Does God Really Know the Plans He has for You?

This is the John Piper dedication blog...who I should have posted on long ago, since I listen to him very regularly. Also I am headed to Minneapolis this weekend to go to the Desiring God Conference hosted by John Piper! Wohoo! I will be taking notes, so look for some very insightful blogging next week ; ) Ok, so the following is an ginormous topic (50+ pages in many systematic theology books), which I am condensing into a one page blog. Please forgive any shortsightedness.

I felt the need to post a blog about the topic of God's providence because I have come across a lot of information about this in the past few weeks. I've heard people say God is sovereign and in the next sentence say God doesn't know the future.

Since contradictions abound when talking about these matters, whether an artifact of hearing and repeating Christianese or a incorrect preconceived notion about a term, I will refrain from using the terms Calvinism, Arminianism, predestination, and free will in this post.

A recent podcast by John Piper has made me realize how serious this thinking about foreknowledge is and how it changes your view of God. A.W. Tozer once said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

Piper addresses foreknowledge in a podcast series from a conference at Mark Driscoll's church entitled: The Whole Glory of God: Governing and Knowing All that will Come to Pass (I&II) and The Whole Glory of God: The Imputation and Impartation of God's Righteousness. (Listen Now!) Not only do you get a poignant and truth speaking message about providence, but also Limited Atonement is explained (TULIP)!

In college, I got really caught up in trying to define God from a philosophical standpoint. But then you end up with something as simple as Anselm's That-which-nothing-greater-can-be-thought to as mind warping as Aquinas' five proofs of God. Then I realized this was a bit foolish since God proclaims clearly who He is in the Bible.
Piper shows beautifully how Scripture is also the place to turn if you want to find out about God's foreknowledge.

The controversy is mainly flamed these days by a group of people who claim Open Theism-basically that God chooses not to know the future. While on the other side lies people who believe God knows everything in the future from who will win the Scrabble game tonight to the exact moment you will die. In the podcast, Piper goes as far to say that open theist call the deity of God and Jesus into question.

The danger in doing this is that you are saying the future is open to God and in fact you can surprise God or God can be wrong?!? Piper explains how this view makes you a little god who is ultimately self determining.

Some important points John Piper makes about sin and suffering in God's providence. First, God does not sin in willing that people sin. Yes God does purpose suffering for His ultimate good purposes. (See I Peter 4:19 says So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.)

Doctrine matters because things thought now will show up in future generations. So I urge you no matter where you fall on this issue to think about it further and wrestle with any questions you still have. Certainly there is a little mystery in all our theology (otherwise we would know everything and be God!), so the important goal is to draw the line where the Bible draws the line.

In closing, if anyone is actually listening to the podcasts I post about, please leave a comment with your thoughts! I would love to get some dialogue going : )

Thought for the Day: God is most glorified when we are satisfied in Him