We Know That He Knows

John 16:30 - "Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God."

The words "we know" are often repeated throughout the New Testament, and many times when this phrase is used the writer is revealing to us, directly or indirectly, a truth about the nature and character of God. The Word of God is Gods revelation to mankind. If we want to know God we turn to the Bible, if we want to know Gods mind about a certain issue we turn to the pages of the Scriptures, if we want to know Gods plan and purpose for mankind we must look to His Word. The Bible reveals God to us. The Scriptures are not the words of mere men, but as we're told in 2 Timothy 3:16 - "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." The writer to the Hebrews begins with a similar idea saying - "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world." And Peter says in 2 Peter 1:21 - "for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." The Bible isn't a collection of writings by men trying to explain God to us, it is a collection of revelations that God has given us concerning Himself. And therefore we know that these things are true because He is the One who has revealed Himself to us. We know God through His Word.

In John chapter 16 the disciples, after spending time with Jesus, hearing His teaching and wisdom in answering questions and seeing His interaction with all manner of men, state something that they have learned of Him. They say "Now we know that You know all things." God alone is omniscient or all knowing. The fact that the Lord Jesus knows all things is an evidence of His deity. Throughout the gospel we read many accounts of the Lord Jesus knowing what God alone could know. In Matthew 9:4 we read - "And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?"" And we read essentially the same thing in Matthew 12:25. In Luke 9:47 we read - "But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side..." The thoughts of man are not hidden from God, and they were not hidden from the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus made it very clear when He was on the earth that no man could take His life from Him but He would willingly lay it down, and since He had power to lay it down He had the power to take it up again. So the events surrounding the crucifixion of our Lord did not catch Him off guard, He knew. In John chapter 18 the Lord Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane and a group of soldiers and religious leaders came to arrest Him, and we read in verse 4 - "So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”"

Gods knowledge is unlimited. He alone is omniscient. That means that He possesses perfect knowledge and therefore has no need to learn. And not only that, but God has never learned and cannot learn. God knows and always has known everything about everything. There is nothing hidden from His sight. And He doesn't know any more about one thing than He does another. He is never surprised or caught off guard. And not only does God know everything about everything, but taking it personally, God knows everything about me. The psalmist realized this in Psalm 139:1-6 when he says - "O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost understand my thought from afar. Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, and art intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, Thou dost know it all. Thou hast enclosed me behind and before, and laid Thy hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain to it." This brings God knowledge into a whole new light. God knows everything about me. He knows everything we do, everything we say, every thought that comes into our minds. He knows. The fact that God is omniscient can be very frightening, knowing that God knows our sins and that nothing is hidden from Him. "He knows our frame."(Psalm 103:14) God knows that we are but dust. He knows that we are sinners born in rebellion against Him, and yet He desired to save us. When Christ walked on this earth He was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. He can sympathize with our weaknesses because He knows our weaknesses. Anyone who has not surrendered to Christ should by all means be frightened by the fact that God knows. But as Christians, even though we're still sinners, Gods omniscience, knowing that God knows us completely, should be a great comfort to us. No talebearer can tell on us and inform God of something about us that He didn't know, no enemy can accuse us, no skeleton can come out of the closet to expose our past, no weakness in our character can come to light to turn God away from us, because He knew us before we knew Him, and called us to Himself in spite of all that. What a great comfort. Knowing that God knows and sympathizes with our weaknesses. Knowing that God knows what trial we're facing. Knowing that God knows what hardship we're facing, inside or out, physical or spiritual. We know that in His perfect knowledge He is working all things together for our good, even though in our limited knowledge we may not be able to see it. He knows the plans that He has for my life even if that path seems hidden or unknown to me. None of us knows what the day may bring forth, but God does. Before time began, my whole life was open to His view. He foresaw my every sin, my every fall, my every backsliding; yet, never the less, He fixed His heart upon me. And even though we stumble and fall, we are able to come back to Christ and say to Him as peter said in John 21 - "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You."