OMNISCIENCE AND FREEWILL

If God is omniscient and knows all future events, He knows exactly what we will do before we do it and, therefore, we could not act otherwise. If we could, it would mean that God is not omniscient, something the Bible rules out. Therefore, it would seem that if God is omniscient, we do not have freewill and are not morally responsible.

To demonstrate this alleged conflict within the biblical faith, one atheist stated it this way:

·       PREMISE #1 – God knows every future event.

·       PREMISE #2  - We cannot act in a way contrary to how God knows we will act.

·       CONCLUSION #1 -  We do not have freewill.

·       CONCLUSION #2 -  God is not just in judging us, since we could not act otherwise.

However, there is a problem with PREMISE #2. Instead, of “we CANNOT act otherwise,” this phrase can just as easily be rendered “we WILL NOT act otherwise” to preserve our freewill. The difference in meaning is enormous! The last phrase suggests that we do have freewill even though we act in accordance with God’s omniscience – that we COULD have acted otherwise but WILL NOT do so. Therefore, God remains omniscient and we remain free moral agents.