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Biblical Contradiction: God does or does not know the heart of men:

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Biblical Contradiction Explained: God does or does not know the heart of men:

God knows the heart of men:

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

Psalm 139:2-3

And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen

Acts 1:24

God does not know the heart of men:

He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

Genesis 22:12

You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Deuteronomy 8:2

you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deuteronomy 13:3

Explanation:

God does not test man for his own good or solely for his own purpose. When God tests man, he’s doing it for our own good and the good of those around us. It is not important that we demonstrate our hearts to God, because God already knows our hearts. What is important is that we demonstrate what is in our hearts (whether good or bad)  to serve as an example and an illustration to ourselves and those around us.

When we consider the story of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22:12 referenced above) we see this illustrated. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of faith, God already knew that Abraham would fulfill his request.

However, the story of Abraham and his unwavering faith, as demonstrated by his willingness to sacrifice his own son at the request of God, has served as an effective illustration of what kind of faith is expected of us for billions of people who read that story in the book of Genesis.



Psalm 139:2-3
View in: NAB NIV KJV NJB Vulg LXX Hebrew
2 Thou hast know my sitting down, and my rising up.
3 Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off: my path and my line thou hast searched out.
Acts 1:24
View in: NAB NIV KJV NJB Vulg Greek
24 And praying, they said: Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
Genesis 22:12
View in: NAB NIV KJV NJB Vulg LXX Hebrew
12 And he said to him: Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing to him: now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake.
Deuteronomy 8:2
View in: NAB NIV KJV NJB Vulg LXX Hebrew
2 And thou shalt remember all the way through which the Lord thy God hath brought thee for forty years through the desert, to afflict thee and to prove thee, and that the things that were in thy heart might be made known, whether thou wouldst keep his commandments or no.
Deuteronomy 13:3
View in: NAB NIV KJV NJB Vulg LXX Hebrew
3 Thou shalt not hear the words of that prophet or dreamer: for the Lord your God trieth you, that it may appear whether you love him with all your heart, and with all your soul, or not.
Genesis 22:12
View in: NAB NIV KJV NJB Vulg LXX Hebrew
12 And he said to him: Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing to him: now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake.
Author: NewApologia on April 29, 2012
Category: Biblical Contradictions