Is Open Theism Biblical?
Jonathan Singleton Vs Christopher Fisher
Moderated by Marlon Wilson
Critiquing Christopher Fisher on Open Theism
by Mark Mountjoy
OPEN THEISM IS A BELIEF THAT SAYS GOD knows the future as possibilities and in these he gave human beings genuine free will. Some people think this means God can be wrong sometimes, but that’s not true. There are a few stories in the Bible that might make it seem like God was wrong, but if we look closer, we’ll see that’s not the case at all.
1. God’s Creation and Regret (Genesis 6:5-6)
First, when God created the world, He knew there were risks involved in giving people the ability to make their own choices. In Genesis 6:5-6, it says,
“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled.”
Even though things didn’t turn out perfectly and God felt sad about some of the choices people made, it doesn’t mean He was wrong for creating us. He still loves us and wants the best for us, and when a possibility God did not like materialized, catastrophic judgment was the only thing that could resolve the dilemma of a situation on the ground.
2. Moses Interceding for Israel (Exodus 32:9-14)
Next, there’s the story of Moses convincing God not to destroy the Israelites when they disobeyed Him. In Exodus 32:9-10, God says to Moses,
“I have seen these people, and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave Me alone so that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
But Moses pleaded with God, and in verse 14, it says,
“Then the Lord relented and did not bring on His people the disaster He had threatened.”
Some might say this shows God was wrong to want to punish them, but that’s not really fair. God listened to Moses because He cares about His people and his leaders—and He can be reasoned with (Isaiah 1:18). Plus, in the end, God still made sure that only Joshua and Caleb, who trusted Him, got to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:30).
3. Job’s Suffering and Faithfulness (Job 1-2)
Lastly, the story of Job is really tough. In Job 1:8, God says to Satan,
“Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
But then God allows Satan to test Job by taking away everything he has, even his health. It seems unfair that God let so many bad things happen to Job, even though he didn’t do anything wrong. But the point of the story isn’t that God was wrong; the point of the story is not that Job was foreordained to act a certain way: it’s that Job’s love for God was real and strong, no matter what happened to him. In Job 13:15, Job says,
“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in Him.”
God wanted to prove to Satan that Job wasn’t just a robot programmed to love God because of all the good things and benefits he had.
In the end, a biblical Open Theism cannot ever suggest that the God of Israel is or ever could be wrong. It just means that God gives us the freedom to make our own choices, even if those choices sometimes make Him sad, disappointed, or angry. God is still perfect and loving, even when He allows things to happen that we don’t understand—such as things that happen for larger reasons that have nothing to do with an individual’s guilt or innocence. Christians can believe in Open Theism without ever saying God was wrong or ever makes mistakes.