I’ve been thinking a lot recently about Molinism, which is is a theological theory, as it were, related to God’s omniscience and providence, named after a 16th century Jesuit theologian by the name of Luis de Molina. For me, of course, the name is not so much important as the content of the idea. For those who have never heard of it, Molinism is built upon the concept of God’s “middle knowledge.” To say that God has middle knowledge is to say God has accurate knowledge of counterfactuals (if-statements that are contrary to reality). In other words, he knows not only what you have done, are doing, and will do, but also knows what you would do if the situation were different. So for example, imagine that last week a friend invited you to lunch and you ate chicken; if God has middle knowledge, then he knows not only that you ate chicken, but he also knows that if this friend had not chosen to invite you to lunch, you would have instead eaten spaghetti.
There is of course considerable debate over this view of God’s knowledge, though personally I am inclined to accept it. First of all, reading Luke 10:13 & Acts 17:22ff (among other passages), I think the Bible implies that God has middle knowledge. I also think it is a very powerful solution to the problem of harmonizing God’s providence/sovereignty with man’s free will. This is an important question: how can God have complete sovereign control over the world and yet man also be truly free to make his own decisions? According to Molinism, God has worked out his providential plan and divine sovereignty through the free will of man. In other words, he has set up the world in such a way that he actually uses man’s free choice to accomplish his divine will. But this entails that God didn’t just know what everyone will do, but also what they would do in a given scenario.
With all of that said, I’d like to briefly set aside the theological technicalities, and think about Molinism more practically. As I said, I’m inclined to accept this view for the reasons listed above, among others. But, to quote Hillary Clinton, what difference does it make? Does it really matter whether or not God has middle knowledge? In my experience, much of the deeper Christian theology and philosophy tends to be ignored because people think this way. They don’t realize how valuable this deeper understanding of God can be to their lives. So to hopefully inspire you to study this topic a bit more, and simply to encourage you spiritually, here are a few ways that I think this concept can impact us in a practical way.
#1: It increases our respect for God’s wisdom and judgment.
For me, reflecting on God’s middle knowledge is nothing short of mind-boggling, and gives me a deeper sense of awe for who God is. This is just my interpretation of it as a lay-theologian, but while knowing everything I have done or will do shows God’s perfect knowledge, God’s knowledge of counterfactuals might be better said to display his perfect wisdom. He can perfectly understand what I would freely do in a given situation, even if that situation did not or will not occur. And he set up the world to fulfill his divine plan in accordance with that understanding. That is just incredible! That means before the world began, before he created anything, God could foresee the outcome of every possible event and how it would work out, and set things up as they are to achieve his good purposes. Knowing all facts is something I can, in a sense, imagine. However, knowing every possible outcome of every possible event is something I cannot even begin to grasp. In chess, the further ahead you can “see” potential moves, the better a player you will be. Considering how many possible moves there are in chess (and there are a lot), just being able to grasp every possible move in that one game is unfathomable. Compare this to the possible events of the universe and I literally can’t begin to imagine it. And yet that is the God we serve. That is the God who loves us. That is God who sent his Son to die for us. What a beautiful and humbling truth.
#2: It means I and my decisions really do matter
Because Molinism respects the role of man’s free will and how the events of our lives are tied into God’s divine providence, in my view it gives a better appreciation for the importance of each of our lives. We tend to assume little decisions don’t matter that much – whether I talk to someone or not, whether I order chicken or spaghetti, what I wear – our lives are filled with decisions that we assume are inconsequential. But if in fact God has taken into view literally every possible outcome of the world in his providential ordering of it, we should not be so quick to assume that these decisions don’t matter! In reality, our decisions are extremely important, as they both set into motion and are part of a chain of events which can have major impacts on the world. For example, the decision to go out to eat may lead to having a fender-bender which in turn causes the other party to meet someone who they will marry, and this couple will have a child who becomes a world leader who saves everyone from a nuclear war. That might seem absurd, but any person is, in one sense, the culmination of a series of events which led to their being, and human decisions played a large role in the occurrence of these events. This isn’t to say we should sit around fretting about every decision we make; that’s the great part of about Molinism – it includes God’s divine providence. He is still in control! At the same time, our decisions are important. You are important. God wanted you here for a reason. You matter.
#3: It means suffering has a purpose
While much suffering is due to the free choice of man, there is a great deal of suffering that comes from natural evils – horrific events that seem to be unrelated to our own choices. I am personally reminded of the many children who drowned at the Okawa Elementary School in Ishinomaki during the 2011 tsunami here in Japan. Even thinking about it now, it pains me and my stomach twinges with grief. I think about those families, those parents, having to reflect on the last terrifying moments their poor children experienced. Emotionally, it still bothers me so much. I can only imagine the suffering those parents are still going through even now. And yet, if God has providentially arranged the events of the world, if he allows even our free choices to be a part of it (for example the choice of the teachers not to evacuate, the parents choice to have their children enrolled there, etc), if he has done all of this because he is working out a plan in the world, then none of this was pointless. It was horrible, it was awful, but every single one of those children mattered. It’s impossible to imagine what kind of impact their deaths will have on the world. Perhaps a surviving classmate will go on to invent ways to protect towns from massive tsunamis and quakes, saving countless lives. Perhaps it set in play a series of events which leads to a spiritual revival in Japan bringing many to a saving faith in Christ. And that’s just if we’re thinking about near future consequences. The fact is, we are not in a place, as humans, to know what kind of impact it might have. But if it’s true that God knew how things would work out when he created all of this, he knows full well what impact it will have, and he knows that the result is good and right. Of course this may do little to ease the emotional suffering involved, but I think on an intellectual level, it should give us some pause.
There are many other practical impacts this view of God’s omniscience and providence can have on our lives, but I think these are enough to see the value in studying these kinds of challenging topics. Molinism has actually been of great benefit for me personally, because it has helped me think better about God’s hiddenness. I’ve often wondered why God is hidden, why he doesn’t reveal himself to every person in a clear, tangible way. There are other potential reasons, but I think one very plausible possibility is that if he were to do so, he knows the impact would not ultimately be in accordance with the good plan he is currently working out – that plan being, presumably, to draw as many people as possible into a saving relationship with him.
Regardless, I think this is a worthwhile view to reflect on, and one that I have found very appealing, not just because of the evidence for it, but because of some of the practical impacts it affords. Hopefully this post will encourage you to do a little study of your own, and if nothing else, recognize first how amazing our God truly is, and second how important you are to him.
[To learn more about this topic, I would first recommend studying Dr. William Craig’s work on the subject, much of which is available at his website. You can also listen to his Defenders Class, and begin by listening to the Doctrine of God classes which at some point cover this subject if I remember correctly.]