Elder Linder

This post builds on ideas about Open Theism explored in my recent series on divine foreknowledge, where I examined how God sees all possible futures, works with our choices, and ensures His ultimate purposes. While I believe these concepts align with many restored gospel truths, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not have an official position on Open Theism. As with all my writings, what follows represents my current understanding of these deep doctrinal matters—thoughts I offer humbly, recognizing they may be incomplete or imperfect.

As I’ve studied the restored gospel’s teachings about God’s nature and human agency, I’ve found myself drawn to exploring how open theism—a theological framework that suggests the future isn’t fully settled but partially open to possibility—aligns with Latter-day Saint understanding.

Traditional Christianity often views God’s omniscience as exhaustive definite foreknowledge—complete knowledge of every future event as a settled fact. This creates tension with meaningful human agency. If every future choice is already known with certainty, how can those choices be genuinely free?

Blake T. Ostler, one of Mormonism’s most influential theological philosophers and author of the comprehensive “Exploring Mormon Thought” series, has written extensively about this paradox. In his seminal work “The Mormon Concept of God”, Ostler argues that this traditional view of divine foreknowledge is incompatible not only with genuine human agency but also with distinctive Latter-day Saint understandings of God’s nature.

Ostler’s argument centers on the concept of libertarian free will—the idea that for our choices to be genuinely free, we must have the actual ability to choose differently than we do in any given situation. This type of freedom, he contends, is essential to the restored gospel’s understanding of moral agency and cannot coexist with exhaustive divine foreknowledge. This becomes particularly clear when we examine how the standard works consistently portray God as working with, rather than merely foreknowing, human choices.

Robert Boylan, in his careful analysis of Latter-day Saint scripture, demonstrates how even seemingly deterministic prophecies can be understood within an open theist framework. For example, the prophecy about Joseph Smith in 2 Nephi 3:15 might appear to require exhaustive divine foreknowledge, but Boylan shows how such prophecies often represent God’s promises to act rather than mere foreknowledge of fixed events. This interpretation is supported by the Lord’s own words in D&C 35:17-19, where He indicates that if Joseph Smith didn’t “abide in me… another will I plant in his stead.” Such contingencies suggest that even the role of the Prophet of the Restoration wasn’t irrevocably fixed but depended on human agency working with divine purposes.

Consider also Alma’s teaching that God “knows all things which shall befall us” (Alma 13:3). This could mean God knows every possible future and how He would respond to each, rather than a single, fixed future. Like a master chess player who knows all possible game variations, God could know all possible choices and their consequences while still allowing genuine agency.

The Brother of Jared’s story provides another fascinating example. When he approached the Lord about lighting the vessels, the Lord asked, “What will ye that I should do?” (Ether 2:23). This suggests God sometimes works collaboratively with human initiative rather than following a predetermined plan.

Modern revelation adds depth to this understanding. In the Doctrine and Covenants, we learn that God “comprehendeth all things” (D&C 88:41). This comprehensive understanding could include all possibilities rather than just one fixed future.

Open theism in a Latter-day Saint context might suggest that:

1. God’s omniscience includes perfect knowledge of all possibilities
2. The future exists as branches of possibility rather than a single fixed path
3. God’s purposes are guaranteed through His ability to work with any choice
4. Agency is genuine because future choices aren’t already settled facts

This view maintains both God’s omniscience and human agency while explaining how God can declare certain outcomes with absolute certainty. He knows all possible paths and has prepared for each, ensuring His purposes while preserving our freedom to choose.

This divine growth and development might require genuine agency operating within a partially open future rather than following predetermined choices. The very purpose of God’s plan—to help us learn, grow, and become more like Him—seems to necessitate genuine choices with real consequences rather than a predetermined script.

Again, this isn’t official doctrine—it’s a theological framework that might help us understand how God works with human agency. What matters most is understanding that God knows us perfectly, loves us completely, and works with our choices to help us reach our divine potential.

I testify that God’s omniscience is perfect, His love is infinite, and His purposes will prevail. Whether through open theism or other frameworks, we can trust that He has prepared ways for us to succeed while maintaining our precious gift of agency.