- 6 - Psalm 53: 2: ‘The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of man, to see if there are any that understand, that seek after God.’ And regarding God’s dwelling we read: Psalm 46: 5-6: ‘There is a river; its streams provide pleasure to God’s city, the holy residence of the Most High. God is in the midst of it; it will not waver.’ (Verses 4-5 in Protestant Bibles) What the Holy Writ tells you about God in so many places is not figurative or allegorical, but true, with the difference that what you understand in a material sense from what is written is spiritual as it pertains to God. God’s throne and God’s habitation exist in fact. God is able to visit all parts of Creation in person. It is true when it says in the Bible: Genesis 17: 22: ‘When God had ended his conversation with Abraham, He left Abraham and ascended to heaven.’ You are, of course, familiar with the many passages in the Bible in which mention is made of the coming and going of God. I cannot even begin to tell you how wonderfully God has planned the government of the Universe, for this far exceeds the limits of human comprehension. • You cannot picture to yourselves that spirits of God stand watch over each living being and that they report everything that happens. Therefore, nothing can take place without being known to God. For this reason, you speak of God as being omniscient. In this you are right, although in one respect you exaggerate His omniscience, perhaps through fear of detracting from His greatness. You teach, namely, that God also knows what decisions people will make of their own free will at some future time. But in this respect you are misinformed! God knows everything that has taken place in the past and that is taking place at present. He knows every thought. As for the future, He knows those destinies that He Himself has planned for His creatures. • But God has no foreknowledge of those future events that they may shape by the exercise of their free will. He does not know beforehand what a creature of His will do of its own free will in all circumstances. For this reason, He tests His creatures. To do this would be superfluous and to no purpose if the outcome of the test were known to God beforehand, and God does nothing without purpose. Again, any foreknowledge on God’s part of actions within the control of His creatures would have to be predicated on laws that make future decisions compulsory and, hence, eliminate the exercise of free will.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI1MzY3