God fully knows Himself and all things, seen and unseen, physical and spiritual, past, present, and future. His thoughts and actions stem from His perfect knowledge and character. He perceives everything, being intimately acquainted with creation, with nothing hidden from Him. He understands desires, intentions, motivations, and secret thoughts, observing all light, energy, and sound while predicting future actions effortlessly. He knows the end from the beginning, with nothing random in His purpose. He is always near, concerned, and individually aware, overseeing and directing all things according to the counsel of His will. He prepares scenarios to develop righteous character in His children without limiting free-will choices, yet retains the right to intervene.

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God's Non-Transmittable Attributes (Part Three): Omniscience

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

God fully knows Himself and all things, seen and unseen, physical and spiritual, past, present, and future. His thoughts and actions are wholly informed by His perfect knowledge and character, rendering Him unconditionally and eternally trustworthy. To be omniscient means to possess infinite knowledge, and God indeed perceives everything, being thoroughly and intimately acquainted with His entire creation. No place exists where anything can be hidden from Him, as He understands our desires, intentions, motivations, and nature, knowing us more deeply than we know ourselves. Nothing escapes God's senses, for He observes the entire spectrum of light and energy and hears the whole range of sound. His Spirit searches all things, including our most secretive thoughts, and predicting our future actions is effortless for His immeasurable intellect. This divine ability underpins His confidence in figures like Noah, Abraham, and Moses, and His willingness to entrust the responsibility of His creation plan and our salvation to Jesus Christ. God's omniscience does not limit our free-will choices, even as He remains sovereign over all creation, declaring the end from the beginning. While He possesses the power to force any outcome, His greater priority is the development of righteous character in His children. He prepares scenarios in our lives to facilitate and measure our growth, requiring us to exercise faith and use our free will to make choices that, by His flawless design, remain unpredictable. Yet, He retains the right to act or intervene in history to accomplish His ends, balancing His omnipotence with restraint. His understanding is unsearchable, and as the everlasting Creator, He neither faints nor grows weary.

Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part One)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God knows the end from the beginning. Nothing in His purpose happens randomly. He knows what He is doing. He is omniscient. He is always there. He is never any further than a thought away, and so He is concerned. He knows the shape, the end from the beginning, that He wants to reach. He is truly omnipotent, omniscient, and individually aware of you. He is overseeing every aspect of life. He is directing everything in life according to the counsel of His will. He works all things according to the counsel of His will. He has every right to mold the clay into whatever form, state, and use in life that He chooses.

The Sovereignty of God: Introduction

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God is omniscient. Because God is omniscient there is no problem He cannot master. The people who know their God do. God is not unaware or unconcerned about His children. Things do not happen without His notice without His scrutiny and His judgment about what He should do. He is too wise to make mistakes.

God Is Aware

Sermonette by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Unlike human beings, who are very limited in their awareness, God knows all of our secret desires and urges, which are continually open to Him for inspection.

The Sovereignty of God (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's omniscience means that He is fully aware of every detail in His creation and takes notice of even the smallest events, such as the fall of a sparrow, while giving even greater attention to human lives. This awareness extends to scrutinizing all that occurs among His children and within the church, ensuring that nothing happens without His notice, judgment, or active involvement. Because God is omniscient, no problem exists of which He is unaware or that He cannot master, allowing Him to declare the end from the beginning and bring events to pass according to His counsel despite opposition. This attribute forms part of the intimate knowledge of God described by terms such as yada and ginosko, combining factual understanding with personal closeness that produces strength and the ability to endure. It counters any perception that God is distant, frustrated, or outwitted, instead confirming that He remains constantly engaged with the affairs of the earth and the choices of those in covenant with Him. Omniscience thus supports living faith by enabling believers to view circumstances from God's perspective rather than through worldly standards of time and sensation, fostering trust that He is too wise to err and too concerned to permit total overwhelm. It undergirds the call to listen to His Word with authority, to reject rationalizations that diminish responsibility, and to press forward in obedience, knowing that God sovereignly works all things toward the fulfillment of His purpose in those who respond.

The Fear of God (Part One)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's omniscience forms a foundational element in the development of a proper relationship with Him, as it underscores that nothing escapes His awareness or understanding. He counts and names every star in the heavens, demonstrating infinite knowledge that extends to the smallest details of creation. This comprehensive awareness means He knows all that occurs within the universe He has made, including the thoughts, actions, and needs of humanity. Such knowledge is not limited but infinite, allowing Him to direct events with perfect wisdom and power while remaining intimately involved with those who seek Him. This attribute connects directly to the necessity of learning the fear of the Lord, since true respect arises only through recognizing that He perceives everything without partiality or error. It reinforces why human concepts of God must derive from direct experience with Him rather than external ideas, as His omniscience exposes any inadequate or idolatrous views. Ultimately, this knowledge draws people toward obedience and growth, revealing that His awareness ensures justice, provision, and purpose are fulfilled on His terms alone.

The Sovereignty of God (Part Twelve)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's omniscience emerges as a central proof of His sovereignty and personal involvement in creation, standing in deliberate contrast to the modern tendency to treat Him as a distant spectator. Jeremiah 16:17 declares that God's eyes are upon all the ways of His people, meaning that His awareness extends not merely to the broad sweep of national events but to the individual details of every person's life, including hidden iniquity. This is reinforced by Jesus' statement that even a sparrow does not fall to the ground apart from God's permission, which raises the question of how much more attentive He must be toward those who are of greater worth to Him than sparrows. Psalm 139 is cited as further assurance that no place in creation exists where God is unaware of what is happening, whether outwardly or within the depths of the heart. Together these passages establish that God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, and that these attributes are inseparably joined rather than abstract theological categories. This omniscience is presented as the safeguard against a false, one-dimensional caricature of God that arises when only His goodness or gentleness is emphasized while His awareness and active involvement are neglected. Israel's failure in the wilderness illustrates the danger of living by sight rather than by faith: because the people lacked a close relationship with God, they mentally limited Him, setting boundaries on what they believed He would or could do for them, even though His knowledge and power were never actually restricted. Their lack of faith, rooted in a failure to reckon with God's all-seeing nature, led them to seek their own solutions and ultimately to death, showing that disregard for God's omniscience carries real spiritual consequences. God's omniscience is also tied directly to His sovereign action in history and in individual lives. Because He sees and knows all things, He is able to stir the hearts of kings such as Cyrus, to place thoughts in the minds of those forming end-time powers such as the beast and false prophet, and to direct outcomes as specific as the path of Saul's javelin missing David. Nothing escapes His awareness, and therefore nothing happens outside His permission or will. This connects omniscience to the broader theme of the series: since God fully knows every heart, circumstance, and need, He is not a passive observer but One who actively intervenes, disciplines, and works out His purposes toward those He has called. Ultimately, God's omniscience is linked to human responsibility rather than fatalism. Because He knows the sincerity of repentance and the true condition of the heart, believers are urged to recognize their own powerlessness and to submit fully to His rule, trusting that the God who sees all things is also working all things toward their good and toward the fulfillment of His kingdom purposes.

Living By Faith and God's Sovereignty

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Some may doubt that God is in control, but God's sovereignty over His creation is complete. The course of world events are moving according to His will.

Is God to Blame?

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

The 9/11 bombings were tragic and terrible. Some have since asked, 'Was God involved? Is He to blame?' These tough questions have challenging answers.

Image and Likeness of God (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The true nature of God differs greatly from the trinitarian concept. Having created us in His form and shape, God is developing us into His character image.

Can God Look on Sin?

Sermonette by Ryan McClure

Many believe that God is unable to look on sin, yet many scriptures show that God's eyes run to and fro through the earth, observing the evil and the good.

How God Deals With Conscience (Part Five)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Joseph knew and recognized his brothers before they knew him, even as God knows our guiltiest secret sins that we think we have effectively hidden.

Of God Appointed Life

Sermon by Mark Schindler

We must trust God's sovereign timing even in grief and sore trials, realizing that life is not random, but God-appointed.

It is Done! The Perfect Peace of God

Sermon by Mark Schindler

In the peace offering, Christ is the priest, offeror, and offering. Since all parties share the peace offering as a meal, it exemplifies a peaceful communion.

Psalms: Book Two (Part Four)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Eight of the psalms of Book Two were not written by David, but by Asaph, the sons of Korah, and Solomon. These psalms have more of a group emphasis.

Leadership and the Covenants (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We are being trained to become leaders, but before we can lead, we must be able to carry out responsibilities, conforming to God's leadership and covenants.

Forgiving, Giving, and Living

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

God possesses attributes that are His alone, like omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. But there are other attributes that become part of our new nature.

Psalms: Book Two (Part Two)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The second set of documents and events consists of Book Two of Psalms, Exodus, Ruth, Psalm 147, and the Pentecost season, relating to faith within trials.

Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Biblical wisdom (sagacity, quickness of perception, soundness of judgment) is achievable by anyone called of God because God is the source of this wisdom.

New Covenant Priesthood (Part Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Sacrifices of thanksgiving, praise, and gratitude are required of God's called out priests. By meditating on the right things, we prepare ourselves for prayer.