God's Foreknowledge

Romans 8:29 AV

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.

Introduction:

Can I Be Sure I’m Saved? The Ordo Salutis

When we look further at the relationship between election and salvation, we need to be concerned with what theologians call the ordo salutis, or “the order of salvation.” The ordo salutis has to do with the order in which various events occur that lead to our redemption, specifically the logical order rather than the temporal order.

Here’s what I mean by that distinction. We believe that we are justified by faith alone. But how long after we possess true saving faith are we justified? Is it five seconds, five minutes, five months, five years? No, we say that justification and faith are coterminous with respect to time. The very moment we have true faith, in that same instant, God receives us as justified people. But we still say that faith comes before justification, even though they occur at the same time. Faith precedes justification logically. In other words, since our justification depends on and rests on faith, faith is the prerequisite, the necessary condition that has to be present for justification to take place. So faith is logically necessary for justification. It precedes justification, not in time, but in terms of logical necessity. So when we talk about the order of salvation, keep in mind that what we have in view are the distinctions with respect to prerequisites on the basis of logical necessity.

Romans 8:29–30 ESV

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Romans 8:28–30 AV

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. 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. 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.

Romans 8:28–29 AV

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. 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.

Before we get started too deep in this, there are a couple of structural areas that I need to point out you that are important that you know.

The Apostle Paul speaks about the “called” in verse 28, which is really the only reason that I go back to verse 28 is because the addressee is linked to this verse.

In the structure of the Greek language you have differing clauses that guide us into determining modifiers and things like that.

You have, for example, Primary Clauses.

And those clauses carry the main subject and the main verb; they carry the main idea of the passage.

You also have Secondary Clauses.

They carry the modifiers to the Primary Clauses.

Then you have Embedded Clauses.

And they also carry modifiers, things that further describe the clause in which it is contained.

I say that to explain to you that “the called” in verse 28 is inside a clause that modifies the phrase previous in verse 28, “those that love God”.

In other words “the called” are a reference to Christians.

It is important to say that because everything that comes after this must be interpreted in the light of the fact that Paul is speaking about believers.

Now, in particular here we are talking about what has been called the “Golden Chain of Redemption”.

And just like any chain if one of the links are broken, then you have a useless chain.

Listen, none of characteristics of this chain can be interpreted without the previous link.

When we get to verse 29 and the beginning of this golden chain, Paul is describing who “the called” of verse 28 are.

They are the ones that God foreknew, that He Predestined, that He called, that He justified and that one day He will Glorify.

One of the main things to keep in mind here that the ones that God foreknew will one day be glorified in Heaven.

There is no such thing and God Foreknow and then Predestining someone and then that someone dies and goes to Hell.

That completely goes against the flow of this text as well as others.

John 6:37-

John 6:37–44 AV

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:

John 6:64–65 AV

But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

Jesus is very clear that the ones that have been given by the Father to the Son come and when they come Jesus will never cast them away but will raise them up on the last day; a reference to eternal life.

The main verb of the clause, which runs from verse 28-30, is “we know”.

So, the Apostle is addressing things, with the weight of his apostolic authority behind him, that we know are true.

And, of course, the first thing that he says that we know is true is that for those that love God, all things work together for good.

I have another sermon on that verse, so I will not address that here.

I only mention verse 28 because the rest of the clause is a continuation of verse 28, and I wanted to bring out the word “called” so that you have an understanding of who the called are; the called are the ones that love God (Christians).

Just for clarification, we understand that there are differing calling that take place.

We understand the fact that there is the general call of the gospel.

When a preacher stands in the pulpit and entreats those who have never placed their faith Christ to do so, that it a general call.

Not everyone get saved as a result of that call.

That is why two people sitting in the same church building, hearing the same message and then hear the same invitation; that is why one of them rep

Then there is the inward call of the gospel or the effectual call.

This is the call that effects the result that God intended; and we will talk more about that later.

That is why you have two people that are sitting in the same church service and hear the same gospel message and hear the same invitation and why one responds to the call of the gospel and the other does not.

One received the general call and the other receive the inward call.

So what is the next things in the text that we know.

I. God Foreknows (vs. 29)

Romans 8:29 AV

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.

“Foreknow” is the Greek word “προγινώσκω” and it is a verb, not a noun.

Why is that important?

Because when we speak about God’s Foreknowing, it is important for us to realize that this is not something that God just has because He is God, but it something that God does.

This is an active voice verb, meaning that it is something that God is actively doing. It is not passive voice which means it is being done to Him; but God Himself doing the action.

He is foreknowing, He is the agent that is doing it.

The term that is used that God foreknows basically means “to know beforehand”.

But what has to be defined is in what way does God know beforehand.

In defining God’s Foreknowledge, I find no less than 4 different views on the Foreknowledge of God.

First, is what I call the Sovereign Foreknowledge of God.

That is to say that God, independent of any outside agency of choice, knew in a particular way certain persons.

That His knowing them in this particular way was not in anyway dependent on the actions of the persons known, but dependent only on God’s Sovereign Foreknowledge.

The Second is what I call Prescient Foreknowledge.

That is say that God’s Foreknowledge is dependent on the choice of an outside agency.

That persons are foreknown because God looks down the corridors of time and sees those people that are going to choose Him and He elects them because he fore sees that they are going to choose Him.

That is probably the most popular view among evangelicals.

That is how they attempt to explain the “mystery of election” to get God :off the hook” for people going to Hell.

Because, they say, “well, God does not elect people to Hell”.

And my question to them usually goes something like this: “How does your view make that better? Your view sees God as knowing what they will do and then creating them anyway. So if God sees that they are going to reject Him and die and go to Hell, but He creates them away, how is that better”?

“Well, it is better because He gave them the choice and they chose to reject and go to Hell, instead of God from all eternity past selecting them for Hell”.

First of all, that does not even answer the question.

The question is, “how does that make it better”?

No matter which way to come down; whether it be Sovereign Foreknowledge or Prescient Foreknowledge, God still knows and creates them anyway.

Second, of all that statement regarding God choosing people for Hell, is not even the Biblical position that we take anyway.

Let me say this as clearly as I can.

God does not have to choose Hell bound people for Hell.

People who are already on their way to Hell do not have to be chosen to go to Hell.

We are in Adam and we believe in what is called Federal Headship; that is, that Adam is the head of the entire human race.

And as Scripture clearly teaches:

Romans 5:12 AV

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:

We are sinners by nature; therefore, sinners by choice because we are in Adam.

God does not have to chose a group of people that are in Adam and; therefore, already on their way to Hell, to go to Hell.

He has to chose them to go to heaven; which is the amazing part of Grace.

God plucks out the masses that are God haters and makes them God lovers, by His Grace.

Third, there is the Open Theism theology.

That is to say that God just does not know what they were going to do because He does not have exhaustive knowledge of the future.

Their going to Hell was as much of a shock to God and anyone else, because as much as He tries to keep things in order, He just does not know.

He is less God today, then He will be tomorrow because He will know more tomorrow.

God is ever learning and trying to get this right.

That is how people try to explain disastrous and try to get God off the hook by saying, “Well, God just didn’t know”.

Fourth, there is the Middle Knowledge View or what is called Molenism.

That view states that God looks at all the possible outcomes and chooses the best possible outcome of all the options that He is given.

Now, question of all those different views on the knowledge of God; Sovereign View, Prescient View, Open Theism or Middle Knowledge View, which one more accurately depicts the God of the Bible?

There is only one view there that truly allows God to be Sovereign.

Every other view has God ignorant and subservient to the will of the creature.

There is only one view that gives glory to the God of the Bible and that is the Sovereign Foreknowledge View.

Remember what we said before, Foreknowledge is something that God DOES, He is active in this foreknowledge,

He is doing actively not receiving information passively.

Now that we understand a little of that, let us look at the particulars about the Bible means when it says that God foreknows.

Next Time!