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Scriptural Examples Challenging Our Understanding of God's Character

The Bible presents God as infinite in wisdom and incomprehensible in nature, yet it also records narratives where God appears to test, question, or respond to human actions as if learning something new. These passages create interpretive tension for readers who hold that God possesses exhaustive foreknowledge and unchanging perfection.

The Incomprehensibility of God

Scripture consistently affirms that God's nature exceeds human comprehension. Job asks, "Can you fathom the mystery of God? Or can you probe the limits of the Almighty?" [5], and later declares that "God thunders marvelously with his voice. He does great things, which we can't comprehend" [7]. The divine attributes are described as perfect, infinite, unsearchable, and beyond human comprehension [9]. God's wisdom is characterized as universal, infinite, and underived—requiring no counsel from any created being [9]. This theological baseline establishes that any human attempt to fully grasp God's character operates within severe epistemic limits.

The existence of God is taken for granted throughout Scripture rather than argued for [3]. The biblical writers assume readers will encounter mystery when contemplating the divine nature. Paul's prayer in Ephesians acknowledges that believers need supernatural aid even to begin understanding "the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge" [13]. John Chrysostom notes the difficulty of this task: "And why is it a difficult thing to learn that God loveth us? Beloved, it is extremely difficult. For some know not even this" [12].

Anthropomorphic Language and Divine Accommodation

Certain passages describe God in strikingly human terms—testing to discover what is in someone's heart, changing plans in response to intercession, or expressing regret over previous decisions. Deuteronomy 8:2 states that God led Israel through the wilderness "to prove your character (literally to know what is in your heart)" [14]. The commentary tradition addresses this apparent limitation directly: "God already knew the Israelites' innermost thoughts (Pss 51:6; 139:1, 4, 23); he wanted their character to come out in their actions" [14]. This interpretive move distinguishes between God's exhaustive knowledge and his pedagogical purposes in allowing human character to manifest through testing.

The technical term for this phenomenon is anthropomorphism—assigning human characteristics to God—and anthropopathism—assigning human feelings or emotions to God. These are understood as "ways of representing God on a human level so the human mind can better grasp his ways, but God is not limited in his knowledge or power" [14]. The device functions as divine accommodation, allowing finite creatures to relate to an infinite being through familiar categories.

The Tension Between Foreknowledge and Narrative

Scripture affirms God's foreknowledge in absolute terms. Acts 2:23 speaks of Christ being "delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," and Acts 15:18 declares that God's works "are known unto him from the beginning of the world" [4]. The attribute is described as one "essentially appertaining to him the full import of which we cannot comprehend. In the most absolute sense his knowledge is infinite" [4]. This includes knowledge of counterfactuals—what would have happened under different circumstances, as evidenced in passages like 1 Samuel 23:9-13 and Matthew 11:21, 23 [4].

Yet narrative passages depict God as if responding to new information. The tension is not resolved by denying either the anthropomorphic language or the doctrine of divine omniscience, but by recognizing that Scripture employs phenomenological description—depicting events from a human vantage point—while maintaining theological commitments about God's nature that transcend those descriptions.

Christ as the Definitive Revelation

The New Testament presents Christ as the ultimate disclosure of God's character, providing a lens through which challenging Old Testament passages must be read. Christ's example condemns selfishness [1] and demonstrates perfect resignation to the Father's will [2]. His life exhibits zeal for God's glory [10] and submission even unto death [2]. The incarnation itself represents an act of self-giving love that "passeth knowledge" [13], with Christ's assumption of human nature, his death as substitute, and his payment of debts owed by others standing as the supreme instances of divine love [13].

John's first epistle establishes a test for discerning truth: "We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn't listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error" [6]. The apostolic witness, centered on Christ's revelation of the Father, becomes the standard by which all theological claims are measured. Any interpretation of difficult passages that contradicts the character revealed in Christ must be reconsidered.

The Danger of Remaking God in Human Image

Romans warns against those who "traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man" [8]. This caution applies not only to physical idolatry but to conceptual distortion—projecting human limitations, capriciousness, or moral ambiguity onto God. The challenge for interpreters is to allow Scripture's difficult passages to expand rather than contract their understanding of divine transcendence, resisting the temptation to domesticate God into categories that eliminate mystery.

Matthew Henry's commentary on Job 11:7 observes that considering "what God is" alongside "man and his vanity and folly" will "have a powerful influence upon our submission to all the dispensations of the divine Providence" [11]. The incomprehensibility of God functions not as an intellectual puzzle to be solved but as a summons to humility before the one whose "nature and perfections our finite understandings cannot possibly form any adequate conceptions of, and whose counsels and actings we cannot therefore, without the greatest presumption, pass judgment upon" [11].

Sources

  1. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Selfishness — Contrary to the law of God -- Le 19:18; Mt 22:39; Jas 2:8. The example of Christ condemns -- Joh 4:34; Ro 15:3; 2Co 8:9. God hates -- Mal 1:10. Exhibited in Being lovers of ourselves. -- 2Ti 3:2. Pleasing ourselves. -- Ro 15:1. Seeking our own. -- 1Co 10:33; Php 2:21. Seeking after gain. -- Isa 56:11. Seeking undue precedence. -- Mt 20:21. Living to ourselves. -- 2Co 5:15. Neglect of the poor. -- 1Jo 3:17. Serving God for reward. -- Mal 1:10. Performing duty for reward. -- Mic 3:11. Inconsistent with Christian love -- 1Co 13:5. Inconsistent with communi”
  2. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Resignation — Christ set and example of -- Mt 26:39-44; Joh 12:27; 18:11. Commanded -- Ps 37:7; 46:10. Should be exhibited in Submission to the will of God. -- 2Sa 15:26; Ps 42:5,11; Mt 6:10. Submission to the sovereignty of God in his purposes. -- Ro 9:20,21. The prospect of death. -- Ac 21:13; 2Co 4:16-5:1. Loss of goods. -- Job 1:15,16,21. Loss of children. -- Job 1:18,19,21. Chastisements. -- Heb 12:9. Bodily suffering. -- Job 2:8-10. The wicked are devoid of -- Pr 19:3. Exhortation to -- Ps 37:1-11. Motives to God's greatness. -- Ps 46:10. God's love. -- Heb 12:”
  3. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: God — (A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew 'El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of 'Eloah_, plural _'Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by "LORD," printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argume”
  4. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Foreknowledge of God — Acts 2:23; Rom. 8:29; 11:2; 1 Pet. 1:2), one of those high attributes essentially appertaining to him the full import of which we cannot comprehend. In the most absolute sense his knowledge is infinite (1 Sam. 23:9-13; Jer. 38:17-23; 42:9-22, Matt. 11:21, 23; Acts 15:18).”
  5. Job ““Can you fathom the mystery of God? Or can you probe the limits of the Almighty? -- Job 11:7”
  6. 1 John “We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. -- 1 John 4:6”
  7. Job “God thunders marvelously with his voice. He does great things, which we can’t comprehend. -- Job 37:5”
  8. Romans “and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things. -- Romans 1:23”
  9. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Wisdom of God, The — Is one of his attributes -- 1Sa 2:3; Job 9:4. Described as Perfect. -- Job 36:4; 37:16. Mighty. -- Job 36:5. Universal. -- Job 28:24; Da 2:22; Ac 15:18. Infinite. -- Ps 147:5; Ro 11:33. Unsearchable. -- Isa 40:28; Ro 11:33. Wonderful. -- Ps 139:6. Beyond human comprehension. -- Ps 139:6. Incomparable. -- Isa 44:7; Jer 10:7. Underived. -- Job 21:22; Isa 40:14. The gospel contains treasures of -- 1Co 2:7. Wisdom of saints is derived from -- Ezr 7:25. All human wisdom derived from -- Da 2:1. Saints ascribe to him -- Da 2:20. Exhibited in His works. ”
  10. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Zeal — Christ an example of -- Ps 69:9; Joh 2:17. Godly sorrow leads to -- 2Co 7:10,11. Of saints, ardent -- Ps 119:139. Provokes others to do good -- 2Co 9:2. Should be exhibited In spirit. -- Ro 12:11. In well-doing. -- Ga 4:18; Tit 2:14. In desiring the salvation of others. -- Ac 26:29; Ro 10:1. In contending for the faith. -- Jude 1:3. In missionary labours. -- Ro 15:19,23. For the glory of God. -- Nu 25:11,13. For the welfare of saints. -- Col 4:13. Against idolatry. -- 2Ki 23:4-14. Sometimes wrongly directed -- 2Sa 21:2; Ac 22:3,4; Php 3:6. Sometimes not accord”
  11. Job (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Job 11:7: Zophar here speaks very good things concerning God and his greatness and glory, concerning man and his vanity and folly: these two compared together, and duly considered, will have a powerful influence upon our submission to all the dispensations of the divine Providence. I. See here what God is, and let him be adored. 1. He is an incomprehensible Being, infinite and immense, whose nature and perfections our finite understandings cannot possibly form any adequate conceptions of, and whose counsels and actings we cannot therefore, without the greatest presumption, pas”
  12. CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Galatians–Colossians–Thessalonians: the love of God, it was necessary for Paul to pray, and there was need of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who by following mere reasonings shall understand the nature of Christ? And why is it a difficult thing to learn that God loveth us? Beloved, it is extremely difficult. For some know not even this; wherefore, they even say, numberless evils come to be in the world; and others know not the extent of this love. Nor, indeed, is Paul seeking to know its extent, nor with any view to measure it; for how could he? but only to und”
  13. Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 3:18: And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,.... The love of Christ to his own, to his church and people, is special and peculiar; free and Sovereign; as early as his Father's love, and is durable and unchangeable; the greatest love that ever was heard of; it is matchless and unparalleled; it is exceeding strong and affectionate, and is wonderful and surprising: the instances of it are, his engaging as a surety for them; his espousing both their persons and their cause; his assumption of their nature; his dying in their room and stead; his payment of th”
  14. Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 8:2: 8:2 to prove your character (literally to know what is in your heart): God already knew the Israelites’ innermost thoughts (Pss 51:6; 139:1, 4, 23); he wanted their character to come out in their actions. • to find out whether: The Old Testament often describes God in human terms, even in ways that appear to limit God. Anthropomorphism (assigning human characteristics to God) and anthropopathism (assigning human feelings or emotions to God) are ways of representing God on a human level so the human mind can better grasp his ways, but God is not limited in his ”
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