How and When does God know me?

Allow Scripture to define the word, not man's made up dictionary.

If the word "know" means to know as a child, the passage is still telling us that God did not know anyone as a child before they believed upon Jesus. John Calvin wouldn't like to hear that.

It's clear from Scripture that God knows the hearts and thoughts of all people, saved and unsaved:

Psalm 94:11 The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile.

Psalm 119:168 I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.

Psalm 139:1-16

Isaiah 29:15 Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?”

Luke 16:15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

Acts 15:8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.

1 Corinthians 3:20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

You left out verse 3 which is the context of the passage.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

The spiritual blessings is the context. Before the foundation of the world, God chose to bestow these spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, to those in him. God did not choose us to be in Him. Calvinists love to rewrite the Bible to fit their RCC agenda. No Calvinist was there at the foundation of the world, but Jesus was.

It's when you seek God and find him. He don't find you, you find him.

How and when does God know me according to His word?

How? 2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

When? 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Galatians 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Hi John146, I'm not following some of this unfortunately. For instance, you said that "Calvinists love to rewrite the Bible to fit their RCC agenda". What is the Calvinist "RCC agenda"?

Also, while none of us where there to see the foundation of the world being laid, it's hardly the Calvinists alone who believe that God knew us long before we were born, unless you think that someone like King David was secretly a Calvinist that is .. e.g. Psalm 139:16. The Bible also tells us that the names of all the saints were written in the Book of Life from before the foundation of the world, and that the names of the those who would never come to saving faith in Christ were not .. e.g. Revelation 13:8.

As for God's predestination of us to adoption as sons, and His choosing us to be in Him from before the beginning (before He laid the Earth's foundations), again, it's hardly the Calvinists alone who believe/teach that.

Perhaps it would help me to understand where you are coming from by asking you this before we continue farther, do you believe that God is omniscient and omnipresent (in the classical sense of the meaning of those words)?

Thanks!

~Deut

God knew His elect and the reprobate before the world was made, the Bible is very clear about this fact so there should be no doubt about it. Yet I find many people have a problem with this Bible fact, they want to take some credit for saving themselves but God says no. All the glory belongs to God, it is sinful to try to rob Him of the glory that belongs to Him alone.

John146, is the point if this thread to prove that God does not have a knowledge of the future (and therefore he could not elect, predestine etc)?

The point of the thread is to discuss what God does know and when does He know it, specifically, when one gets saved.

LOL, this is rich.



So pray tell, how did you find your God? I know it is written for he that comes to God must believe he is and he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him, so was your reward finding the eternal God who is invisible and not of this world? But is also written, without faith it is impossible to please God.

According to Scripture, How does the Lord know those who are His?

The scriptures tell us that God predestined some for salvation, before He laid the foundations of the world. He knows them because He chose them before they were born, isn't that what the scriptures say?

Not in my Bible. Predestination has to do with the believer's sinless body, conformed to the image of Christ. That's not salvation. I am saved before I am predestined. I am saved upon hearing the gospel and believing, then I am predestinated unto the future adoption which is the redemption of the body.

"And the Gentiles hearing it were rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed."
Acts 13:48

Are you saying that they believed first and then became appointed?

The word "ordain never fixes anything absolutely. (Lk. 7:8; Rom. 13:1; Acts 28:23, Matt. 28:16; 1 Cor. 9:14; 7:17) Paul ordained some things and that no more meant they were absolutely fixed to come to pass than if he hadn't used the word. (Rom. 13:1) The meaning is obviously that as many as were disposed to believe the message, believed. God knew their heart was ready to receive the message, even before the message was given.

(Rom. 2:7) - God doesn't ordain any Gentile to eternal life until he has followed his conscience and is willing to hear the Word of God. (vs. 42,48) "Ordained" something simply means God allows to come to pass.

I would think that God being outside of time sees the beginning and ending of His own creation, and He knows us in the same way.

I would think that God being outside of time sees the beginning and ending of His own creation, and He knows us in the same way.

Where in Scripture does it say that God is working outside of time? Did not God create time? Is not God choosing to work with man in the time He created? That's what I see throughout Scripture.