LIBERTY UNIVERTISY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Biblical Worldview Essay
S
ub
mi
tte
d
to
Pr
o
f
e
ss
o
r
J
one
s
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
THEO 201-D10 Theology Survey 1
by
Nathan Landheer
April 30, 2018
To have a story, there must be an author. In most stories, the author’s thoughts, motives,
or ideas can change throughout the process. In the story of the Bible, or the Biblical
metanarrative, God is a never changing author who tells a beautiful story of creation, fall,
redemption and new creation over the span of at least 36 different human scribes and over 1,600
years. The characteristics and promises of God are consistent for the entirety of this story and it
is simple to see this. The beliefs that there is only one God and that God is omniscient, amongst
others, are clearly seen throughout the Biblical metanarrative. In the remaining pages, I will
demonstrate and elaborate on each of these beliefs to show the unchanging and unified nature of
the story of God.
In the very first verse of this story, we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth.”1 From the beginning of time, God was the only one who was and through him, the
earth was created. This belief continues on after the fall of mankind and through the redemption.
In Isaiah 44:6 we read of God saying, “I am the first and the last, and there is no God except
me.” Hundreds of years later, Paul writes a letter to Timothy and says, “For there is one God and
one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”2 In Revelation, which is the
vision that John had of the coming of the new creation, the Lord says, “I am the Alpha and the
Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”3
It is made very clear that the belief that there is only one God is consistently proclaimed
in the Biblical metanarrative, but what does this mean for mankind? Jesus says, “I and the Father
are one,”4 meaning that Jesus is God. If we know that there is only one God and that Jesus is
God, John 14:6 (“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
1 Gen. 1:1 (New International Version)
2 1 Tim. 2:5-6
3 Rev. 1:8
4 John 20:28
me.”) has a new weight to it. This one God is the only way to eternal life. Man’s relationship to
God, the one and only God, is not only intimate, but also salvific.
Secondly, the belief that God is all knowing, or omniscient, is seen clearly throughout
Bible. Spencer Kimball says, “God is omniscient. There are no corners so dark, no deserts so
uninhabited, no canyons so remote, no automobiles so hidden, no homes so tight and shut in but
that the all-seeing One can penetrate and observe.”5 This concept that God sees all and knows all
is clearly seen from the beginning of time when God created the earth in the perfect place in the
universe to preserve human life. Physicist Freeman J. Dyson said, “As we look out into the
universe and identify the many accidents of physics and astronomy that have worked to our
benefit, it’s almost as if the universe must in some sense have known that we were coming.” 6
The mere existence of you and I shows that God knows all. As we read in Genesis 3:15,
immediately following the fall of man, God knew that his Son, Jesus Christ, would redeem the
broken world. Finally, we see in the book of Revelation that God already knows how the end of
this world will come to be. God knew all, knows all, and knows all there is to be.
When applying God’s omniscience to the life of mankind, it is both a terrifying reality
and a comforting promise. Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s
sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give
account.” In other words, there is nothing that man can do that can be hidden from God. There is
no addiction, no feeling, no lie, or no secret that God cannot see. As this can seem like an
invasion of privacy, Jesus gives this comforting promise, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are
all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Yes, God is omniscient
and knows all of the many mistakes, secrets, and mishaps of his children’s lives, yet, He choose
5 Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982), 5.
6 Freeman J. Dyson, Disturbing the Universe (New York: Harper & Row, 1979), 250
to continually pour out His grace and mercy through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He knows all
there is to know about every single person who lived, who lives, or who is yet to live and still
loves all equally.
In conclusion, God is the author of the greatest story ever written. This story has four
simple parts: creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. Like any great author does, God’s
character is clearly seen throughout the story, yet there is something different about this author.
God’s characteristics and the beliefs surrounding them do not change and will never change. The
belief that there is only one God and that He is omniscient are just two of many beliefs that God
has continually shown to those who read His word. Some are more hidden in the words than
others, but God has laced the Bible with His character and his promises that are waiting to be
read and discovered and connected to His beautiful story.
Bibliography
Dyson, Freeman J. Disturbing the Universe, New York: Harper & Row, 1979.
Kimball, Spencer W.The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982.
