God's Foreknowledge - What It Is and What It Ain't
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God’s Foreknowledge – What It Is and What It Ain’t
- Foreknowledge n. – Knowledge of an event, etc. before it exists or happens; prescience.
- Foreknow – a. trans. To know beforehand, have previous knowledge of.
III. God’s election of sinners to be adopted as His children is according to His foreknowledge.
1Pe 1:2 – Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Eph 1:4 – According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 – Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
- Some have the mistaken idea that God’s foreknowledge, according to which His children were elected by Him, was His foreknowledge of whether they would accept Him.
They think that God looked down the tunnel of time and foresaw who would seek Him, and based on what He knew ahead of time, He elected them who would seek Him.
They are right about the first part.
God did look down the tunnel of time and foresaw who would seek Him, but it’s a good thing He didn’t base His election on what He saw.
Psa 14:2 – The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
Psa 14:3 – They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Paul quoted these verses in Rom 3:9-12 and declared that this was referring to the Lord looking on all mankind, Jew and Gentile, and finding not one single person that understood or sought Him.
Rom 3:9 – What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
Rom 3:10 – As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 – There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12 – They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
The reason that not one single person would seek God is because they were His spiritually dead enemies who had no spiritual ability to understand the gospel.
Rom 5:12 – Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
1Co 2:14 – But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Col 2:13 – And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Rom 5:10 – For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
- It should be obvious to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear that God’s election of His children was not based on who would understand and seek Him, since He knew none would.
But just in case one is still confused, Paul explained that God’s election is not based on anything one does, good or bad.
Rom 9:10 – And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
Rom 9:11 – (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12 – It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13 – As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Neither is God’s election based on the will of the sinner.
Rom 9:16 – So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Joh 1:13 – Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God
- God’s foreknowledge is the foreknowledge of the identity of those He chose, not the activity (belief, works, etc.) of those He chose.
Rom 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (not according to their decision)
Rom 8:29 – For WHOM he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Rom 8:30 – Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
2Ti 2:19 – Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth THEM that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Rom 11:2 – God hath not cast away HIS PEOPLE which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
Joh 10:14 – I am the good shepherd, and know MY SHEEP, and am known of mine.
Joh 10:27 – My sheep hear my voice, and I know THEM, and they follow me:
VII. The elect are foreknown, the rest are never known.
Mat 7:21 – Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 – Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 – And then will I profess unto them, I never knew YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Being omniscient, Jesus obviously knew who they were and what they had done, but He never knew THEM in the foreknowing sense of election.
