“He sees you when you’re sleeping / He knows when you’re awake / He knows if you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.” I’ve always found these words to the popular Christmas song Santa Clause Is Coming to Town a bit irksome. The idea of an overweight, soot-covered, old man with an unobstructed watchful eye on the children of the world is just creepy! I don’t care how beneficent Santa is reported to be. Personally, I find it unnerving that anyone could know everything I think, say, and do. But the message of Scripture is that someone does know. God knows everything. Consider the following passages:


God has clearly revealed in his word that he is all-knowing. God knows himself and all things perfectly. God does not need to study or learn. The Discovery Channel would be of little interest to God because there is nothing he needs to discover! He knows the name of every star. He knows when and where every animal is born and dies. He knew us before we were born, and he knows the number of hairs on our heads. The all-inclusive knowledge of God is at the same time frightening and comforting.

God knows the darkest secrets of our hearts. He knows the unimaginable thoughts that pass through our minds. He sees our most bizarre dreams. This should cause us to tremble. There is nothing we have thought, said, or done that God is not intimately acquainted with. The Judge of the universe has our complete record. This is terrifying.

Since God’s knowledge is complete then his forgiveness must also be complete. Christ died to forgive us for all our sins, even the ones no one else is aware of. This should calm our hearts. God knows the intimate details of our brokenness and yet he still offers us forgiveness through his Son. This is comforting.

For those who have received the comfort that comes from resting in Christ, God’s unlimited knowledge should motivate us to live consistently for him. It is all too common for young people in our culture to live multiple lives. Many young people have developed different personalities, different character traits, and even different rules to govern the different aspects of their lives. I have observed countless youth in recent years who act one way in the classroom and another in the hallway. They speak and act in completely different ways in church than they do on the soccer field. This sort of inconsistency comes from the wrongful assumption that there are places where no one is listening or watching (especially those places where parents, teachers, and pastors are not present). God is always watching. God always hears.

The knowledge of God should also motivate us to pay close attention whenever he asks questions. The Bible records a number of occasions when God asks questions of people. God never asks questions because he needs to be informed. God always asks questions for the benefit of those who receive them. In fact, God’s infinite knowledge makes his questions all the more important for us to consider.

When God asked Adam and Eve “Where are you?” he already knew the answer. He asked this question so that Adam, Eve, and all those who would hear or read his words would stop to consider where they are in relation to him. God knows whether we are close to him through faith in Christ or whether we are hiding from him because of our sin. The question is “Where are you?”

When God asked Cain “Where is your brother?” He already knew that Cain had murdered Abel. He asked the question so that Cain would pause to consider what he had done. He wanted Cain and all those who would hear his words to examine where they stand in relationship to those around them. God knows whether we love our neighbors as ourselves or whether we have killed them with our thoughts or actions. The question is “Where is your brother?”

The knowledge of God should call us to self-examination. Are you able to receive the truth of God’s complete knowledge by trusting in the comfort of his complete forgiveness?


Campbell Silman is the Youth Minister at Plains Presbyterian Church in Zachery, LA