How can we understand God’s plan in the light of human free will? We have always heard it said that, “God has a plan for your life.” We also know that human beings do all have free will. So how can we understand when Jesus told Peter that he will deny him (Christ) three times? Also, Jesus said to the disciples that one of them will betray him. Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray,” (Matt. 26:21). He even knew which one. Here is the question we are asked: Could not Judas change his mind and not betray Jesus Christ or was he destined to perform such a horrible role? Similarly, could not the apostle Peter have decided to be brave and not deny Christ when he was recognised as one of Jesus’ followers?
We know that God has the following properties or qualities: (1) God is perfect, (2) God is timeless, (3) God is omniscient, (4) God gives free will, and (5) God is love. Now whatever God says or plans will happen, for He has knowledge of every change, thought, or act that will occur or will not occur before the time comes. We remember that he is timeless, so whatever he knows when an event starts, he also knows when and the details of the event in the end. He knows past, present and future at the same instance. Note well that we have to keep in mind in our analysis and understanding that because God foreknows, that his foreknowledge does not compel that which he foreknew to happen. He simply has perfect knowledge (that is the meaning of his quality call omniscience or all-knowing).
So he foreknew Judas will betray Christ (Matt. 17:22-23), but that foreknowledge has absolutely nothing to do with or influence or cause Judas to betray Christ. This is what some claim. But to claim that God's foreknowledge of Judas’ betrayal forced Judas to do so is false. Judas like everyone else is supposed to have free will. God foreknow (as he is timeless) how, when and why Judas will apply his free will in the act of betrayal. If God did not foreknow that, then he is not truly God with the quality of omniscience (all-knowing) and timelessness. The same argument of God’s foreknowledge of Judas’ betrayal can be applied to his foreknowledge of Jesus’ death on the cross as well as Peter’s denial of Christ. Whatever God foreknew must and will happen and another alternative cannot happen. But that is only because of God’s perfect knowledge of past, present and future. In other words, God’s timeless nature allows him to have perfect knowledge of our futures.
One young man suggested, since human beings have free will, then Peter and Judas could have surprisingly changed their minds and do the opposite to what were prophesied. But if people can surprise an all-knowing or omniscient God then he is not God. This statement is self-defeating for to be all-knowing means even any surprise must be known in advance of the time it actually occurred to us. We must keep in mind that you and I as humans are subject to time, but God is not. Before our very creation God knew our so-called surprises. This is philosophically and theologically sound for an omniscient being.
It should be clear now that Judas has free will and however he would have eventually used it or whatever changes we can conceive that he may make, God who is all-knowing and timeless must necessarily know it all before Judas was born. If God is surprised, then he is a finite and not infinite God. This is not the God of the Christian Bible. The key phrase to remember is this: “Knowing the proclivities and tendencies of an individual, is not the compulsion of that individual.” Also God is good, omniscient, timeless, loving and gives free will. A loving God will not and cannot plan such a horrible role for any of his creation.
[For a more in-depth treatment on this subject see my Blog at ChristosApologia’s blogs at [?}