For whom He "FOREKNEW".

Romans 8:29
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

This blog is exploring two possible meanings of the word “Foreknew”.

This verse in scripture has over the years caused many discussions, arguments, disagreements and divisions in churches.

Does man have Free Will to choose God, or is mans eternal destination Predestined by God.
Basically it is either liberty or bondage,  indeterminism or determinism.

Two major teachings have arisen from this verse.
One commonly known as Arminianism and the other Calvinism.
The only reason these teachings are known as such, is because these two scholars, Jacobus Arminius and John Calvin disagreed. John Calvin first formulated the system, known today as Calvinism and Arminius began a theological movement in Christianity, that took a liberal reaction to the Calvinist doctrine of predestination.

It is not as though this problem wasn’t there before, the fact is, that the scriptures in question predate both these men and so do the idea’s and questions.

Throughout this blog, I will be using the terms, Free Will and Predestination.
 

The first view is the Free Will view of the word "Foreknew".
Foreknew in this case is God looking into the future to see who will believe. (Knowledge of a future event).

This view says that God has given all men a free will, with the ability to make free choices concerning salvation.
It is said that God gives every man the opportunity to hear the gospel and man can choose to accept the gospel or reject it.

The Arminian views this text and concludes, that God looks into the future, (foreknowledge) and sees who will believe in Him and on the basis of that decision, God predestines them to life.
Because all men do not respond positively to the gospel message, it follows that some must not be predestined to life but death. However the decision is mans.
God sees who will respond by faith and thus foreordains them to eternal life and those that God sees rejecting the gospel, He leaves in condemnation.

The word "foreknew” is thus understood by Free Will believers, to mean that God knew beforehand which sinners would believe, etc., and on the basis of this knowledge He predestined them unto salvation.

According to this view, the word “Foreknew” means that God has always possessed perfect knowledge of all creatures and of all events. There has never been a time when anything past, present, or future was not fully known to Him. So it is quite acceptable that God could see the future and foresee who would believe and on that basis choose them for salvation.
 
One could say that an amplified reading of our verse would read something like this:

Those whom He foresaw would believe, He also predestined. Or, Those whom He foresaw believing, He also predestined.

 

So, God’s predestination is based on His foreknowledge.
 

This meaning of the word foreknowledge is, God’s awareness of something before it happens or exists.

However, there is another meaning of this word foreknowledge, that throws a completely different view on this verse.
Foreknowledge meaning pre knowing, pre experiencing or pre loving.

This meaning is based on the Greek word “Ginosko” (To know).
 

In English the best way to translate it would probably be: to personally, intimately, and experientially know someone. 

The object of God’s foreknowledge in Romans 8:29 is people. God does not say here that he foreknew inclinations, choices, or actions. It is not faith God foreknew; he foreknew people. 

This meaning can be seen in scriptures that refer to a personal, intimate knowledge between the Father and the Son and the Son and His church.
(In brackets mine).

Mat 11:27  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth (epiginōskō) the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth (epiginōskō) any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 
 

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know (ginōskō) thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 

1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth (ginōskō) us not, because it knew him not. 
 

Joh 10:14  I am the good shepherd, and know (ginōskō) my sheep, and am known of mine. 
 

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know (ginōskō) them, and they follow me: 

With this in mind, our text could be read:
“Whom He had intimate knowledge of, He also predestined.” Or “Those whom He preloved, He also predestined”.
 

So, the word “foreknew” means that God foreloved his people.

When the Bible speaks of God knowing particular individuals, it often means that He has special regard for them, that they are the objects of His affection and concern.
God knows all about everyone but God does not set His affections on all.

The Hebrew word for “know” is “Yada”. Pronounced Yaw daw.

“Yada” means to perceive, to know intimately, to understand, to experience.

Genesis 4:1 states that Adam knew (Yada) Eve.
It meant that Adam knew Eve in the most intimate of ways. He knew her physically.

Genesis 18:19 speaks of God's knowledge (yada) of man. God said to Abraham, “For I have known (Yada)  him”, the emphasis is on the fact that God knew Abraham personally and intimately.

Yada also speaks of man knowing (yada) God.
An example is found in Exodus 33:13 Moses asked the Lord to teach him His ways so that he may know (yada) Him.

To know God is to have an experiential knowledge of Him.

Although the New Testament is written in Greek, when Paul said in Philippians 3:10, “I desire to know (Ginosko) Him and the power of His resurrection” it is the same definition signifying an intimate relationship.
 

Jeremiah is another example, God said to him, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew (yada) you,” (Jeremiah 1:5).

The meaning here is not that God knew about Jeremiah but that He had a special regard for the prophet or knew him intimately, before He formed him in his mother’s womb.
 

The same can be said of Jesus in Matt 7:22,23, when Jesus said of those who claimed, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?

Jesus replied “I never knew (Ginosko) you; depart from me, you evildoers’

In other words, "you have never been one with Me".

Of course Jesus knows everything and everyone, He knew about their evil deeds, so He must have been referring to personally, intimately not knowing them.

There are other verses that refer to knowing and to be known as a personal, intimate relationship with the Lord.
 

I Corinthians 8:3, “But if one loves God, one is known (Ginosko) by him,”.
2 Timothy 2:19, “the Lord knows (Ginosko) those who are His.”
 

All these texts are speaking about a close, intimate, personal relationship with the Lord.

John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, Vol. I, pp. 316-318. Quote:
Although the term ‘foreknew’ is used seldom in the New Testament, it is altogether indefensible to ignore the meaning so frequently given to the word ‘know’ in the usage of Scripture; ‘foreknow’ merely adds the thought of ‘beforehand’ to the word ‘know’. Many times in Scripture ‘know’ has a pregnant meaning which goes beyond that of mere cognition. It is used in a sense practically synonymous with ‘love’, to set regard upon, to know with peculiar interest, delight, affection, and action (cf. Gen 18:19; Exod. 2:25; Psalm 1:6; 144:3; Jer. 1:5; Amos 3:2; Hosea 13:5; Matt 7:23; I Cor. 8:3; Gal. 4:9; II Tim. 2:19; I John 3:1).

Charles Hodge Quote:
“As to know is often to approve and love, it may express the idea of peculiar affection in this case; or it may mean to select or determine upon….The usage of the word is favourable to either modification of this general idea of preferring. ‘The people which he foreknew,’ i.e., loved or selected, Rom. 11:2; ‘Who verily was foreordained (Gr. foreknown), i.e., fixed upon, chosen before the foundation of the world.’ I Peter 1:20; II Tim. 2:19; John 10:14,15; see also Acts 2:23; I Peter 1:2. The idea, therefore, obviously is, that those whom God peculiarly loved, and by thus loving, distinguished or selected from the rest of mankind; or to express both ideas in one word, those whom he elected he predestined, etc.”

It seems to me that the scriptures definitely tell us that God set His affection on a chosen people, He fore loved them and it was those whom He predestined.

Also the verse continues that whom He predestined, He called, justified and glorified.
 

Even if one takes the view that God foresaw who would believe. He would only foresee what was absolutely certain.
God’s foreknowledge and predestination cannot be separated.
God predestined those whom He foreknew and He foreknew those whom He predestined.

 

One more point.
Faith cannot precede predestination. God predestined, God called, (this caused man to believe) and God justified.
Therefore, predestination precedes faith, (belief).
 

The scripture tells us. ‘As many as were ordained to eternal life believed,’ Acts 13:48.
They were ordained to believe.
God does not look forward to see who believes and then predestines. He predestines them to believe.
Neither can predestination be based on good works, because man is predestined to good works.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
 

Conclusion:

Having considered all these things, and knowing that God being Omniscient can indeed see the end from the beginning. The only conclusion I can come to, is to agree with the Reformers, who made the statement in the Westminster Confession of faith.

Chapter 3.
II. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all supposed conditions,(d) yet hath He not decreed anything because He foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.(e)
(d) Acts 15:18; I Sam. 23:11, 12; Matt. 11:21, 23.
(e) Rom. 9:11, 13, 16, 18.
..............................................

On the contrary, God before the foundation of the world, set His affections on, (foreknew) certain ones. He preloved them and predestined them to faith, salvation and good works.

13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Man’s will, whether free or bound plays no part in his salvation until after the move of God.

John 1:13 “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
 

Romans 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?         

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.