12、神的無所不知 神看見併知道萬事OMNISCIENCE GOD SEES AND KNOWS
《简明神学》Concise Theology: A Guide to
Historic Christian Beliefs，巴刻（J. I. Packer）著/張麟至译，更新传道会，2007年。
耶和華的眼目無處不在，惡人善人祂都鑒察。（箴15:3）
“無所不知”壹字的意思是“知道每壹件事”。聖經宣告，神的眼目遍及各地（伯24:23；
詩33:13–15；139:13–16；箴15:3；耶16:17；來4:13）。祂鑒察所有人的心，察驗每個人所走的道路（撒上16:7；王上8:39；代上28:9；詩139:1–6,23；耶17:10；路16:15；羅8:27；啟2:23）——換句話說，祂知悉萬人在每壹時辰所作的每壹件事。而且祂知道未來，併不亞於所知的過去與現在；祂知道未來可能發生的事件，不亞於已經發生的真實事件（撒上23:9–13；王下13:19；詩81:14–15；賽48:18）。祂不需要“搜尋”某事件的消息，好像電腦讀檔案那樣；所有祂的知識總是立即、直接呈現在祂的心思內。聖經的作者常對神的心思在這方麵的度量深感訝異（詩139:1–6；147:5；賽40:13–14,28； 另參羅11:33–36）。
神的知識與祂的全權有關聯：祂知道每壹件事——包括這事件的本身以及牠與所有其他事件間的關繫，因為祂創造牠、維持牠，而且每壹時刻祂使這事按著祂為牠所定的計劃進行（弗1: 11）。認為神可以知道併預知每壹件事，卻控製不了牠的這種想法，顯明不隻是不合聖經，也沒有意義。對信徒而言，神無所不知的知識會給我們帶來很大的把握：信徒絕不被神遺忘，而且神現在、將來都必按祂的應許眷顧我們（賽40:27–31）。然而，對任何壹位非信徒而言，神具有包羅萬有知識的這項真理必定帶給他們畏懼之心，因為牠提醒人：人不可能隱藏自己的罪，叫神看不見（詩139:7–12；94:1–11；約1:1–12） 。
OMNISCIENCE
GOD SEES AND KNOWS
The
eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
PROVERBS 15:3
Omniscient
is a word that means “knowing everything.” Scripture declares that God’s eyes
run everywhere (Job 24:23; Pss. 33:13-15, 139:13-16; Prov. 15:3; Jer. 16:17;
Heb. 4:13). He searches all hearts and observes everyone’s ways (1 Sam. 16:7; 1
Kings 8:39; 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 139:1-6, 23; Jer. 17:10; Luke 16:15; Rom. 8:27;
Rev. 2:23)—in other words, he knows everything about everything and everybody
all the time. Also, he knows the future no less than the past and the present,
and possible events that never happen no less than the actual events that do (1
Sam. 23:9-13; 2 Kings 13:19; Ps. 81:14-15; Isa. 48:18). Nor does he have to
“access” information about things, as a computer might retrieve a file; all his
knowledge is always immediately and directly before his mind. Bible writers
stand in awe of the capacity of God’s mind in this regard (Pss. 139:1-6; 147:5;
Isa. 40:13-14, 28; cf. Rom. 11:33-36).
God’s
knowledge is linked with his sovereignty: he knows each thing, both in itself and
in relation to all other things, because he created it, sustains it, and now
makes it function every moment according to his plan for it (Eph. 1:11). The
idea that God could know, and foreknow, everything without controlling
everything seems not only unscriptural but nonsensical.
To
the Christian believer, knowledge of God’s omniscience brings the assurance
that he has not been forgotten, but is being and will be cared for according to
God’s promise (Isa. 40:27-31). To anyone who is not a Christian, however, the
truth of God’s universal knowledge must bring dread, for it comes as a reminder
that one cannot hide either oneself or one’s sins from God’s view (Pss.
139:7-12; 94:1-11; John 1:1-12).