Jehovah possesses flawless knowledge of the past, present, and future (Job 37:16); he is able to foreknow whatever he chooses to foreknow. In view of his perfect knowledge, wisdom, power and love, we might ask whether Jehovah assesses trials in advance by determining what we can bear, then choosing which particular trials we will face, especially since Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NWT):
"No temptation has come upon you except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out so that you may be able to endure it."
1 Corinthians 10:13 states that Jehovah will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear; does this mean God uses his foreknowledge to guarantee that we only experience certain trials?
The Bible suggests four primary reasons why God does not assess what trials we endure in advance:
1. Jehovah has given us the capacity for free will. In Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Jehovah commanded the Israelites to choose life that they might continue to live. Joshua likewise called upon ancient Israel to choose whom they would serve, whether Jehovah or the false gods of their ancestors. Were Jehovah to choose which trials would come upon us, would he not, in effect, be diminishing the gift of free will?
2. No human is exempt from time and "unexpected events" (Eccl 9:11). As Jesus illustrated in Luke 13:1-5 with the fallen Tower of Siloam and the 18 people who died as a result, tragic events sometimes occur because a person is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jesus insisted that the tragedy at Siloam said nothing about the spiritual standing of the people killed there. Is it not unreasonable to think that God would determine in advance who lives and who dies as a result of random events? For example, some car crashes are fatal but others are not. Why should God spare some of his servants from dying in car crashes, but not others? After all, car crashes are random events.
3. All of us are personally involved in the issue of integrity to God. Satan claims that we will not remain loyal to Jehovah in the face of trials. He made this claim in the days of Job (Job 1:9-11) and in Revelation 12:10, Satan is identified as the "accuser of our brothers, "who accuses them day and night before our God." If Jehovah prevented us from facing certain trials because he deemed them to be more than we could bear, would that not add weight to Satan’s charge that we serve God out of self-interest? Why did Jehovah not spare Job certain trials, if this is true?
4. Jehovah does not have to foreknow everything that happens to us. The Bible indicates that God exercises his foreknowledge selectively (Genesis 18:20, 21). After Abraham tried to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to Jehovah, he was told by God: “for now I do know that you are God-fearing because you have not withheld your son, your only one, from me.”
After that peerless example of faith, Jehovah now knew Abraham feared him. This account implies that Jehovah selectively exercises his foreknowledge. He thus balances his power of foreknowledge with his respect for our free will. Is that not what we would expect from the God who values our freedom and who always exercises his attributes in perfect balance?
However, if Jehovah does not predetermine the trials we'll face, how should we understand Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear?
As the WT points out, "Paul here describes what Jehovah does, not before, but during trials." Psalm 55:22 assures us that if we throw our burden upon Jehovah, he will sustain us--never will he allow the righteous to suffer an unrecoverable [spiritual] fall. Two truths that may provide some comfort are any tribulation we face is common to human experience (1 Cor. 10:13). Any tests we face are capable of being endured by humans: no temptation concocted by Satan the Devil requires superhuman strength to resist. While 1 Cor. 10:6-11 reports that some ancient Israelites succumbed to temptation in the wilderness, many did not.
Secondly, recall the faithfulness of God (1 Cor. 10:13). We know that it is impossible for God to lie. As Joshua exclaimed, "that not one word out of all the good promises that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed. They have all come true for you. Not one word of them has failed."
So while Jehovah does not use his selective foreknowledge to assess in advance what kind of trials we can bear, he will uphold his loyal servants by making endurance of trials possible. He gives such power through his word, organization, the angels and the holy spirit.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for reading :-)
ReplyDeleteExcelente gracias
ReplyDeleteThe claim that God does not assess trials in advance because this would diminish free will is a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of divine omniscience and human free will. From a traditional Christian perspective (both Catholic and classical Protestant), God’s omniscience and human free will are not mutually exclusive.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Catholic theology teaches that God, in His eternal and omniscient nature, knows everything that will happen, including every choice each person will make, without this knowledge determining or forcing those choices. Aquinas argues that God knows future free actions because He is outside of time and sees all things—past, present, and future—as a single eternal present (NUNC STANS or NUNC AETERNITATIS). This means that God’s foreknowledge doesn’t interfere with our freedom; it simply means that He knows how we will freely choose. God knowing something does not cause it to happen.
This view harmonizes with Scripture passages such as Psalm 139:4, which says, “Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely.” God’s complete foreknowledge doesn’t negate our ability to make free choices; it merely reflects His omniscience.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 states that time and unforeseen events can affect people’s lives, and Luke 13:1-5 speaks about tragedies like the fall of the tower of Siloam. These passages highlight the reality of life’s uncertainties, but they do not imply that God is unaware of what will happen or that He does not guide events according to His will.
Catholic theology teaches that God allows human free will and the natural order of the world to function, but this doesn’t mean He is not aware of or sovereign over these events. While tragic events may occur due to the fallen nature of the world, they are still under God's providential care. As Matthew 10:29-31 affirms, not even a sparrow falls to the ground without God’s knowledge, and the very hairs on our head are numbered.
In short, God’s omniscience encompasses all things, including what we consider “unexpected events,” but He allows human freedom and the consequences of sin to unfold while still guiding all things according to His divine plan.
You mentioned that Jehovah cannot assess our trials in advance because doing so would strengthen Satan’s accusation that humans serve God only out of self-interest (as seen in the story of Job). However, this misunderstanding of God’s foreknowledge leads to an unnecessary conflict between divine omniscience and human integrity.
In the story of Job, God KNEW Job would remain faithful despite Satan’s accusations. God’s foreknowledge did not predetermine Job’s actions; rather, God knew the depth of Job’s integrity and allowed Satan to test him within limits. The idea that God’s foreknowledge would undermine human integrity or free will is unfounded. God knowing how we will respond to trials does not mean He manipulates those responses.
You argue that God exercises “selective foreknowledge” based on Genesis 22:12, where God says, “NOW I know that you fear God.” However, this is a misunderstanding of the text. The phrase "NOW I know" is an anthropomorphic way of communicating the deepened relationship between God and Abraham through the test, not a literal indication that God lacked prior knowledge.
From a Catholic perspective, God knew in advance how Abraham would respond, but He still tested Abraham to allow Abraham to grow in faith and to demonstrate his obedience to future generations. The Council of Trent (1545–1563) clarifies that God’s foreknowledge is complete and that His tests of human faith are for our benefit, not His.
Finally, 1 Corinthians 10:13, which states that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear, does not conflict with the doctrine of divine foreknowledge. Catholic teaching holds that God, in His infinite wisdom, knows the limits of our endurance and allows trials according to what we are capable of bearing with His grace.
ReplyDeleteThis doesn’t mean that God randomly permits events without foreknowledge. Instead, God’s providence ensures that we are never abandoned in our trials. As Romans 8:28 tells us, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Hence the idea that God’s foreknowledge somehow interferes with human free will or integrity misunderstands the nature of God's omniscience. God’s knowledge of future events does not determine or diminish human freedom. Rather, God’s eternal knowledge perfectly coincides with His providence and our free will. He is both the all-knowing Creator and the loving Father who guides us through trials, always respecting our freedom while offering His grace to endure any challenge.
In summary, Jehovah’s Witnesses’ interpretation of God’s selective foreknowledge and human trials is based on a misunderstanding of divine omniscience and providence. God’s omniscience and human free will are compatible, and His foreknowledge does not detract from our freedom or integrity, as traditional Christian theology consistently teaches.