so necessary for the meaning of morality itself, be reconciled?

I'm stating what I know, from my study of Christian Theology, to be the facts about Church Dogma. I'm asking for an answer with some thought in it, one that doesn't blatantly disregard or deny one side of the problem (if that's possible) that is really all I want. So far I have never seen such an answer; and my hopes are not too high.

Jon M,
I don't know what religion this "co-creator" business comes from, but it is not Christian doctrine. I'm asking if God can exist in the Christian sense. I told you not to dodge part of the question, but this is exactly what you've done! I'm sure your personal god has no ontological problems, but I'm asking about the God of the Christians and what they have to say about this paradox.

Bobby Jim,
You've dodged the question!! Can't you people read instructions!? But, just for a laugh, ok, Bobby Jim, if everyone knows what is right and what is wrong, why don't YOU tell me what is right?

jonathan,
You predicting the Patriots will win the super-bowl and you creating the Patriots as a pre-formed entity with a specific plan that you also CREATED, a plan which involves winning the super-bowl, are a little different.

Eric,
Again, the video game designer does not know everyone's individual game, but God knows everyone's individual life to the smallest detail. The game designer's knowledge is, in fact, general knowledge of possibilities. If this is the only kind of knowledge God has, then we should go back to calling him Zeus and admit he's less than perfect.

Rango,
You're talking about God like he's a human. Again, if we want to believe in a human god let's call him Zeus. It would save a lot of trouble. God knows ALL the details BEFORE they come into being BECAUSE he CREATED a certain DIVINE PLAN. Please, everyone, don't talk about God not knowing something, knowing something in a vague way or knowing something like a parent. His type of knowledge is fundamentally different.

True Christian,
You're talking about the ILLUSION of free will, pure and simple. If that's what you guys believe in why do you go on talking about "free will" and "choice" when we could talk about "God's will" or "destiny"? You can't do that because you'll compromise your moral dignity. Seriously, how could God make the world a certain way and at the same time not "force" it to be that way? If God ordained that someone be born in 1000 b.c. in China, for example, God has chosen that that person will follow the wrong religion and go to Hell; He has FORCED that person into hell.

Mark S.,
A perfect example!
If God knew Eve was going to eat the apple, all circumstances given, before the choice was even presented to her, how can she be blamed? God made her specifically to fall! He didn't make her able to choose not to eat it, because he knew she would not have the foresight. If you come back and say that Eve could have chosen something God did not know she would, we've got a god named Zeus with no omniscience again, and no absolute standard for good in the world.

drivn2ex,
(Sigh of frustration) It's worse than that, everyone. God knows THE ACTUAL OUTCOME not just ALL POSSIBLE OUTCOMES. THIS IS WHAT OMNISCIENCE MEANS!!!!

Answer 1

You haven't seen an answer because there isn't one that a human can give you. No human being can understand how God can be sovereign and humans can have free will, but we still know this is true (from scripture). If someone tries to tell you they *can* answer you, they are either mistaken or confused. We may be able to understand this when we get to Heaven --- who knows how much we'll know or understand? But as long as you're here on earth, your mind isn't 'big' enough to understand it. It's like trying to understand the Trinity.

The problem is that logic is our window into understanding, most of the time, and while God is never illogical, His truth is not *contained* by logic.

Hope this helps --- though I know this doesn't help with your understanding or anyone's. This is just one of those things that we have to give over to God and realize that He gives us information on a 'need to know' basis. :)

Edit to add: Anyone who says that God *only* knows and doesn't sovereignly ordain needs to look at:

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.

Answer 2

I am only another human in the same dimension as everyone else...God is on a higher dimension, but here is one possibility (which means there has to be others).

Think of a video game...some role playing video game. Every action, reaction, and possibility is on that DVD that came with the game. Everything is known by the creator of the game...for all time within the game.

Then there is the first game we play - and say it is the only one we will know - that is individual and totally to our design. We experience only one possibility of a multitude of possibilities in the game.

In this way, the creator of the game knows everything (not generally, not after the event, EVERYTHING for ALL TIME)...and the player of the game has the ability to choose different actions in that life at any moment ( the ability to make not a FAKE, illusory choice, but a meaningful, REAL choice).

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 3

It is very simple, and actually, separate from what I believe I am understanding from your question. What it seems you are asking is: Morality is based on omniscience and free-will? Is this correct?

If that is what you are asking, then that is incorrect. Man is NOT omniscient, ONLY God is. God knows everything. He knows the choices we are going to make from the moment He brought the universe into existence, not just you but ALL people. He then allowed us to make our own choice- ie the apple in the Garden.

He warned us we would die if we ate of the apple from that tree. It was not a literal death but death that would come about later in our lives than God had planned, maybe we not to die. We, Adam and Eve, made the choice. They could eat of every other tree but this one and another and if they ate of the Tree of knowledge death would take place, I am thinking now that He meant spiritual death- loss of God's presence.

No human is omniscient, we do, however, make our own choices. That IS free will!

Answer 4

Okay, I've no longer learn every other solutions, so forgive me if I repeat whatever. God is in eternity, external of time. Think of it as a line with a opening and finish (time) within of a circle (eternity). Now an all-seeing, all-realizing, all-robust God is at the circle, at any factor at the circle He desires to be, at any "time" (which, consider, does not quite exist at the circle) He desires to be. Because He can see all aspects at the line even as doesn't suggest that the folks at the line are predestined to make a precise option -- it is simply that He can see their offerings and is aware of what's going to occur. All folks at the line have unfastened will to do something they select, and simply considering Someone at the circle is aware of what it'll be does not make it any much less a option -- some of the many advantages to being external of time (lol). Have a first-rate day!

Answer 5

For every decision there is but 2 choices be it good or bad, right or wrong, life or death, left or right etc. God knows every outcome to every choice that each individual human being will or will not make. Think of a movie DVD that comes with 3 alternate endings. Our choices come with many possible outcomes. God knows them all. The sum of our lives is worked out over a life time equation of choices. God is a mastermind genius extraordinaire! He has all possible outcomes already worked out. Think of your life having a million possible outcomes but only one of them will bless you eternally with God. Though God already knows all of your possible ends, He would that no one should perish for an eternity so His love is extended through Jesus Christ so that the odds would be in our favor.

Answer 6

Good one. I think it works like this. God knows everything, you are right. And we also have free will. God knows, therefore, exactly what choices we will make with that free will and what the ramifications for each choice will be. I don't know how that cannot be reconciled; it seems to make perfect sense to me.

God knows everything but He doesn't "force" us to make certain choices. He lets us choose for ourselves, for the most part. There are times when God has chosen people from before they were born to serve Him. There are also people who He lets go of and allows them to fall into horrible sin (because they have utterly and bitterly rejected Him).

I hope this makes sense to you!

Answer 7

Free will and knowledge can co-exist because knowlege doesn't have anything to do with control. I know the Patriots are going to make the playoffs, but that doesn't mean I had any control over the outcome.

Answer 8

God DOES know everything. He gives you everything. He can't fix the problem for you. He PLACES solution in your way. It is up to YOU to be open to what he is giving you.

Read the book by Luigi Guissani
The Journey to the Truth is an Experience.

It WILL Help you out.

Answer 9

"Free Will" applies to the choice we have to choose between evil and good.
Consequences not withstanding, every man, woman, and child knows the difference between the two.

It also applies to the choice man has to believe in, or to reject Jesus as Messiah.

Answer 10

Your first GIVEN is mistaken.

God only deal with reality, and since the future hasn't happened yet, there is nothing to know.

If some people need to believe that God magically can see the future like some fortune teller, who am I to burst their bubble? But part of our responsibility as co-creators with God is to make reality minute by minute, to produce history by interacting with God and each other.