If God knows the future, humans don’t really have free will?
The Devotional Answer
This question challenges us to submit our human logic to God's infinite majesty. Devotionally, you must hold onto both truths: God is sovereign (He is in control and knows all things), and we are responsible (we make real choices).
Trying to resolve the complete paradox of how these two truths intersect is often impossible for the human mind. The key is to trust that God, in His perfect wisdom, is able to orchestrate all events and yet allow your love and obedience to be a genuine, non-coerced gift.
Your choice to love Jesus is a real choice, and the fact that God knew you would make it only magnifies His grace.
The Simple Answer
God's knowledge of your future choice does not eliminate your freedom to make it.
Think of it this way:
God's Knowledge is Like Observation: If you watch a video recording of a baseball game, you know exactly what the batter will do before he does it. Your knowledge, however, did not cause the batter to swing or miss. The batter made the choice freely in the past.
God's Knowledge Transcends Time: God simply exists outside of time, seeing the past, present, and future all at once. He knows the outcome of your choice because He lives in the eternal "now," but He does not force the process of the choice.
Your will is genuinely free within the limits of God's sovereign plan.
The Deeper Dive
The biblical view affirms both God’s comprehensive knowledge and human responsibility. This theological tension is often called the mystery of providence.
1. God's Omniscience is Perfect Knowledge
The Bible is clear that God knows everything, including the future. This is the definition of Omniscience (all-knowing).
"Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." — Acts 15:18 (KJV)
God's knowledge is not a guess or an educated prediction; it is absolute certainty.
2. Knowledge Does Not Equal Causation
The error in the original statement is equating foreknowledge (knowing beforehand) with causation (making something happen). When God knows you will choose "A," He is simply observing the truth of what your free will, operating with a genuine choice, will select. He is not violating your will; He is merely acknowledging the reality of your choice before you experience it.
3. Biblical Examples of Human Responsibility
The Bible consistently treats humans as morally responsible for their choices, demonstrating genuine free will. When God gives commands, offers blessings, or warns of consequences, He is appealing to the human ability to choose:
"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." — Joshua 24:15 (NIV)
This command would be meaningless if the people were not genuinely free to choose otherwise. God provides the options, and we make the decision.
God’s Assurance
God assures you that His foreknowledge is for your security, not your manipulation.
God uses His knowledge of the future to orchestrate the world for the ultimate good of those who love Him, even when our choices are messy. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28, NIV)
You are assured that the God who knows the end from the beginning is working out a perfect plan, and He has given you the honor of participating in it through the choices you freely make.
Your Takeaway Thought
Don't let the mystery of God's omniscience paralyze you with confusion. Instead, let it fuel your trust. Focus not on how God knows what you will do, but on the certainty that He is good and that your choice to follow Him is real and deeply valued by Him.
Live your life making godly decisions, knowing that the ultimate responsibility for those choices rests with you.
