Question
Gramps,
Does God know what choices I will make long before I make them? Does he already know my complete life and the choices I will make in the future?
Greg
Answer
Greg,
In our Book of Mormon we can read the following verse of scripture,
“But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.” (2 Nephi 2:24)
We can also read the following in scripture,
“And it came to pass that Moses looked, and beheld the world upon which he was created; and Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created…” (Moses 1:8)
All things are present to the Lord. The Lord knows us individually, and knows the choices and decisions we will make present and future, as all things are present before him. In light of this, the answer to your question would be yes. He knows our complete lives. As God knows what needs we have of before even asking, it would be logical and rational to conclude that he knows the choices we will make. He knows our individual circumstances and the events that will happen in our lives. This is one reason why we can place 100% trust in Him, and understand that with every temptation there is a way prepared to escape (if we are listening), if not, how could a way be prepared to escape if he did not see something that was going to occur in our lives?
However, if I am understanding the subject and question, it appears you are asking a common unspoken question, “If God knows my complete life and choices how then do I truly have moral agency”? Wouldn’t this be counter to moral agency? No. God’s foreknowledge and omniscience is in accordance with our agency. His knowledge does not remove our moral agency. As a father if I placed two toys in front of my child I would know which toy they would choose. Did my knowledge of their decision remove the agency of my child? No, and my knowledge isn’t perfect. God’s knowledge is perfect. He knows all and is able to see all, as all things are present before him.
Gramps
