God's Omniscience: What It Means That God Knows Everything
Last updated: 2026-04-13
To say God is omniscient is to acknowledge that He possesses exhaustive, perfect, and instantaneous knowledge of all things—past, present, and future—both actual and possible. Because He is the Creator and Sustainer of all existence, He knows all things in Himself, independently of any external conditions or events.
🧠 God's Infinite Knowledge
In the Reformed tradition, we confess that God is, in and of Himself, infinite in perfection and knowledge. As stated in the Westminster Larger Catechism Q7, God is one who is 'knowing all things.' This does not mean He learns over time; rather, His knowledge is an attribute of His eternal, unchangeable nature. He does not base His plans on what He sees us doing, but rather He knows all things because He has decreed them. The 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §2 clarifies this beautifully, stating: 'Although God knoweth whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions, yet hath he not decreed anything, because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.' This protects the glory of God from being contingent upon human action.
Sources: Westminster Larger Catechism Q7 · 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §2
🙏 The Gospel of the All-Knowing God
It is both a terrifying and a wonderfully comforting reality that God knows us fully. We are indeed more sinful and flawed than we dared believe—He sees every hidden thought—yet because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, we are more accepted and loved than we ever dared hope. Because He knows all, He knew exactly what it would cost to redeem you, and He chose to send His Son anyway. The Psalmist captures this intimacy: 'O Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Jehovah, thou knowest it altogether' (Psalm 139:1-4). We rest not in our ability to hide our flaws, but in His perfect knowledge of them, covered by the blood of Christ.
Sources: Psalm 139:1-4
God's foreknowledge does not cause sin, as God decreed all things without being the author of sin or violating the will of the creature. Reformed traditions distinguish between God's sovereign ordination of events and His nature as pure, holy, and removed from the authorship of evil.
📖 Sovereignty and the Authorship of Sin
The Reformed tradition, as expressed in the 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §1 and the Westminster Confession of Faith Ch.3 §1, maintains that while God ordains all things that come to pass, He does so in a way that He is neither the author of sin nor does He have fellowship with it. His decree establishes the liberty and contingency of second causes rather than destroying them. We trust that because our God is holy, His secret counsel is perfectly consistent with His goodness, even when the mystery of how human responsibility interacts with divine sovereignty exceeds our finite grasp.
Sources: 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §1 · Westminster Confession of Faith Ch.3 §1
📜 Knowledge Independent of Conditions
God’s knowledge is not reactive or based on future contingencies. As stated in 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §2 and Westminster Confession of Faith Ch.3 §2, God has not decreed anything because He foresaw it as future. His knowledge is independent of the creature’s choices. As the Apostle James writes concerning the immutable nature of God: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning" (James 1:17). We find our comfort not in understanding every mystery of divine providence, but in knowing that the God who ordains all things is the same God who gave His Son for sinners.
Sources: 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §2 · Westminster Confession of Faith Ch.3 §2 · James 1:17
Related Questions
See all 10 Theology Proper questions →
You Might Also Explore
Want to explore more?
Ask a question