1. God’s omniscience
To examine some of the problems with God’s omniscience.

2. God’s relationship with time
God is eternal
There are two main views:
The view most commonly adopted by classical theologian, is that God is timeless. In other words God is OUTSIDE time, and is not bound by time; God is the creator of time. God is described a ‘eternal’ or ‘atemporal’.
The other view is that God is EVERLASTING. In other words, it is the belief that God moves along the same timeline that we do but never begins or ends. The past is the past for God as well as for us. The future is unknown to us and is also, to some extent t least, unknown to God because it has not happened yet. In this view of God, he is described as ‘sempiternal’.

3. Our understanding of what it mean for God to be eternal is important because it affects many other ideas about the attributes of God. It affects ideas such as:
Omniscience: Can God know with certainty the details of events that have not yet happened?
The problem of evil: Can God see the whole picture from the beginning, in which case can he be at least partially blamed for things being the way that they are; because he knew in advance what would happen?
Omnipotence: Can God change the past, and make events that have already happened un-happen, or is that beyond his power?
Justice: Can God justifiably blame us for actions he knew we would perform even before he made us?
Prayer: Is there any point in praying for something if God already knows what he will do and the future is fixed?

4. The view that God is timeless (atemporal)
Some hold the view that God is eternal. This means that God exists outside time and can see the past, the present and the future, all with perfect knowledge.
Time is an aspect of the created world, like space and God is in control of it. God is not bound by space, in the Christian view; he can be and is everywhere at once. In the same way he Is not bund by time but exists in every part of history and in every part the future while being present in the world today.

5. The view that God is timeless (atemporal)
This is a popular view as God is not limited. As an aspect that God created, God introduced time and therefore it is something he is not subjected to.
God’s omnipotence is not threatened if God is not bound by time- perhaps a God who could not know the future would be less powerful than one that could. It is a belief that allows for the belief that God is immutable (unchanging), which is argued by some to be necessary if God is perfect.

6. The view that God is timeless (atemporal)
If God were bound by time:
He would be limited.
He would have to wait to know what an outcome of an action might be.
He might have times when his plan’s don’t work and he would have to resort to a different plan.
He would be reduced to a point where he could hardly be called all-powerful and all-knowing.
A God who is sempiternal rather than atemporal would not mean Anselms definition of God as we would be able to conceive a different version of God not constrained by time.

7. The view that God is everlasting (sempiternal)
Some say the view that God is timeless creates more problems than it solves.
It seems to limit our free will: when God already knows what we are going to choose and how things will work out for us, there is nothing we can do to influence or change this and nothing for which we can be held responsible.
The problem of evil: it is too difficult to reconcile the idea of an all loving God with a God who knows that terrible things like disease and natural disasters are going to happen and does nothing about it.
How can God act in the world when there is no ‘before’ or ‘after’ for God?
Some scholars have taken the view that God acts within time, responding to events and to people as they happen and as they act. This is the view of theologians such as Charles Hartshorne and thinkers such as Richard Swinburne.

8. Do you think a God who exists outside time would be greater than a God who moves along the same timeline as us?

9. Philosophers and Omniscience
Read the information on the key philosophers. Highlight what they believe and then summarise this in one sentence for each philosopher.

10. Why is this view not Biblical?
Swinburne’s view of God in time
Swinburne argues that the view of a God outside of time is not biblical, but has permeated Christian thought through the influence of the ancient Greeks, and was then promoted by Thomas Aquinas.
Why is this view not Biblical?

11. Swinburne’s view of God in time
Swinburne does not see why a perfect being should have to be changeless. It was Plato who planted the idea in Western minds that a world of unchanging and unchangeable concepts was inevitably more perfect than a changing world, but we do not have to accept Plato’s ideas.

12. Swinburne’s view of God in time
In the Bible, Swinburne argues, God does not have fixed purposes for all eternity. He does not intend for all time that something should happen on a particular day and then remain unchanged in that intention.
In contrast, God interacts with people, and God’s decisions about what will happen may change because of his ongoing relationship with individuals.

13. Swinburne’s view of God in time
Biblical example:
Hezekiah’s Illness
38 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.

14. Swinburne’s view of God in time
Swinburne argues that it doesn’t make sense for God to be timeless or for him to be immutable.
If God is all loving and has a relationship with humanity he has to be able to change and respond to the needs of his people and a timeless God does not allow for that.
He says that the God of the Bible exists within time, responding to his creation and allowing people to have free will.
Do you agree?