Can God foreknow anything He hasn't Himself Determined?

Eric Hernandez, lead Apologist for Texas Baptists, joins Dr. Leighton Flowers to discuss God's knowledge in light of the claims made by Calvinists (like Dr. James White), Open Theists (like Greg Boyd) and Molinists (like Dr. William Lane Craig).

James White claims that "the only consistent synergist is an Open Theist." Let's explore the inherent fallacies contained in this argument and answer questions posed by various views on the topic.

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[edenalekssandria]

That holiness and man's depth of sin explanation Dr. Flowers gave really got me.

[cecilspurlockjr.]

I truly love how Eric breaks it down so thoroughly not sometimes but everytime Flowers.. Thanks for introducing me to this brother of mine.. I love yaw in THE LORD

[cecilspurlockjr.]

By the way Flowers thanks for reading James White's statements for us instead of me having to hear him speak.. He gives me anxiety when he speaks of my LORD as he does..
SERIOUSLY IM NOT KIDDING..I love you in THE LORD brother

[phillipjackson]

The like to dislike ratio for this video says it all. Keep up the amazing work Dr Flowers :)

[charlessoper]

Unbelievably great, and truly mind bending!

[dustinpaulson]

Clear evidence that James White has no concept of how Calvinism maligns the character and nature of God by making Him to be the author of sin and the tempter of men.

[Jimbob-hjqp]

This turns a lot of things I’ve learned on there head! Never knew how much Calvinism I believed

[omnitheus]

That comment from Eric Rogers around 33:00 nailed it!

[beowulf.reborn]

Regarding God not remembering our sins, I think it is important to point out the difference between knowing something and remembering it. I know when my anniversary is ... doesn't mean I always remember it.

Now someone might say that that is because I have a bad memory and that God doesn't, and that's true, but not everything we 'forget' is based on a bad memory, but sometimes we willingly forget things, like a horrible experience that happened, it doesn't mean we cease to know them just that we do not bring them back up to our remembrance, ie: we do not recall such things.

In such a way, I believe that God can possess full knowledge of all of our sinful actions in the past, and simply choose not to remember them. He could recall them if He so chose, but He instead chooses to forget them.

[trebmaster]

This episode ended just like the Sopranos finale.

[PatriotPaul]

The beauty of His holiness is mercy:
2Ch 20:21  And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

[Crownliving]

God prepares everything we will need based on our fallen human nature. But our spirit-selves prepares everything we will need based on the CERTAIN details of our lives

[HosannaInExcelsis]

James White’s comment just show how ignorant (or biased) he is. "Rome's" position on nature and the essence of grace is mostly based on Augustine's theology, which in many ways is incompatible with Provisionalism. Also, Rome rejects that the grace of justification is an "extra nos" righteousness (i.e., outside of us), which both Provisionalism & Calvinism affirms. Ironically, his position on Predestination is very similar to that of Domingo Bañez, which is one of the positions permitted for a Catholic (together with Molinism).

Not only that but also Mr White vehemently affirms that God's infallible decree operates through secondary causes. That's exactly the position of Bañez and Thomas Aquinas. The only difference is that Calvin affirms that God can causally affect good and evil acts, whereas Bañezianism will affirm that God permits evil but doesn't directly cause it.

I know that is very common in Calvinist circles to misrepresent Provisionalist, but is just as common to misrepresent Catholicism. Both acts are unfair and need to be challenged.

[kevinwells]

It is disingenuous to demand “yes or no” answers on complex questions. Perhaps White is playing Calvin’s god in that he is trying to ‘determine’ his opponent’s answers by forcing a string of binary answers.

[DrewMack]

59:00 the word used in Jeremiah 19:5 is actually “heart” and is often translated “mind” but can also mean “desires”. Problem solved 😉

[dw]

For the Calvinist to say that he should be shocked that Calvin’s god shows mercy to any creature – is like saying he should be shocked that a potter does not destroy every vessel he creates. Calvin’s god - for the Calvinist - is a divine potter who designs people to function exactly as he meticulously determines. No freedom to be/do otherwise is ever permitted.

The conclusion that Calvin’s god must automatically condemn creatures for being the very things he specifically designs them to be – is not a conclusion derived from a rational mind.   And it doesn't paint a very complimentary picture of Calvinist ethics.

[oprophetisfake]

I don't think that the Lord coming down is the best example of phenomenological language. When we look at the way the creation is described in Genesis I think things are described in phenomenological language ie from the perspective of man, but in other instances God or the Angel of the Lord manifests Himself physically in certain places without without compromising His omnipresence. So God manifests Himself or appears in the burning bush, in the pillar of fire and cloud, He is on the earth watching Himself pour down fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.
I think the problem with the open theist concept is that they see God as inside and subject to time, whereas God is greater than time.
The problem with Calvinism is that they don't recognize that God is not the one determining them to be wrong ;-)

[Emma-shlh]

Satan has limited foreknowledge. I used to be a psychic medium (not for long ) Thank God 🙏 So God most definitely has foreknowledge.

[EmperrHrde]

Calvinistic determinism and open theism are flip sides of the same coin: they both affirm that there is no possible way for God to know the future unless he has determined it.

[davidhickman]

To his own masters he stands or falls!