The Sacrifice of God: How God Himself Was Torn Apart

The Sacrifice of God: How God Himself Was Torn Apart

Covenant was the highest of all agreements in the Bible and remains so today. The act of making a covenant consisted not only of ceremony, but of blessings, curses, and blood. One of the most instrumental passages for explanatory power of God’s covenant is found in Jeremiah 34:17-20:

“Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts— the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.

In this passage, the curse of the covenant is highlighted. When the halves of the calf were divided, the people making the covenant would walk between the parts as a promise that if they broke the covenant, then they themselves should be torn in half as a curse for breaking it. They effectively walked a straight and narrow path in order to uphold the promise. This is seen in an elevated way in Genesis 15 when God Himself makes His eternal covenant with Abraham as a promise that ALL people would be blessed through him.

In verses 9-10, Abraham obeys God’s instructions to bring a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon. He then cuts each of these in half, but instead of passing between these himself, something else amazing and unheard of happens in vss 17-21.

When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

God Himself passes between the parts! He makes a promise that if He does not fulfill this covenant, then God, the God of all creation, would be torn in two.

And that is exactly what happened.

In Matthew 26:26-27, see what Jesus says about this same covenant promise made in Genesis 15:

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

When Jesus tore the bread in half and said, “This is my body.” He was saying, I am about to be torn in two for you. But, He wasn’t being torn in half for us because of anything He had done. We know this from 2 Cor 5: 21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” God Himself was about to take the curse for us all. In Mark 15:33-34, we see God Himself being torn in two:

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

In that three hour period for the first and only time in human history and for eternity, God Himself was torn apart. The Father turned away from His Son because of the sin of all mankind, for our sin! God Himself tore Himself apart like the calf in Jeremiah and the animals in Genesis 15. He tore Himself and between Heaven and Earth, a straight and narrow path of the New Covenant Jesus instituted in His blood (Matt26:27) was made for you and me and His Spirit walked the path between (Gal 4:6) as the Spirit of God in the form of the fire pot did in Gen 15. And now Jesus says, “Take up your cross and follow me!” Matt 16:24.

We tear ourselves from this world and die to ourselves to follow this path and in doing so, we are joined to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forever!

Jesus Works Chapter One Jesus – A Man of Many Talents: Upper Echelon Jesus

Jesus Works Chapter One Jesus – A Man of Many Talents: Upper Echelon Jesus

Jesus the Son

I understand how being a son might seem to be outside the bounds of work. But, it’s important to realize that not only was the position of son in the first century an occupation, it was an elevated position in society. Inheritance and the transfer of power and wealth in first century Jewish society was very similar to what we see throughout the Old Testament. The firstborn son basically inherited the greatest share of the father’s wealth and then carried on the family name. In Jesus’ time, He as a Son was doing this very same thing. He had all the inheritance, he was the firstborn, and He was expected to rule in His Father’s house and learn how to be just like Him. Not only was this a huge responsibility, it was very hard work and carried with it dominion over hundreds (or in Jesus’ case all of humanity for all time). This brings us to the upper levels of work in society. In a wealthy and powerful family of that day, the place Jesus occupied would have carried with it great wealth and influence. Not only did Jesus understand this extremely important position, He excelled at it! We’ll look at Jesus’ as the Son later, but keep in mind that as The Son, His work was and still is pivotal to our understanding Him and His Kingdom as well as our place in His Kingdom as heirs and sons.

Jesus the Prophet

While the position of Prophet in the Old Testament was definitely one of power and exaltation, it was also one fraught with danger and rejection. However, in the manner of highly favored prophets like Samuel and Nathan, Jesus was able to bring information from the Father to the world and make a difference that was immediate and eternal. In the God-centered governments of David and Solomon, prophets were seen as not only respected, but absolutely vital to doing God’s will. As God’s special Prophet, Jesus was placed in the highest position of being a prophet that any prophet ever had been placed.  We don’t have a modern day equivalent to that of the Old or New Testament prophet, but we do have those who are in today who advise those in positions of power. In His infinite wisdom, Jesus perfected the work of the Prophet to such a degree that no other prophet before or after Him could even touch His insight and power.

Jesus the Priest

Priests also were included in the higher levels of society in the first century as well as the Old Testament. They were very powerful, usually to their own spiritual detriment. But, those who humbly carried out God’s will were counted as those who were closest to God, not only in proximity, but in heart, soul, mind, and strength. Jesus’ position as our High Priest is absolutely singular in all of history. His place of importance as intercessor cannot be overstated. But, how does this position of priesthood apply to us and to our own work? When we look at Jesus the Priest, we see someone who doesn’t hide that power or keep it from those who follow Him. There’s a place of work and importance in the priesthood for us all and we need to know what that is.

Jesus the King

The highest level of work anyone could think of if asked would have to be King. Even during this epoch of history when the office considered as the “most powerful in the world” is occupied by one man, it’s really not a position of power anything like what a king wields. Kings don’t answer to anyone. They rule completely and without need for advice or instruction. At least, that’s how a true Kingship should be. This is the kind of King we have in Jesus. He is perfectly loving, just, kind, and powerful. There is no comparison anywhere else or at any other time in human experience. But, do you know what is the most amazing part of Jesus’ Kingship? He shares it with everyone in His Kingdom! We are princes and princesses in an eternal Kingdom.

Work Application

All of us do different jobs and have to make various decisions about how we are going to work for God. Working for God isn’t just about the work we do for Him in His Kingdom, but the way we accomplish our daily jobs. Working with love, kindness, and deferential treatment toward our coworkers, supervisors, and subordinates must be a part of how we conduct our Christian walk. We think of Colossians 3:17 many times when we consider how we work. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” But, what does Paul say immediately preceding this verse? “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (vss. 12-14).  Working in Jesus name is more than just saying it; it’s a change of heart and mind where we live it! This is where Paul ties up the loose ends with verses 22-24: “Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Wow! Isn’t that freeing? Isn’t it great to know that we are serving the Lord of Heaven and Earth, Jesus Himself? I can think of no better motivation to do a good job.

Questions for Thought

• If a supervisor, coworker, or subordinate approached you in anger about something you did or did not do at work, how would you react? What if it was not your fault?
• How do you accomplish your work as “working for Jesus”?
• What kinds of conflicts might we come across when working for the Lord in our secular occupations?

Jesus Works Chapter One Jesus – A Man of Many Talents: White Collar Jesus

Jesus the Public Relations Rep

We now shift into the realm that most people today would identify as “white collar” work. Jesus knew how to bridge the gap between those who were considered the working class and those who were in the upper echelons of society at the time. Today, He still knows how to do this. Interestingly, there wasn’t really a middle-class during the early first-century. Basically, there were those who lived on most of the wealth and then those who were the poor, scraping along through life. Of course, there were exceptions like tax collectors (Matthew), but even these exceptions would have been considered so far above the poor in social and monetary status as to be considered wealthy. However, Jesus was in the mix with all of these segments of society and was able to understand and communicate with all of them, effectively demolishing the boundaries that separated them. This comes to fruition in the early church and later as Paul writes about the equality of humanity (no slave or free, male or female, etc.) Jesus was and is the penultimate PR guy. We’ll look at just how great he is at understanding and dealing with humanity on all these levels in a later chapter.

Jesus the Teller, Teacher, and Trainer

There are three main ways to get information across to other people. You can tell them something. Telling is basically just giving someone information. I tell you that Jesus is God’s Son. Now you have the information. The end. Teaching goes farther. When you teach someone, you give them the information and then tell them what it means. I tell you Jesus is God’s Son and that He died to save you from your sins and that means that if you become a Christian, you can be with Him forever. But, the ultimate way to get information to someone is through training. When you train someone, you’re making a disciple. I can tell you that Jesus is God’s Son and that you can have eternal life in Him, thereby teaching you about what it means, but you won’t really get it if I don’t live it. Jesus was what you would call today a Full Professor of teaching about how to live in Him. He combined telling, teaching, and training into a perfect synchrony of how to have life and have it more abundantly. In our study on Jesus the Professor of life, we’ll get a clearer view of how He Professed life and how those who tell, teach, and train today can produce life and power in their own work.

Jesus Works Chapter One Jesus – A Man of Many Talents: Blue Collar Jesus

Jesus Works Chapter One Jesus – A Man of Many Talents: Blue Collar Jesus

Jesus the Carpenter

When people think of Jesus and work, one of the first things they imagine is Jesus the carpenter. This is obviously due to the nature of His earthly father’s occupation, but is this where Jesus’ experience with craftsmanship ends? Jesus uses His vast experience with the craft and art of carpentry on numerous occasions; probably far more often than we realize. His parables and sermons are replete with words like cornerstone, line, and build.  There’s a depth to His understanding and personal enjoyment of making something beautiful and useful that transcends the work itself and moves into a mentality and practice of being made new in His Kingdom. We’ll look more deeply at Jesus the carpenter in a later chapter.

Jesus the Shepherd

I am a sheep and the Lord is my Shepherd…We’ve sung this song many times. We all can probably recite Psalm 23 by heart. There’s something about being a shepherd that Jesus not only understood, but found extremely instructive for the Christian life and work. Jesus used this type of work to explain the relationship between Himself and us and He uses this example today as well. The work of a shepherd is one of love, sacrifice, and danger. It’s a place of authority and protection and care. Our Shepherd leads us in a way that would impress Jacob and David, even though they were veritable masters of the trade. Jesus as the Shepherd, watching over our souls will be discussed later. We’ll also look at His shepherding pattern that continues in His Kingdom today.

Jesus the Farmer

You might see a pattern emerging to the study. Yes, we’re approaching Jesus’ knowledge of occupations from what we would call “blue collar” jobs first. We’ll also look at some “professional” or “white collar” and finally the highest levels of work as society sees them. But, as the Farmer of farmers, Jesus understood a great deal about how to grow things. We’re very familiar with His parables concerning soil and seed. But, where does He draw this from and how does He interpret how this type of work can change humanity? You see with Jesus, it’s not just about using the farmer’s work as a model, but also telling those who are producers how they can use their own talents and might to produce for Him. Jesus, like you and I, loved to watch things grow and make something good and beautiful and delicious. When we look at Jesus the Farmer in a later chapter, we’ll see just how much joy He takes in things that grow!

Jesus the Fisherman

Jesus spent some serious time in boats. A full third of His core disciple group were fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, and John) so He not only was exposed to fishing, but immersed in the full scope of a fisherman’s life. While fishing and the act of changing His followers into “fishers of men” were central to Jesus’ teaching, the act of fishing itself seemed to be of some importance to Him. Jesus didn’t just catch fish, He ate fish, multiplied fish, and even used fish in His ministry! Jesus the Fisherman was the best angler you’ll ever read about. He didn’t need radar equipment, waders, or even a fishing pole. He was that good! We’ll take a look into Jesus’ tacklebox in a later lesson to see how He viewed the act and work of fishing and how our own work can catch, produce, and multiply today.

Jesus the Cook

Food and eating together was an integral social and religious activity of the day when Jesus carried out His traveling ministry around Palestine. The Jews still carried out all of the various feasts that are mentioned in Numbers 28 and 29. Besides daily, weekly, and monthly offerings, there were five major religious festivals on the Jewish calendar and every one of them included cooking and eating. Jesus didn’t just cook, He created. When we think of the culinary arts, we tend to see them as a means to an end. Someone takes the food, adds some spices, applies heat in order to soften, warm, and sanitize the food, and then it’s ready for consumption. But, Jesus did more than this. He went a step further and made food something altogether new. He showed humanity how to look at food and other material necessities in a new way. The blessing of food today is no different than it was then. We still need it to live and we still need to look at it in a way that makes sense within the context of the Christian life. Not in a legalistic way, but in a way that takes our attention off of the material and directs our heart, soul, mind, and strength toward the spiritual.

Changeability: Flying from the Pigeon Hole

Changeability: Flying from the Pigeon Hole

A problem that seems to dominate human beings throughout generations is the belief that people just are who they are and will, in general, default to some lowest common denominator given a situation or comfort position. As a Christian, I run into other believers regularly who seem to also think this. They look at the world around them and state cynically, “Those people will never change” or more specifically “He/She will never change”. But, is this true? Is this a Biblical description of humanity or is there any hope of humanity, either individually or as a whole, can change?

I learned early on from my dad that at least one person can change drastically and regularly. As I grew up in his household, my dad seemed to change and surprise me every day. In some ways, he still does. He and my mother encouraged my brother and me toward the belief that we had the ability, skills, and knowledge (or could at least attain them) to do and be people of endless variety and influence. Part of this view of life seemed to stem from an understanding that even under the most extreme circumstances of completely messing up a situation or our entire life, we could come back from that situation and be new again. As a result, I grew up with a confidence that life was not a single track on which I was locked, but more of a series of divergent paths onto which one might turn, either intentionally or unintentionally, but onto which one might converge once more, leaving the ruts and tracks of the other paths in another place. It’s a different kind of clean-slate approach, but one that makes a great deal of sense.

Now, though, it seems that the cynicism of our culture has gone another way. Maybe the prevailing mindset has always been toward being stuck in a sate-defined path in life, but it seems even more pervasive in the world and specifically in our American culture today. People say things like, “If it’s meant to be…” or “It’s fate…” as if those cliche statements somehow make sense of life. But, is there a such thing? Are we locked into a hopelessly plunging path toward an unsatisfying end?

This viewpoint even enters Christian culture. Believers will lock themselves into a particular spiritual trajectory and never see around something they were taught by another human being, even when the Bible says exactly the opposite. I still know people who try to squeeze racism out of the Bible by using Old Testament passages regarding the separation between the Israelites and other nations. Of course, this concept has nothing to do with racial separation, but with spiritual purity. But, the mindset of racism that continues to overcome the truths of God’s teachings of all being equal in the Kingdom have imprisoned the minds of many today.

But, in the overall picture of scripture, there are consistent reminders of God’s ability to make and prevent changes in the lives of people. The story of Joseph shows one side of this. God changes Joseph’s life over and over, from being the favored son, to being sold into slavery, to rising to lead an Egyptian official’s house, to prison, to leading Egypt itself! Another side can be seen in the story of Moses when God hardens Pharaoh’s heart over and over to bring about a certain end. While some might use both of these circumstances to show how people are fated to do something, the fact remains that Joseph or Pharaoh either one could have chosen differently. God merely used the attitudes and beliefs of both to His own will.

A wonderful New Testament example of change in someone’s life is Saul turning his life to become Paul. He was on a life track to become the next, most powerful Jew in the religious elite. He killed and tortured Christians with extreme prejudice. But, his life was immediately spun around and he became one of the most powerful Christian figures of the first century! Paul himself wrote: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” 1 Cor 6:9-11. Paul knew very well that lives can be completely changed. Do we?

Soulbook: Psychological Disorders and the Soul – Do People With More Than One Personality Have More Than One Soul? @Enwrightened

This is the thirty-third excerpt from Soulbook. Order Soulbook from Enwrightened Publications or Amazon.

Soulbook: Psychological Disorders and the Soul – Do People With More Than One Personality Have More Than One Soul?

Again, people are heart, soul, mind, and spirit. In cases of DID, people who have been through extremely traumatic experiences. “Most people diagnosed with MPD were either physically or sexually abused as children. Many times when a young child is severely abused, he or she becomes so detached from reality that what is happening may seem more like a movie or television show than real life. This self-hypnotic state, called disassociation, is a defense mechanism that protects the child from feeling overwhelmingly intense emotions. Disassociation blocks off these thoughts and emotions so that the child is unaware of them. In effect, they become secrets, even from the child. According to the American Psychiatric Association, many MPD patients cannot remember much of their childhoods.” In the instance of DID/MPD, people are affected in what we would call the “heart – emotional part of a person” and “mind – intellectual part”. While these two parts of a person do affect the well-being of one’s soul, they are not the soul. Therefore, the soul remains singular while the broken emotions and intellect of a person reflect separate, hidden pieces of the affected person’s life. People are also universally referred to as having a singular soul in the Bible. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matt 10:28, for example. We have one soul and only one.

Soulbook: Psychological Disorders and the Soul – Are People With Mental Illness Sinning? @Enwrightened

This is the thirty-second excerpt from Soulbook. Order Soulbook from Enwrightened Publications or Amazon.

Soulbook: Psychological Disorders and the Soul – Are People With Mental Illness Sinning?

Questions often arise when studying the soul concerning mental illnesses, especially that of multiple personalities or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Here are some to consider: Are people with mental illness sinning? Do people with more than one personality have more than one soul? Is mental illness something that can be healed? Is it like demon possession? How does the Soul connect with mental illness? How should Christians view the Soul with mental illness? As souls, we must consider our minds and how they are affected through mental illness and other difficulties with the brain, mind, emotions, and other inherited and external stimuli. In this chapter, we will take the questions above and explore how our souls relate to mental illness.

This is a difficult question to answer, since the range of mental disorders is very wide. Some illnesses, like Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are fairly benign, while Paranoid Schizophrenia might lead to murder. However, at each level of mental illness, there are opportunities for people to make right and wrong decisions. This is also a very highly emotionally charged subject, as many people who have mental disorders or have family with mental illness often insist that the person with the illness is unable to control his or her actions. And it is very important to understand that people with mental illness are ill. They have a sickness that needs to be healed. In some cases, the illness is brought on due to actions of the person with the illness, but increasingly, mental illness is being passed along through mentally ill parents, through heredity, or environment. Either way, it is necessary to look at the whole person in order to understand where the illness lies and how it relates to the soul of that person.

For example, as we have already studied, people in general are made up of heart, soul, mind, and strength. Therefore, there is a division between the soul and the other parts of the person. Mental illness, while it affects the soul, may or may not be a disease of the soul. From a Biblical perspective, however, it is important to see how sin manifests itself in a person: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death,” James 1:13-15. “All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death,” 1 John 5:17. “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness,” I John 3:4. Thus, sin is breaking God’s law and all of us sin. The height and depth of the sin are not the issue. Sin is the issue. So, yes, people with mental illness sin. They, perhaps, have less self-control concerning sin, but they sin, nevertheless, just as someone who is mentally healthy sins; and they can have forgiveness in the same way.

God of Infinite Possibilities

God of Infinite Possibilities

For centuries, theologians and philosophers have struggled with two seemingly contrary characteristics of God; namely His love for us demonstrated in the gift of free moral agency (freedom of choice) and His absolute nature of omniscience (the fact that He knows all things in all times). These properties are evident throughout the Bible within the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and are immutable. But, as a result of these attributes, a controversy and debate swirls. Before we get into the debate, lets first consider the two attributes that seem to contradict one another and see what the Bible says about each: free choice and God’s omniscience.

Free choice is first seen in Genesis where God creates the Garden of Eden and speaks to the two humans He has created and placed there. “And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:9, 16-17). In the establishment of something that humans were not to do, God established the freedom of human will, choice, and volition. The theme continues after this point throughout the rest of the Bible with such statements as the one made by Joshua in 24:15 “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…but, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” This freedom is continued throughout the New Testament in passages such as John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” Jesus essentially makes the statement that people must make a choice that will lead to salvation or destruction. These and many other verses and narratives throughout the Bible firmly establish the fact that human beings are created souls who have free moral agency.

God not only established within humans the ability to choose between right and wrong, God and sin, but also holds the distinction of being the all-knowing , timeless, spaceless, perfect Creator. This is made clear in a plurality of statements made by God Himself throughout the Old and New Testament. In Exodus when Moses asks God whom He should tell the Israelites had sent him, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you'” (3:14). This statement establishes God’s own view of His eternal nature as the one and only necessary being. Jesus is established in the same way in John 1 where we see “In the beginning the Word was with God and was God…” (vs. 1). The clearest exhibition of the triune God is seen at the creation where God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) says, “Let Us make man is Our Image…” (Gen. 1:26) indicating His intent to create humans as individual representations of Himself (Soul, Body, Spirit = Father, Son, Spirit). Although there are many other passages that indicate God’s omniscience as well as His omnipresence, omnipotence, and ominbenevolence, the fact that He is all-knowing across all time and space is firmly established by scripture and understood to be true by virtually every Christian.

Now, to the controversy that has sprung up among Christians and non-Christians alike: how to reconcile God’s property of omniscience with His establishment of free will to all human beings. The question that most often arises goes something like this: If God is all-knowing, the He knows what each person will do before they do it, therefore there is no such thing as free choice. Conversely, if man has free choice, the God cannot be all-knowing since He would then not have foreknowledge of man’s choices. This is known as “Theological Fatalism” that we are fated to do what God knows we will do. Various philosophers and theologians have attempted to get around this issue through either denying one attribute or the other. In fact, a new movement called “Open Theism” has sprung up in which the adherents deny God’s omniscience in favor of human agency. Philosopher William Lane Craig in his video tries to account for this by saying, “Just because God knows you will do a certain thing doesn’t mean that you necessarily will and that if you change your mind and do something different, then God’s foreknowledge would have been different…” While this statement may be true, it seems somewhat incoherent in its statement and application which I believe leaves this question open to further and perhaps a more complete and coherent explanation.

Consider for a moment the hypothsis of multiple alternate realities. I will first make the disclaimer that I don’t believe in alternate realities, but I think that the idea can be instructive when talking about God and His ability to know all while we still function within free will. The alternate reality hypothesis states that there are infinite realities that could exist alongside our own (this is also termed in some circles as the multiverse) where something in that timeline went differently and changed the historic trajectory. For instance, in our timeline, the Allied nations won WWII, but in an alternate timeline, Hitler and Japan might have won and that “reality” or “universe” would be different. But, alternate realities are not just formed out of large-scale events such as World Wars, but something as simple as choosing a paint color or taking a different route to work. You see, in this hypothesis, every decision, minute and large, makes a difference in the way life would have gone for one or all people within that particular “universe” or “reality”. I usually equate this to the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books I read when I was a kid. In the book, you come to the end of a chapter and get to make a choice about which way you will go. One decision takes you on through the story in one direction whereas another decision could lead you another direction entirely. In “The God of Infinite Possibilities” hypothesis, I propose something similar to the “Choose Your Own Adventure” or “multiverse/alternate reality” hypotheses. God, being all-knowing not only knows what will happen within one timeline, but knows what would happen given ANY choice, circumstance, or aberration within any timeline at any point EVER. As a result, God can consistently know everything without human choice being fettered by His omniscience. In other terms, I can make any seemingly infinite combination of choices in my life span and God with His infinite knowledge can know the outcome of any of those combinations of choices. You could possibly represent it this way:

GK = ∞ and HC ~ ∞ therefore GK > HC

GK or God’s Knowledge is equal to infinity and HC or Human Choice approximates infinity, therefore GK is greater than HC. In other words, God’s Knowledge of all events, past, present, and future, overcomes any need to doubt that any human choice can be made and not still allow His omniscience.

Overall, the fact that God has infinite knowledge and wisdom can overcome any such matters, especially when dealing with moral, cosmological, and teleological questions. The above information could likely be adapted to fit these various questions.

Soulbook: The Whole Christian Soul and the Incomplete – After the Fall: The Law @Enwrightened

This is the thirtieth excerpt from Soulbook. Order Soulbook from Enwrightened Publications or Amazon.

Soulbook: The Whole Christian Soul and the Incomplete – After the Fall: The Law

As mentioned above, the Law was given to Moses, who acted as a mediator between God and the people of Israel. As the mediator, Moses was able to speak to God and take His messages back to the Israelites in order to establish a law that would allow them to be set apart from the rest of humanity as God’s people. The only person allowed contact with God was Moses himself, (Ex 19:20-24). Clearly, God’s presence was extremely limited to the Israelites. While He considered them to be His people, He still could not have a close relationship with them due to the perpetuation of mankind’s sin. This is evident in all of the rites and ceremonies God set up as a way to bring the people closer to a right standing with Him. But, even through these various laws, God was still not a part of mankind.

The same limits applied to the tabernacle and temple, (Leviticus 16:1-10). God only allowed the high priest to approach Him and to sacrifice the lamb for His people. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place before Him in order to sprinkle the blood on the Mercy Seat upon the Ark of the Covenant. Only this person could speak to God on their behalf and God did not return the favor. He still only spoke to Moses during this time and the rest of the people could not have the kind of contact Moses did, nor could the priests. God was their God, but He was too Holy for public consumption. He was the purity that was unattainable and unknowable, even by Moses himself.

We see that Moses could not look at God like Adam and Eve once did. His own sin did not allow him to see God in His purity and might. God Himself said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” There was a definite separation, even for Moses. Obviously, there was still something not right with human beings and this incompleteness prohibited them from seeing Him and having a relationship with Him.
Even with the sacrifices the High Priest made, Heb 10:1-4 tells us that these sacrifices merely put off the sins for another year. They were never forgiven under the Law. The people of Israel suffered under the weight of their sin, year after year. The sin was like a bank debt that you postpone until it finally has to be paid. Of course, by then the debt has built up so much with interest that you can’t pay it even if you had a thousand lifetimes. Ultimately, under the Law, the Israelite people were not reconciled to God, nor were the Gentiles. Mankind was just as lost as that day in the Garden when Adam and Even took the fruit and ate it. The sin of mankind kept building up and up and up, until it was an overwhelming mass of filth. The sin and death that man was resigned to did not relent, no matter how many animals were sacrificed and no matter how many prayers were uttered. All of humanity was incomplete and lost. They all still were missing a piece of themselves; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Soulbook: The Whole Christian Soul and the Incomplete – In the Beginning @Enwrightened

This is the twenty-ninth excerpt from Soulbook. Order Soulbook from Enwrightened Publications or Amazon.

Soulbook: The Whole Christian Soul and the Incomplete – In the Beginning

You are a soul who is overwhelmingly blessed to have a relationship with a God Who provides ultimate completion of you as a person, if you only take advantage of His blessings through Christ. If you are a Christian, you have reunited yourself with a power and strength unknown to humans since almost the beginning of the world. If you are not a Christian, you lack more than you know. But, you have the opportunity to be a complete person at this moment and every moment in Jesus through His death, burial, and resurrection. There are several things that separate Christians from non-Christians. In the beginning, there was a separation between God and humans and that separation still exists for non-Christians today. The patriarchs were separated from God and so were those under the law of Moses. But, there is a completeness or perfection that Christians have through Christ. In this chapter, we will see how your soul is made complete in Jesus and how Christians are not only complete, but are restored to God’s original purpose in His Creation.
In the Beginning

What was the relationship between God and humans like after He created the Earth? God had a very special relationship to and with His creation, especially with Adam and Eve, who were created in His image. But, how did this relationship end up? Ultimately, it ended in a sad sin that brought death to us all. Since this division took place, we as humans have since needed restoration. This is the key to understanding the reconciliatory power of Jesus blood.

Early in the history of mankind, we see a God who loves His creation so much that His perception of it reflects perfection, much as He is.
Also, humans were a manifestation and representation of this perfection in that God made them in His own perfect form as people containing three parts: soul, spirit, and body. Through this act of creation and the act of giving people a choice to love Him or not, God showed His perfect love. God made people in His own image. And said they were “very good” v. 31. This shows that there was a perfection or completeness that existed in the beginning. This perfection was a true picture of what God originally wanted for us. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.

One of the most recognizable ways in which God showed His perfect relationship with human beings was in the way He communicated with them. In the garden, God could commune with Adam and Eve in a way that was never fully grasped after their fall. God spoke directly with people, (Genesis 2:18), indicating that man could approach God and have communion with Him. The act of speaking directly to the Creator of the universe and of man, was only possible when mankind was still in its original, perfected state. That existence allowed a closeness with God that literally placed humans in direct contact with God, such that God dwelt here with people.

One of the reasons God could dwell here is that people were sinless. As clean, perfect people, God could look on us without having to recoil due to sin. Man was sinless and had no reason for shame, (Genesis 2:25). God had no reason at this point to be separated from Adam and Eve. They were in His presence on Earth in the same manner that angels could be present before Him in Heaven. God evidently walked among Adam and Eve in the garden habitually, (Genesis 3:8-10). There was a closeness to God. They had contact with Him. This contact allowed them to learn from Him and draw life from Him that allowed them to live eternally in His presence. The sustaining power of God was all they needed.
All in all, the life before sin was perfect. But, after sin, humans lost part of themselves. They lost the walk they had with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, (Elohim – the plurality of God). Can you imagine the horror of the loss of God? Is there any way for us today to truly know what it was like to be in the presence of the Father, Son, and Spirit, and then to have that beautiful, perfect relationship taken away for the rest of our lives? Probably the only thing close to such a loss would be the death of a spouse, child, or parent. However, this loss was of their Creator. For all intents and purposes, Adam and Eve were left alone to fend for themselves in the world. Of course, it was not Adam and Eve who suffered the most from this situation. God was the One Who had been wronged and He has been the One Who has worked for millennia to bring that relationship back.