Theological Term of the Week
Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 7:27PM natural knowledge (God’s)
The knowledge which God has by His very nature or essence: his knowledge of himself and what he could do, of every possible combination of causes and effects, of the truths of logic and mathematics; also called necessary knowledge (because given God’s nature, it could not have been different than what it is), or the knowledge of simple intelligence.
- From Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof:
[The necessary knowledge of God] is the knowledge which God has of Himself and of all things possible, a knowledge resting on the consciousness of His omnipotence. It is called necessary knowledge because it is not determined by an action of the divine will. Is is also known as the knowledge of simple intelligence, in view of the fact that it is purely an act of divine intellect, without any concurrent action of the divine will.
Learn more:
- Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry: Natural Knowledge
- Paul Helm: Molinism 101
- Theopedia: Molinism
- Turretinfan: Middle Knowledge - Part 1
Related terms:
Filed under God’s Nature and His Work
Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.
Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.
