Lesson 3

 1. This is the third lesson in the series of lessons on the attributes of God.

• Lesson 1 was devoted to "The Eternity of God."

• Lesson 2 was devoted "The Knowledge of God."

• In that lesson we strongly exclaimed and emphasized God knows every detail about every being in heaven, in earth, and in hell.

• God's understanding is infinite. (Psa. 147:5).

• Since God knows all things, He knows perfectly the past, the present, and the future.

• God knows everything even before it happens.

2. "The Foreknowledge of God" will be the subject of lesson 3 in this series exalting the Almighty God of heaven.

• This is a subject that is very controversial.

• It has ignited many religious battles.

• Most are willing to let God know the past and maybe the present, but not the future.

1. The word "foreknowledge" itself is not hard to define.

• It means "to know beforehand."

• As applied to God, it denotes what God knew beforehand.

• Some want to limit the foreknowledge of God.

• They have no problem with God foretelling what certain people or nations would do.

• They do have a problem with God foretelling everything even to the minute details of the lives of all His creatures.

• When one limits the foreknowledge of God, he is in essence limiting the omniscience of God.

• Is God's knowledge perfect and unlimited?

• Most believers answer "yes" to this question?

• Yet, many of those who answer "yes" want to put some limits on God's vast knowledge.

1. It is imperative that we distinguish between the fore-knowledge of God and God causing something to happen.

• This is a critical problem and has posed many debates.

• Some hold that foreknowledge is equal to causing something.

2. This is far from the truth!

• God knows everything each one of us will do this day and every day for the rest of lives, and for that matter He knows what we will do in eternity.

• This does not mean for a moment that God causes or forces any person to do good or evil.

• This does not signify man is a mere puppet in the hands of the Almighty God.

• God does not force man to do good or evil.

• Man is a free moral agent and is accountable for the decisions he makes.

3. God knows who will be saved and who will be lost.

• This does not suggest that God predestines the salvation of men.

• This has been the conviction of many religious people both past and present.

4. God does not predestine (arbitrarily select) who will be saved. (Jno. 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9; Acts 10:34,35).

1. The case of Judas (Psa. 41:9; Jno. 13:18).

• The prophecy had a double meaning.

• It had reference to Ahithophel betraying David. (2 Sam. 15:12).

• It had reference to Judas betraying Jesus. (Jno. 3:8, 26).

• God foreknew Judas would betray Jesus.

• Was Judas forced to betray Jesus?

• The answer is no.

• Judas could have resisted Satan.

• After he had betrayed Jesus, he could have repented.

• Judas could have repented, but he ended his life.

2. Ephesians 1:4,5

• This passage does not teach God arbitrarily selected those who would be saved.

• It does teach:

• God chose us before the foundation of the world.

• God chose that we "should be holy and blameless before Him."

• God "predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself."

• What is being taught is that God decided before the foundation of the world that men would be saved and would be His sons through Jesus Christ.

 3. Acts 13:48

• "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed" does not denote God arbitrarily chose some Gentiles to be saved.

• The word "ordained" has the idea of "appointed."

• God appointed that all Gentiles who obeyed the gospel would be His children. (2 Thess. 2:13,14; Rom. 1:16; Acts 13:16,26, 43).

 4. Acts 2:23

• God had foreknown His Son would die. (Isa. 53:1-12; Psa. 22:16,18; Rev. 13:8).

• He had planned to save man through the shedding of His Son's blood.

 5. Romans 8:29,30

• God purpose in his mind before the world was created that he would save man through His Son.

• He determined at that time that the saved ones would be raised with spiritual bodies like Jesus.

• Those God foreknew would be saved He called through the gospel.

• Those who accepted call would be justified and the justified would be saved.

• The ones who He foreknew were not arbitrarily selected, but those who by their own volition would obey the gospel.

• He left them wholly uninfluenced by any predetermining act of His, that is, He left them free.

6. 1 Peter 1:2

• The Christians in the "Dispersion" were "the elect" "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father." (1 Pet. 1:1).

• This passage does not teach partiality on the part of God, but it once again teaches God planned to save man through "the blood of Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. 1:2).

1. Yes, God is omniscient and this means God knows the future as well as the past and present.

2. This upsets some, confuses others, and staggers the minds of all who accept this awesome fact about the Almighty God of heaven.

3. The next lesson take a careful look at what the Bible teaches about the unlimited power of God.

• We will discuss the immense, impressive power of God.

• We will also look at some problems.

• The Bible affirms "with God all things all possible." (Matt. 19:26).

• The Bible also affirms it is impossible for God to do certain things.

• Another problem we will look at is this.