Transcription
In this session, we want to talk about a very important attribute of God, which is the foreknowledge of God. There's a lot of misunderstanding on the subject of the foreknowledge of God. And some people's understanding of foreknowledge is this: that God is looking down the proverbial tunnel of time to see what will men do with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And based upon what God foresees, God will then make a reciprocal choice towards them.
If God sees in the future that someone will believe upon His Son, Jesus Christ, God foresees that. And when He foresees that person believing in Christ, God will then from eternity past ordain them unto salvation. Unfortunately, that is 180 degrees in the wrong direction. That is a a significant misinterpretation of scripture, and for three reasons.
Number one, God has never looked into the future and learned anything. God is omniscient. We've already covered that attribute. God knows all things. God never learns anything. God never looks into the future and ever sees anyone do anything that He has not already ordained.
Second, if all God does is look into the future to see what someone will do, and that's all that foreknowledge is, this is what God will foresee: "All we like sheep have gone astray; each one of us has turned to his own way." All God will see is that no one will believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches the total depravity of the human heart. The Bible teaches the bondage of the will. And the Bible teaches that repentance and saving faith is a gift that God must bestow to the guilty sinner. No one can believe on their own.
But third, foreknowledge does not mean foresight. Because in Romans 8 and verse 29, it says, "For those whom He foreknew." Let me tell you two things about this, which I guess would be number three and four on our list. It's a personal pronoun: "For those whom He foreknew." It doesn't say what He foresaw. It says "whom He foreknew." God is not foreseeing events. God is not foreseeing circumstances. God is not foreseeing conversion experiences. In Romans 8:29, it doesn't say what He foresaw. It says "whom He foreknew."
So, number four on why that is wrong is a gross misunderstanding of what the word "foreknowledge" means. The word "foreknowledge" in the original language, and we would never know this in the English, the word "foreknowledge" is a verb with a prefix that is placed in front of the main verb. The main verb is *gnosco*, which means "to know," "to know in a personal love relationship," "to love in a very intimate way." It speaks of the love between a husband and a wife in a very physical relationship, to know that spouse as you would know no one else in the world. The prefix that is put in front of *gnosco* is *pro*, p-r-o, which means "before." It sounds like "pre." The word is *prognosco*. *Pro* means beforehand. The word for knowledge, *prognosco*, means "those whom God previously chose to love with a distinguishing love in ways that He does not love others."
Let's just do a Bible study. Let's just survey the entire Bible on this, okay? So, I want you to turn with me to Genesis chapter 4 and verse 1. Let's start in Genesis, okay? And I want you to see how the word "know," k-n-o-w, how the word "know" is used as it first appears in the scripture. This is written in the Hebrew language, and instead of *gnosco*, it's the word *yadah*.
Now, Genesis 4, verse 1: "Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain." This verb "had relations with," we understand what this means. It's a very discreet, modest way for the Bible to speak of this physical union between a man and his wife. Literally, in the original language, this says, "The man knew his wife, and she conceived and she gave birth." The word "to know" in the Bible, k-n-o-w, means "to love in the most intimate relationship where there is a close bond," and it is an expression of distinguishing love, to love this one in ways that I do not love others, to set your heart upon, to love with distinguishing affection.
Only as we understand this, it's repeated in verse 25 in Genesis chapter 4. Um, Adam had relations with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth. All of this is to set up for you that when we come in the New Testament to the word "foreknowledge," we must understand what the word "know" means, k-n-o-w. It does not, it does not mean foresight. Eve would have never become pregnant with just foresight. It took a little more than that. It took an intimate love relationship, a connection.
Come with me to the book of Amos, to Amos 3 and verse 2. And here I want you to see that the word "to know" is used synonymously with the word "to be chosen," "to be chosen," "to be loved." In Amos 3, in verse 2, we read God speaking to Israel: "You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth." Now, that word "chosen" in my Bible, I have there's a a little one, and out in the margin, it gives the proper uh translation of that word, and it says "to know." To know is to choose. To know is to choose to love. To know is to choose to love with distinguishing love. God says, "I don't love all the families of the nations the way I love Israel. You only have I chosen. You only have I loved. You my chosen people, I have loved you in ways that I have not loved the Egyptians. I have loved you in ways that I have not loved the Babylonians, and I have not loved the Assyrians. I have demonstrated my love towards you. I have sent the prophets. I have given my covenants to you. I have given my truth to you. I have done so much more for you." The word "to know" means "to choose to love in a very distinguishing." We would say "discriminating." Why?
Now, come to the New Testament. Come to Matthew chapter 1. I want to show you something that will, if you don't already know this, this this little verse will, as we would say in Alabama, "rock your socks," okay? Matthew chapter 1 and verse 25. I'll begin. The sentence begins in verse 24. Matthew 1:24. "And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife." Verse 25: "But kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son." Literally, in fact, it's in the margin of my New American Standard Bible. It it really means she was not known by Joseph. It just comes into our English translation uh transliterated. It's not an actual translation. It's just uh a dynamic equivalent at that point, and it's just as "kept" or "a virgin." The word "virgin" does not even appear in the original language. That's a whole different Greek word. All it says is, "Joseph never knew her, and she was never known by Joseph." That's what it means to be a virgin. You're not known by a man. Now, you're known about. You're just not known in an intimate, special, distinguishing, connecting love relationship.
When we come to Romans 8:29, this is going to become abundantly clear. Now, don't go there yet, because I've got some other verses to show you. Turn with me to Matthew 7:23. We're at the end of the greatest sermon that's ever been preached by the greatest preacher who's ever lived. It is a sermon on the Mount. It is the preacher is the Lord Jesus Christ, and I want to add, He's the greatest evangelist who ever lived. And we come to the end of this sermon, and you know what it says: "Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is broad and and the gate is wide that leads to destruction, and many are those who find it. The gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it." And now He, we come down to verse 21: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." That's not saying we're saved by obedience, but there will always be the evidence of true salvation in our obedience, as well as the command of the gospel. And the imperative verb is "believe." Now, you either obey that or you don't obey that. The command of the gospel is "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." If you're a believer, you are an obeyer. If you're an unbeliever, you are a disobeyer. That's the meaning of verse 25.
Now, verse 22: "Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Lord, I went to church. Lord, I taught in Sunday school. Lord, I I served You. You know me, Lord, Lord, Lord, do you remember me?'" Verse 23: "And then I will declare to them, 'I never what?' Now, God knows the number of the hairs of their head. God knows the day of their birth. God knows every word they've said. What does this mean? 'I never knew you.' That means we never had a relationship. I never intimately knew you. All I knew, all I knew really was about you. You were too distant from me. You never responded to my overtures of grace. I never knew you, and you never knew me. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.'" Could anything be any more obvious? But the word "know" means "know." W means "to have a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ."
Come to John chapter 10. This will become, I think, even more clear if the noonday sun needed to be any more clear. John chapter 10. I want you to see verse 14 and a couple of other verses here. John 10, verse 14: "It's the parable of the Good Shepherd. I I love this, this entire chapter. Um, Jesus represents Himself to us as the Good Shepherd. Let me just confine myself to this verse. Verse 14: Jesus said, 'I am the Good Shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me.'" That's good. Now, what do you think "know" means? You think that means Jesus is saying, "I know your social security number? I've got your credit ratings?" No. When He says, "I know you," He means, "And you know Me," that we have an intimate, personal, saving relationship. It's not just that you know about Me. You actually know Me. And you know, what's more important than for you to know God is for God to know you. It's for Jesus Christ to know you. I want to ask you this question: We've been together here now for a little while. Do you know the Lord? Does the Lord know you? I didn't ask you to go to church. I didn't ask you, "Do you love Ligonier?" I didn't ask you, "Do you know R.C.'s birthday?" Do you know the Lord? Does Jesus Christ know you? Because if you don't, you will hear Him say to you one day, "Depart from Me, you who work iniquity." To know means to enter into a personal, saving, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
Look at verse 27 across the page. This is like one of these dimmer switches. You just keep turning it up in the dining room, and it gets brighter and brighter and brighter and brighter, okay? Verse 27: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." *Gnosco*, to know, means to have a saving love relationship.
What does foreknowledge mean? It means that before time began, before the foundation of the world, in eternity past, God drew a circle around your name, and He singled you out, and He chose to love you, and He set His heart upon you with blazing, burning love and affection. He he entered into a saving love relationship with you by His eternal covenant from before the foundation of the world, and He wrote your name in His Lamb's Book of Life before time began. "You are Mine, and I have set My heart upon you, and I love you with an everlasting love." That's what the word "foreknowledge" means.
Come to Acts 2:23. There are a few places in the Bible where foreknowledge is synonymous with for-ordination, which is just a synonym for predestination. And in Acts 2:23, as Peter is preaching on the Day of Pentecost, in verse 23, he throws out this heavy. He goes down deep. This wasn't a little gospel ditty wanting easy believism and putting out some cheap grace. This was a strong message. And he says in verse 23: "This man, referring to Jesus Christ, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God." God predetermined the cross. Jesus was the Lamb of God slain from before the foundation of the world. God had marked out His own Son. He chose His Son to be the Savior and the Redeemer and the Reconciler of the elect of God at Calvary's cross. And as Jesus went to the cross, He was fore-loved by God the Father. This was His beloved Son, in whom He was well pleased. And the Father had set His distinguishing love upon His Son, Jesus Christ, as He was going in obedience to the cross to die in our place.
Do you think that this means that God the Father just looked down the tunnel of time to see what His Son would do, and "I have no idea what he's going to do. Oh, my goodness, they just arrested him. Oh, my word, they just took him before Pilate. What's going to happen? What's this? He has a cross in his hand. Oh, he's having to give it to Simon. He can't carry it. Oh, this situation is out of control. I foresee this now. Well, I guess I better make lemonade out of lemons. I'll just adopt this and make this my plan of salvation because everything got out of control." You know what? That's just blasphemy. Let's just call it for what it is. It's blasphemy.
Now, God the Father had set His heart upon God's Son, and He set His heart upon His elect, and He gave His elect to the Son as a love gift, that the Son would come into this world and go to the cross, and there the beloved Son of God the Father would suffer under the wrath on behalf of sinners.
Quickly, come to First Peter 1:2. First Peter 1:2. Turn to it as quickly as you can. And I want you to see "foreknowledge" used twice in the same chapter. First Peter 1:2. Verses 1 and 2: "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens scattered throughout in all these cities." At the end of verse 1: "...who were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father." And someone will go, "Oh, wait a minute. It's foreknowledge that is the controlling factor on chosen." Not so fast. Turn to verse 20 before you answer that way.
In verse 20, we read: "For He..." (the antecedent of "He" is at the end of the previous verse, verse 19, Christ, the blood of Christ) "...for He, referring to Jesus Christ, was foreknown before the foundation of the world." What do you think that means? Do you think that means God just looked passively down the tunnel of time to see what would happen to the Lord Jesus, and and that He would then integrate that into His plan, whatever that would be? "He'll have to wait and see what happens." No. What this means in verse 20 is that from before time began, the Father so loved His own Son and set His heart, He chose to love His Son with extraordinary love. Whatever you do to verse 20, you're gonna have to do to verse 2. However you understand the foreknowledge of the Father of the Son in verse 20, you will have to understand as the foreknowledge of the Father towards the elect.
Now, what this means in verses 1 and 2 is that those who were chosen by the Father were chosen because of the distinguishing love, the electing love, the sovereign love that the Father has for the Son, for for all of the elect. Now, Romans 9:13 says, "Jacob I loved, and Esau I hated." It sounds like distinguishing love to me. "In love He predestined us to the adoption of sons."
What does foreknowledge mean? It couldn't be any more clear. It means those whom He fore-loved, whom He chose to love in eternity past with a distinguishing affection, those whom He foreknew, He predestined. In whom He predestined, He called. And whom He called, He justified. And whom He justified, He glorified. That is why when we get to heaven, and we are crowned, that crown will stay on our head for about five seconds, and we're going to cast it back at His feet, signifying that all things are from You, and through You, and to You. You chose me. You redeemed me. You called me. You predestined me. What's this crown doing on my head? It is back at Your feet. This is the meaning of the foreknowledge of God. You.