How does God know? What does God know? These questions are uniquely difficult as we cannot possibly begin to understand how God understands apart from what God has revealed to us.

The majority of Christian theologians have agreed God has perfect knowledge of all things in creation including past, present, and future. Apparent appearances of “ignorance” or lack of knowledge of God in Scripture was assumed to be nothing more than anthropomorphic language. So, despite God saying “now I know,” God actually knew what Abraham would do before he allowed Abraham to begin the sacrificial offering of his son in Genesis 22.

Some modern theologians want to focus on these descriptions of God learning new information based on human actions and argue that God only perfectly knows the past and present. Some will argue God does not know the future in any way. Some will argue God only knows all the future possibilities but not what future will actualize. This is a modern and minority view among scholars. In order to speak of God learning or not knowing the future, the Scriptures which speak of God’s perfect knowledge must be ignored. Bavinck said, “In addition, God is conscious of and knows all that exists outside his being. Scripture nowhere even hints that anything could be unknown to him. True, the manner in which he obtains knowledge is sometimes stated in striking anthropomorphic language (Gen. 3:9ff.; 11:5; 18:21; etc.), but he nevertheless knows everything. The notion that something should be unknown to him is dismissed as absurd. Would he who plants the ear not hear, and would he who forms the eye not see? (Ps. 94:9). Over and over mention is made of his wisdom, might, counsel, understanding, and knowledge: חָכְמָה, גְּבוּרָה, עֵצָה, תְּבוּנָה, γνωσις, σοφια (Job 12:13; 28:12–27; Prov. 8:12ff.; Ps. 147:5; Rom. 11:33; 16:27; Eph. 3:10; etc.)” (Bavinck, RD 2:192).  

Why do theologians continue to confess God’s perfect knowledge of all past, present, and future things? Follow again with Bavinck as he records the biblcal record:

All creatures fall within the compass of his knowledge. It extends to everything and is therefore omniscience in the strict sense. His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth (2 Chron. 16:9). Before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to his eyes (Heb. 4:13). The most minor and insignificant details (Matt. 6:8, 32; 10:30); the most deeply concealed things: the human heart and mind (Jer. 11:20; 17:9–10; 20:12; Ps. 7:10; 1 Kings 8:39; Luke 16:15; Acts 1:24; Rom. 8:27); thoughts and reflections (Ps. 139:2; Ezek. 11:5; 1 Cor. 3:20; 1 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 2:23); human origin, nature, and all human action (Ps. 139); night and darkness (Ps. 139:11–12); hell and perdition (Prov. 15:11); wickedness and sin (Ps. 69:5; Jer. 16:17; 18:23; 32:19); the conditional (1 Sam. 23:10–13; 2 Sam. 12:8; 2 Kings 13:19; Ps. 81:14–15; Jer. 26:2–3; 38:17–20; Ezek. 3:6; Matt. 11:21); and the things of the future (Isa. 41:22f.; 42:9; 43:9–12; 44:7; 46:10), particularly the end of a person’s life (Ps. 31:16; 39:6; 139:6, 16; Job 14:5; Acts 17:26; etc.)—all are known to God. He knows everything (1 John 3:20). This knowledge is not a posteriori, obtained by observation, but a priori, present from eternity (1 Cor. 2:7; Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4–5; 2 Tim. 1:9). His knowledge is not susceptible of increase (Isa. 40:13f.; Rom. 11:34); it is certain and specific (Ps. 139:1–3; Heb. 4:13), so that God’s revelations are all true (John 8:26; 17:17; Titus 1:2). All his works make known to us his wisdom (Ps. 104:24; 136:5; Eph. 3:10; Rom. 11:33) and prompt us to worship and adore him (Ps. 139:17ff.; Isa. 40:28; John 11:7ff.; Rom. 11:33; 1 Cor. 2:11).

Scheeben’s Dogmatik also offers a helpful summary of the historic Christian position:

“The difficulties which the Divine knowledge of free actions presents to our mind, arise from our inability to understand the peculiar process of God’s cognition, which is indeed more peculiar in this than in other matters. A complete solution of the difficulties is impossible. All that we can hope to do is to remove apparent contradictions by clearly pointing out the difference between the way in which God knows, and the way in which the created mind acquires its knowledge. It is not without a purpose that Revelation so often insists upon the knowledge of the free actions of man as the exclusive and wonderful privilege of God,—a knowledge in which the Divine Light illumines the most secret and dark recesses.

The knowledge which God possesses of the free actions of His creatures is distinguished by the three following characteristics: (1) God knows these actions in themselves, as they are in the mind and heart of their author, from within and so far à priori; (2) God has this knowledge from all eternity—that is, before the actions take place; (3) in the Divine Intellect the knowledge of free actions is logically preceded by the knowledge that, under certain conditions and circumstances dependent on the Divine decree, such actions would take place. The above three characteristics are termed respectively (1) “searching of hearts,” (καρδιογνωσία); (2) “knowledge of future free acts;” (3) “knowledge of conditional acts” (scientia conditionatorum or futuribilium). At each of these three degrees of Divine knowledge our difficulties increase; as far, however, as they are soluble, they find a solution in a correct exposition of the first point, especially of the relation of causality between God and created spirits.”

A Manual of Catholic Theology: Based on Scheeben’s “Dogmatik”, Vol. I

So, it seems that we can safely say God really did know what Abraham would do. This knowledge was timeless. Why then does the Bible say God learned? Why did Moses record God saying, “know I know”? Perhaps we can say this is anthropomorphic language. If we say God really didn’t know what Abraham would do or that God didn’t know anything that actually occurs, then we find contradictions in Scripture between those passages which claim omniscience and those Scriptures which appear at first glance to affirm God’s ignorance of the future. Furthermore, if we affirm God literally didn’t know the future, then can we trust him with our future?