Christians believe the answer to this week’s question is yes. However, if it’s true that God is all-knowing, then that belief creates more faith questions — a lot more.

Theologians refer to God’s all-knowing ability as omniscience. Omniscience is defined as having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight; it means to be possessed of universal or complete knowledge — not just of the past and present but also of the future. It is God’s perfect and complete knowledge of the future that breeds so many difficult questions for believers and skeptics alike.

It’s not just God’s omniscience we struggle with. We also struggle with His omnipotence — His unlimited power. On top of that is God’s omnipresence — the ability to travel freely through time and space, being present in all places at all times. From here forward in this article, I will refer to these three super-abilities as the omni-triad.

Most Christians believe that the super-abilities of the omni-triad define God. This causes us significant consternation — and is the source of all those troubling faith questions I mentioned earlier. Here are some examples:

If God knows all things, including the future, then why would He let horrible things happen? What kind of God could be fully aware of the Holocaust and do nothing to stop it? If God knew exactly what Hitler would do, then why did He let Hitler exist?

Genesis chapter 6 provides the record of God destroying all humans in a massive flood — except for Noah and his family. If God knew He would do that, why did He create humans in the first place? And why would Genesis 6:6 state this, “The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.” Is it possible for a God who knows all things to regret His decisions?

If God’s complete foreknowledge has fully pre-determined the future, then why would He ask us to pray and have faith? What would be the point?

If God already knows who will spend eternity in heaven and who will be in hell, then why bother creating those who will be damned? Frankly, if God knows the suffering of the future perfectly well, and He does nothing to intervene, then He appears to be malevolent (someone who has the desire to do evil to others). What other explanation could there be? Friend, who in their right mind would find joy in worshiping a malevolent God?

Epicurus, the ancient Greek philosopher who lived hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ, made this observation about God: “Is God willing to prevent evil but not able? Then, he is not omnipotent. Is he able but not willing? Then, he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing to prevent evil? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?”

Even before Jesus was born, people were asking these questions regarding the omni-triad of God. They aren’t new. The early church struggled, too. In Romans 9:19, Paul had to address this question, “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?”

Here’s the problem. We define God by the abilities of the omni-triad. We believe and declare that God is all-knowing, is all-powerful, and is all present. I’m going to challenge that belief by changing the statement to: God can be all-knowing, can be all-powerful, and can be all-present as He acts on His free will.

God does not define Himself by His abilities; He defines Himself by His character. Throughout Scripture, God defines Himself as love. Because true love can only be expressed in freedom, freedom is of the highest value to God.

My friends, if God is anything, God is free. II Corinthians 3:17 confirms this truth, “Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” In John 8:36, Jesus declares, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Paul states in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”

Of what good are the super-abilities of the omni-triad if God has no choice but to act on them? If God must always act using His super-abilities, then He is not free — He is in bondage to act as His super-abilities demand.

Here’s a nugget of freedom-truth I often share with people, “You are free. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you must do it.” If you must do everything you can, and if you must know everything you can, and if you must be everywhere you can, then you are not free — you are in bondage to your abilities.

Here’s an example of what I’m saying. I sometimes find myself missing the end of a televised golf match because I need to attend a meeting. Since I know I can watch a replay of the match after the meeting, I am careful to not learn the outcome of the match so I can enjoy the suspense later. I have the ability to know the outcome, but I chose to not know it. Freedom gives me the ability to act or not act, to know or not know, based on my will. That’s freedom.

God possesses that same freedom. His super-abilities are available to Him at all times. They are His tools. He is free to utilize the omni-triad as He determines. He can act or not act, know or not know, attend or not attend. He can choose. This is the perfect freedom God enjoys.

What I’m suggesting is that the question, “Is God all-knowing?” is flawed. I’m also suggesting a better question: “Can God know anything He chooses to know?” I believe He can, but because He is free, I also believe God can choose to not know anything He chooses to not know. If these suggestions are true, it changes much of what we have assumed about God. I’m guessing that God is very weary of our assumptions.

I’ll leave you to ponder the possibilities. Next week, we’ll pick up the conversation with the classic faith question, “Can God be surprised?”