The Omnis of God

The Omnis of God

The Omnis are divine attributes often discussed together that describe God as all-knowing (omniscient), all-present (omnipresent), and all-powerful (omnipotent).

God’s Omniscience.

Because God exists eternally, He knows all things past, present, and future; His knowledge and wisdom (omnisapience) has no limitations because He infinitely exists. God’s knowledge is related to His perfect Being; therefore, He perfectly knows all things about His creation. (1)

God knows all things past. (2)

“‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding’” (Job 38:4).
“You have kept count of my tossings, put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” (Ps. 56:8).
“He determines the number of stars; He gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure” (Ps. 147:4-5).
“. . . for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done” (Is. 46:9).
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not grow faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable” (Is. 40:28).

God knows all things present.

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether” (Ps. 139:1-4).
“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be done in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:3-4)
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:6).
“. . . your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matt. 6:8).
“. . . no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13).

God knows all things future.

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Ps. 139:16).
“Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them” (Is. 42:9)
“But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:36-37).
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32).
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son . . .” (Rom. 8:28-29).
“In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11).

God’s omniscience encourages believers that He is an unlimited source of truth and wisdom, humbles them when they realize He knows both the sins they commit outwardly and those they commit in their hearts, and assures them that He will reward both known and unknown actions. (3) Believers can also be comforted knowing that nothing occurs without God’s knowledge; there is nothing that surprises Him.

God’s Omnipresence.

Because God exists eternally, His presence is not limited to time or space; He exists everywhere at once. (4) God’s omnipresence is best understood in relation to His transcendence, the belief that God is above and beyond all creation, (5) and to His immanence, the belief that God is present and active within His creation. (6)

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me” (Ps. 139:7-10).
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Prov. 15:3).
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?’” (Is. 66:1).
“‘Am I a God at hand,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 23:23-24).
“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being . . .’” (Acts 17:26-28).
“. . . one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:6).
“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Rev. 1:8).

God’s omnipresence assures believers that He is present and actively working; therefore, He is reliable in all circumstances. There is no place where God is not present and nothing hidden that He cannot see. (7) God is near to His children.

God’s Omnipotence.

God is all-powerful, and His power is unlimited. However, God cannot do what is contrary to His nature. (8)

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth . . . And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:1, 3).
“For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the deeps” (Ps. 135:5-6).
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Ps. 139:13-14).
“Great is the Lord and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure” (Ps. 147:5)
“. . . for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’” (Is. 46:9-10).
“Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” (Jer. 32:17).
“What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27).
“For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16-17).
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3).

God’s omnipotence assures believers that nothing is impossible for Him to accomplish; He is able to solve any problem according to His purpose. Believers can also rest in the truth that salvation is eternally secure in Him and the promise that He can and will fulfill all His word. (9)

When considering the Omni attributes of God, a fourth is sometimes included: God as all-loving (omnibenevolent). This will be addressed in a future apologetics resource.

Footnotes:

(1) Norman L. Geisler, “God’s Omniscience,” in Systematic Theology, Volume 2 (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2003), 181–182.

(2) The selected verses supporting God’s past, present, and future knowledge are not limited to only the section they are placed in. God is eternally omniscient; that is, He sees all things past, present, and future at once and is not limited to man’s concept of time.

(3) Norman L. Geisler, “A Response to God’s Attributes,” in Systematic Theology, Volume 2 (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2003), 413-414.

(4) Chistopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson, A Concise Dictionary of Theological Terms (Brentwood: B&H Academic, 2020), 125.

(5) Norman L. Geisler, “God’s Transcendence Over and Immanence in Creation,” in Systematic Theology, Volume 2 (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2003), 518.

(6) Geisler, “God’s Transcendence Over and Immanence in Creation,” 527.

(7) Norman L. Geisler, “A Response to God’s Attributes,” in Systematic Theology, Volume 2 (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2003), 410-411.

(8) Normal L. Geisler, “God’s Omnipotence and Omnipresence,” in Systematic Theology, Volume 2 (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2003), 158-159.

(9) Norman L. Geisler, “A Response to God’s Attributes,” Systematic Theology, Volume 2 (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2003), 412.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.