📖 Biblical Definition
Open theism denies that God has exhaustive, definite foreknowledge of all future events, particularly free human choices. It claims God "opens" Himself to genuine risk in relating to creatures. This contradicts the overwhelming testimony of Scripture. God declares "the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done" (Isaiah 46:10). He knows every word before it is on our tongue (Psalm 139:4). He chose His people "before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4). The cross was not Plan B — Christ was "foreknown before the foundation of the world" (1 Peter 1:20). A God who does not know the future cannot guarantee His promises, cannot govern history, and cannot be trusted.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The term "open theism" did not exist in 1828; it is a late 20th-century theological innovation.
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FOREKNOWL'EDGE, n. Knowledge of a thing before it happens; prescience. OMNIS'CIENCE, n. The quality of knowing all things at once; universal knowledge; knowledge unbounded. Note: Webster assumed what the church has always confessed: God's knowledge is unlimited, unbounded, and complete. Open theism contradicts this historic consensus.
📖 Key Scripture
• Isaiah 46:9-10 — "I am God, and there is no other... declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done."
• Psalm 139:4 — "Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether."
• Ephesians 1:4 — "He chose us in him before the foundation of the world."
• Acts 2:23 — "This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
A god who does not know the future is not the God of Scripture.
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Open theism arises from a legitimate pastoral concern — the problem of evil and the desire to preserve human freedom. But its solution is worse than the problem. By denying God's exhaustive foreknowledge, open theism creates a deity who is perpetually surprised, who makes plans that may fail, and who cannot guarantee that His promises will be fulfilled. If God did not know that Judas would betray Jesus, that Peter would deny Him, that the Jews would crucify Him — then the entire plan of salvation was a gamble. This is not the God who "works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Ephesians 1:11). Open theism is not merely a minor theological variation — it is a fundamental denial of the God who is, replacing Him with a finite god who is learning alongside His creatures.
Usage
• "Open theism creates a god who is perpetually surprised — but the God of Scripture declares the end from the beginning."
• "If God does not know the future exhaustively, then every promise in Scripture becomes a probability rather than a certainty."
• "The cross was not a divine improvisation — Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world."