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Question 55

Q: I was listening to the radio when you were talking about God being an all-knowing God. 

My question is, “does God know when we’re born whether we’ll go to heaven or hell?” And if He does, why create a soul that won’t believe and have to suffer going to hell? Why give us free will when He knows many won’t choose Jesus and end up suffering for eternity? I just can’t figure this out.  

Asked by: Rusty


A: Well Rusty I want to congratulate you for asking me the most difficult question that I could ever be asked.

If I had a full answer to that, why then indeed I would be omniscient, I would be God. So let me simply say in answer to your question, the answer is yes, God does know the future. Yes, God does know that some people will be saved, and some will be lost, and He knows who they are. Everything is present to Him.

Now if you ask the question as you do: Why does God create people whom He knows in advance will be lost forever? It’s very difficult for us to answer. I remember reading Martin Luther on this point, and he says, “to believe that God is good though He saves so few and damns so many is the highest degree of faith.”

I’ve discovered that the older I get, there’s much more mystery to God than I originally thought. All we can do is to say that He works all things after the counsel of His own will. It’s here Rusty, perhaps as nowhere else, we need to trust both in God’s goodness and His justice and believe that His plan is right. If we understood all the facts we’d agree that indeed it was good.

Luther said that when we’re confronted with these kinds of questions that we can’t answer, we need to run to Jesus Christ. Because there we see His compassion, love, His desire to save people, and it’s there that we find our anchor, our security. So Rusty, go on believing—no matter what.

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