What is the doctrine that explains the coexistence of God's omniscience and human free will?
The doctrine that seeks to explain the coexistence of God's omniscience and human free will is often referred to as "compatibilism" within Christian theology. Compatibilism is the belief that divine foreknowledge and human freedom are not mutually exclusive and can, in fact, coexist harmoniously. This doctrine attempts to reconcile two seemingly contradictory truths: that God is omniscient, knowing everything that will happen, and that humans possess genuine free will, making real choices that are not predetermined.
To understand compatibilism, we must first delve into the nature of God's omniscience and human free will. God's omniscience means that He possesses complete and perfect knowledge of all things, past, present, and future. This is affirmed in numerous biblical passages. For instance, Psalm 139:4 states, "Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether." Similarly, Isaiah 46:10 declares, "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’"
On the other hand, human free will is the ability of individuals to make choices that are not coerced or predetermined by external forces, including divine foreknowledge. The Bible also supports the concept of free will. In Deuteronomy 30:19, Moses exhorts the Israelites, "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." This verse implies that humans have the genuine ability to make choices.
The tension between these two concepts has been a subject of theological debate for centuries. How can God know everything that will happen, including our future choices, and yet those choices remain genuinely free? Compatibilism offers a nuanced approach to this question.
One way to understand compatibilism is to consider the nature of time and God's relationship to it. From a human perspective, time is linear; we experience it moment by moment. However, God, being eternal, exists outside of time. He sees the past, present, and future simultaneously. This is not to say that God causes every event to happen, but rather that He knows what will happen because He is outside of time and can see all of history at once. This perspective is supported by 2 Peter 3:8, which says, "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
Another aspect to consider is the distinction between God's foreknowledge and predestination. Foreknowledge means that God knows what will happen, but it does not necessarily mean that He causes it to happen. Predestination, on the other hand, involves God's sovereign will in determining certain events or outcomes. Romans 8:29-30 touches on this distinction: "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." This passage indicates that God's foreknowledge and predestination are part of His divine plan, but it does not negate human responsibility or free will.
Theologian Norman Geisler provides a helpful analogy in his book "Chosen But Free." He compares God's foreknowledge to a weather forecaster who predicts a storm. The forecaster's knowledge of the storm does not cause the storm to happen; it merely indicates an awareness of future events. Similarly, God's foreknowledge of our choices does not cause those choices to occur. We still make them freely.
Moreover, the Bible contains numerous examples of human free will operating within the framework of God's sovereign plan. The story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 50:20 is a prime example. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, an act of their own free will. Yet, Joseph later tells them, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Here, human free will and God's sovereign plan intersect in a way that brings about God's ultimate purpose.
The Apostle Paul also addresses this tension in Philippians 2:12-13: "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." Paul acknowledges that believers must actively work out their salvation, implying free will, while also affirming that it is God who works in them to achieve His purposes.
In addition to biblical evidence, compatibilism finds support in Christian philosophical thought. Augustine of Hippo, one of the early Church Fathers, argued that God's grace and human free will are not incompatible. In his work "On Free Choice of the Will," Augustine contended that human free will is a gift from God, and it operates within the context of God's sovereign will. He wrote, "The will is then truly free when it is not the slave of vices and sins."
Similarly, Thomas Aquinas, in his "Summa Theologica," posited that God's foreknowledge does not impose necessity on human actions. He explained that God knows future contingents, including human choices, but this knowledge does not negate the freedom of those choices. Aquinas stated, "God's knowledge, then, is the cause of things. But this does not mean that things are necessitated to exist, because God's knowledge is not of a sort to impose necessity on things."
C.S. Lewis, a more contemporary Christian thinker, also addressed this issue in his book "Mere Christianity." Lewis argued that God's omniscience does not interfere with human free will. He likened God's knowledge to an author who knows the entire plot of his novel but allows his characters to act freely within the story. Lewis wrote, "You can reconcile God's foreknowledge and man's free will if you remember that God is outside time and that all the days are 'Now' for Him."
In summary, the doctrine of compatibilism provides a framework for understanding how God's omniscience and human free will can coexist. By recognizing that God exists outside of time and that His foreknowledge does not necessitate predetermination, we can appreciate the harmonious relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. This perspective is supported by Scripture, affirmed by theological tradition, and enriched by philosophical reflection. It allows us to hold in tension the profound truths of God's omniscience and human free will, leading us to a deeper appreciation of the mystery and majesty of God's nature.
