Foreknowledge


Foreknowledge is a companion of election – but just like election, foreknowledge is a general reference to God having known the Israelites beforehand. Consider Paul’s definitive statement.

Romans 11:1-2, “So I ask, God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew [proginosko προγινώσκω].”

The word foreknow, like election, has nothing to do with having predestined someone to eternal life or eternal damnation, as Calvin suggested. “Foreknow” and “foreknowledge” are simply a verb and noun of the same basic stem.

Look at the following verses that demonstrate that knowing something ahead of time is not only possible for God but for man as well and it does not entail the Calvinistic concept whatsoever.
Acts 26:5, “They knew me from the first [proginosko προγινώσκω], if they were willing to testify…

2 Peter 3:17, “You therefore, beloved, since you know [this] beforehand [proginosko προγινώσκω], beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness…

In both of the verses, the word is the same – foreknowing and neither is God’s foreknowledge; it is simply man’s. Certainly neither of those two examples carries any sense of Calvinistic predestination.
Peter speaks of Jesus being foreknown before the beginning of the world and is just now made known.

1 Peter 1:20, “He was foreknown [proginosko προγινώσκω] before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for your sake

We witnessed before how Peter was addressing the Jews in his epistle whom he states to be elect according to God’s knowing beforehand.

Therefore, when we come to Romans 8 we ought not to jump to the Calvinistic definition, but to the God-foreknew-the-Jews definition.

Romans 8:28-30, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew [proginoskoπρογινώσκω], 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…

Even the act of calling we find spoken of concerning Israel in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 43:1, “But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.” (see also: Isaiah 54:6; 1 Peter 1:15; 2:9; 5:10)

In so far as we Gentiles are grafted into the olive tree, then we share in the common purpose that God has for His elect, the Jews.

Romans 11:17, “You, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,”

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