An Incomprehensible God

By definition, God is incomprehensible. Maybe when we cross the river we’ll understand  how he could exist from all eternity, be the creator of all, and hold the universe and all its components in the palm of his hand (and still exist within the womb of Mary for nine months). Right now, that’s all way beyond us, but that’s not a reasonable argument against the existence of God. Inability to understand the incomprehensible is not an argument; it is an excuse.

First Cause

Quite frankly, it is counterproductive to speculate about issues which are not within our ability to understand. I recall a discussion about the age-old question of First Cause. Since science tells us that something could never come from nothing, matter could never be created or brought into existence. Nevertheless, here we are in our endless variations of electrons, protons, and other subatomic particles – creation which of necessity, or so it would seem, must have emerged from nothing. Therefore, God was required as creator. But that begs the question of how did God come into existence? There can never be a satisfactory answer to these questions, regardless of how erudite and wise the philosopher is, because we are limited by our human condition of experience, points of reference, senses, and pride. The best answer came from an 11-year-old boy who was not at all perturbed by the question of First Cause. He merely reminded us that God is God, and, as such, completely beyond our realm of understanding. Essentially, his message was, “God is eternal with no beginning because God is God – so what’s the problem?”

Experts and amateurs

The problem is that we are too quick to rely on ‘experts.’ Carl Sagan boldly proclaimed there is no God (Mr. Sagan is now dead). Stephen Hawking (now dead) boldly proclaimed there is no God. After all, they were famous and articulate astronomers and physicists, and a lot smarter than you and me. Only a fool would not believe them. That, however, is not the case.

Astronomy is for astronomers and physics is for physicists. When they attempt to transfer their knowledge and skills into the non-scientific region called God and the supernatural, they quietly and quickly become struggling amateurs – just as we are. Stephen Hawking knew a lot about finding answers posed by science, but he didn’t know any more than you about finding God – probably less.

God’s omniscience and our free will

Two of God’s attributes we assign to him are omniscience and omnipotence. That God is omnipotent seems fairly easy to understand. Whatever God chooses to do, he can, since everything is under his dominion, and the concept of omnipotence does not conflict with any other Christian teaching. The attribute of omniscience, however, seems to be at odds with the fundamental Christian doctrine of free will. If God, who knows everything, knows what our future actions are going to be, including our innermost thoughts, it would seem free will is an illusion.

While there is no easy answer to this apparent dilemma, there is an answer (possibly two or three). Let me explain. Our thought processes and actions are enslaved by the sequential timeline. We have yesterday, today, and tomorrow. One follows the other, and what happens today and tomorrow is dependent and built upon what has preceded. Our argument that God’s omniscience precludes free will simply ignores that God, the creator of time, is not limited by it. He can see what happened a thousand years ago, what is happening now, and what is going to happen a thousand years into the future as an event or events as though he were viewing it all at once. This is heady stuff, and I defer to C.S. Lewis (Page 170 in Mere Christianity):

“Everyone who believes in God at all believes that He knows what you and I are going to do tomorrow. But if He knows I am going to do so-and-so, how can I be free to do otherwise? Well, here once again, the difficulty comes from thinking that God is progressing along the Time-line like us: the only difference being that He can see ahead and we cannot. Well, if that were true, if God foresaw our acts, it would be very hard to understand how we could be free not to do them. But suppose God is outside and above the Time-line. In that case, what we call ‘tomorrow’ is visible to Him in just the same way as what we call ‘today’. All the days are ‘Now’ for Him. He does not remember you doing things yesterday; He simply sees you doing them, because, though you have lost yesterday, He has not. He does not ‘foresee’ you doing things tomorrow; He simply sees you doing them: because, though tomorrow is not yet there for you, it is for Him. You never supposed that your actions at this moment were any less free because God knows what you are doing. Well, He knows your tomorrow’s actions in just the same way – because He is already in tomorrow and can simply watch you. In a sense, He does not know your action till you have done it: but then the moment at which you have done it is already ‘Now’ for Him.”

This explanation is similar (if not identical) to the Catholic position that when we receive communion we receive the body and blood of Christ at Calvary. When we attend Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist, God reaches back in time (from our standpoint but not from God’s) and brings to us the sacrifice of the Son of God. In much the same way, Jesus reached forward in time at the Last Supper and gave his apostles his sacrificial body and blood.

Let me offer another and possibly complementary explanation as to why God’s omniscience and our free will are not mutually exclusive. Through his omnipotence God has given us free will. He wants us to conform to his will but has given us the ability to pursue whatever course we choose. God’s omniscience is even more staggeringly powerful than we could ever imagine, even in our wildest dreams. God would know all possible outcomes and all the inherent events leading to each outcome. His omniscience extends to every possible decision we could make. In his omnipotence he gave us free will to do as we please, but he knows the result of each of our possible decisions.

How about that!?

Here is a third reference point. What if God, in his omnipotence, elects not to see what you are going to do tomorrow? He would know if he wished to but has elected not to. He is omniscient, but in your case decided not to pay attention to your activities unless, of course, you ask him to. I suppose we could say he’s got bigger fish to fry.

If this discussion brings you closer to God, that’s great. If it doesn’t, drop it. The whole issue is way beyond our pay grade. Focus on Fatima, Lourdes, the Shroud of Turin, miraculous healings, and the other events discussed throughout this website (see Evidence Independently Verified). Above all, keep talking to God through prayer.

You won’t go wrong.

Believe and you will understand.

Some websites and references

• S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Harper Collins Edition, San Francisco, 2001)

Footnotes and Attributions

The photograph of the eye in the universe retrieved from the National Geographic website.

Last modified July 31, 2019