The Attributes of God: The Foreknowledge of God

If you did a google search of "The foreknowledge of God", it defines it as God's perfect and complete knowledge of all events, including those in the future, before they occur. This is not accurate and it is often misdefined. The foreknowledge of God is often confused with God's sovereignty or His omniscience (all knowing nature). While God knows everything before it occurs, the term foreknowledge in Scripture is never used in connection with events or actions. Instead, it always refers to persons and, with the exception of Jesus Christ, is usually connected with God's elect and those whom He predestined for salvation.

The first occurrence we see this is in Acts 2:23, "Though he was delivered up according to God's determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him." A careful study of the text shows that Luke wasn't speaking of God's foreknowledge of the act of the crucifixion, but of the Person crucified. It was referring to Christ being delivered.

We see this again in Romans 8:29-30. "For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified, and those he justified, he also glorified." Notice the pronoun used here. It is not what he foreknew, but whom he did. It is not the surrendering of their wills nor the believing of their hearts, but specifically the persons who are in view here. "God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew" Rom 11:2.

We also find this in 1 Peter 1:2: "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" referring once again to persons, which we find in the first verse; "to those chosen, living as exiles, dispersed abroad."  

In light of these passages, Scripture never speaks of God foreknowing the acts of those repenting and believing, and that because of those acts He elected them unto salvation.

While it is difficult to fully comprehend God's ability to foreknow whom He will redeem, it is important that we have a clear scriptural view of the "foreknowledge" of God. Erroneous conceptions about it lead to thoughts that dishonor God. One example of this is the belief that election is based on the foreknowledge of God, and this "foreknowledge" is interpreted to mean that God foresaw certain individuals being more pliable and responsive to the Spirit and more willing to respond to Him. Because God foreknew that they would believe, He, therefore, predestined them for salvation. This contradicts the fact that we are totally depraved and that we have some traits that God desires. 

It should humble us to know that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), and chose us not because He foresaw us believing, but chose simply because it pleased Him to choose. And as a result, all the glory and praise belong to Him alone! We have no ground for taking any credit to ourselves. We "believed through grace" (Acts 18:27), and our election was "of grace" (Rom 11:5).

Pastor Bryan