Does God know everything? Like actually everything?

Ever heard someone say God is omniscient or all-knowing? You may have even said it yourself, but when you really try to think about it, it can kind of start to blow your mind. The question of God’s all-knowingness raises other questions, like, does He know what will happen in the future? Or, does He know only everything that happens or does He know every single thought of every single person as well? Or, if He knows everything, then why doesn’t He stop bad things from happening?

See what we mean? It’s really heady stuff to think about, let alone attempt to answer. Still, we have some thoughts on God’s omniscience based on what we can gather from the Bible.

Does God know everything?

There are several verses that suggest is all-knowing without limits, such as:

My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.

• 1 John 3:18-20 (MSG)

And:

Our Lord is great, with limitless strength; we'll never comprehend what he knows and does.

• Psalm 147:5 (MSG)

And:

God, investigate my life;

get all the facts firsthand.

I’m an open book to you;

even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.

You know when I leave and when I get back;

I’m never out of your sight.

You know everything I’m going to say

before I start the first sentence.

I look behind me and you’re there,

then up ahead and you’re there, too—

your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful—

I can’t take it all in!

• Psalm 139:1-6 (MSG)

The last of these passages above is the most reassuring that God not only knows all that will happen, but that He does indeed know our thoughts. We must each choose for ourselves whether the Scriptures here are meant to be taken literally or if they are simply poetic expressions. 

Either way, the message we should take from it is that God is indeed powerful and His thoughts are greater than our own. While it is worth thinking about as we ask ourselves hard questions about God, ultimately it’s not up to us to fret over the limitations or lack thereof of His knowledge and instead to trust in Him.

Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journey

At Centerpoint, our community believes in purpose and passion, and we would love to walk with you on your journey in finding yours. We are currently going through a new sermon series titled “To Hell With Normal.” It’s all about redefining what we consider normal in life as we seek to make our lives more like the way Jesus would have them to be. 

Do you want to grow in your faith or are you simply curious about who this Jesus guy is? You’re not alone. We encourage you to listen to our series online and welcome you to come to one of our Sunday morning services in Valrico, Florida.