The Foreknowledge of God

Dr. Stephen Lawson joins us today on Renewing Your Mind. What does foreknowledge mean? It means that before time began, 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.

Well, that makes a lot of people uncomfortable. God chooses who will be saved? If that's the case, does He also choose who is destined for eternal punishment? We're glad you've joined us today for Renewing Your Mind. And if you're new to the program, you can already tell that we don't shy away from controversial doctrines. That's because the Bible doesn't shy away from them. So let's join Ligonier teaching fellow, Dr. Stephen Lawson, as we continue our study of the attributes of God. 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 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 foreordained. 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. We all, 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, ìFor those whom he foreknew.î 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, ìFor those whom he foreknew.î 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 and 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 ìforeknowledgeî means. The word ìforeknowledgeî in the original language, and we would never know this in the English, the word ìforeknowledgeî is a verb with a prefix that is placed in front of the main verb. The main verb is ìgenusco,î which means ìto know,î ìto know in a personal love relationship,î ìto love in a very intimate way.î 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 ìgenuscoî is ìpro,î which means ìbefore.î It sounds like ìpre.î The word is ìprogenusco.î Pro means ìbeforehand.î The word ìforeknowledge,î ìprogenusco,î 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 ìknow,î K-N-O-W, how the word ìknowî is used as it first appears in the Scripture. This is written in the Hebrew language and instead of ìgenuscoî it's the word ìyada.î Genesis 4 verse 1, ìNow the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain.î This verb ìhad relations with.î 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, ìThe man knew his wife, and she conceived, and she gave birth.î The word ìto knowî in the Bible, K-N-O-W, means to love in the most intimate relationship where there is a close bond, 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. 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 ìfor knowledgeî, we must understand what the word ìknowî 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 ìto knowî is used synonymously with the word ìto be chosen,î ìto be chosen to be loved.î In Amos 3 and verse 2, we read, God speaking to Israel, ìYou only have I chosen among all the families of the earth.î Now, that word ìchosenî, in my Bible, there's a little one, and out in the margin it gives the proper translation of that word, and it says ìto know.î To know is to choose. To know is to choose to love.

To know is to choose to love with distinguishing love. God says, ìI 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.î The word ìto knowî means to choose to love in a very distinguishing, we would say discriminating way. 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 little verse will, as we would say in Alabama, ìrock your socks.î Okay? Matthew chapter 1 and verse 25, the sentence begins in verse 24, Matthew 1, 24, ìAnd Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife,î verse 25, ìbut kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son.î Literally, in fact, it's in the margin of my New American Standard Bible, it really means she was not known by Joseph. It's not an actual translation. It's just a dynamic equivalent at that point and it just says, ìkept her a virgin.î The word ìvirginî 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. No, you're known about.

You're just not known in an intimate, special, distinguishing, connecting love relationship. When we come to Romans 8, verse 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 the Sermon on the Mount.

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, ìEnter by the narrow gate, for the way is broad 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.î Verse 21, ìNot everyone who says to me, ìLord, Lord,î will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.î 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 in the imperative verb is ìbelieve.î Now, you either obey that or you don't obey that. The command of the gospel is ìrepent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.î 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, ìMany will say to me in that day, ìLord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?î And your name cast out demons and in your name performed many miracles. ìLord, I went to church. Lord, I taught in Sunday school.

Lord, I served you. You know me, Lord. Lord, Lord, do you remember me?î Verse 23, ìAnd then I will declare to them, ìI never knew you.îî 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, ìI never knew you?î It means we never had a relationship. I never intimately knew you. 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. ìDepart from me, you who work iniquity.î Could anything be any more obvious what the word ìnoî means, K-N-O-W? It 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 other verses here. John 10, verse 14. It's the parable of the Good Shepherd. I love this entire chapter. Jesus represents Himself to us as the Good Shepherd.

Let me just confine myself to this verse, verse 14. Jesus said, ìI am the Good Shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me.î Thatís good. Now what do you think ìnoî means? Do you think that means Jesus is saying, ìI know your social security number?

Iíve got your credit ratings?î No. When He says, ìI know you, and you know me,î He means that we have an intimate, personal, saving relationship. Itís not just that you know about me.

You actually know me. And you know whatís more important than for you to know God is for God to know you. Itís for Jesus Christ to know you. I want to ask you this question.

Weíve been together here now for a little while. Do you know the Lord? Does the Lord know you? I didnít ask you to go to church. I didnít ask you do you love Ligonier?

I didnít ask you do you know Marcyís birthday? Do you know the Lord? Does Jesus Christ know you? Because if you donít, you will hear Him say to you one day, ìDepart from me, you who work iniquity.î 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, ìMy sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.î Ginosko, to know means to have a saving love relationship with. 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 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 Lambís 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.î Thatís what the word ìforeknowledgeî means. Come to Acts 2, verse 23. There are a few places in the Bible where foreknowledge is synonymous with foreordination, which is just a synonym for predestination. And in Acts 2, verse 23, as Peter is preaching on the day of Pentecost, in verse 23, he throws out this heavy.

He goes down deep. This wasnít a little Gospel ditty wanting easy believism and putting out some cheap grace. This was a strong message. And he says in verse 23, ìThis man,î referring to Jesus Christ, ìdelivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.î 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 Calvaryís cross. And as Jesus went to the cross, He was foreloved 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 Heís going to do. Oh, my goodness, they just arrested Him. Oh, my word, they just took Him before Pilate. Whatís going to happen?

Whatís this? He has a cross in His hand. Oh, Heís having to give it to Simon.

He canít carry it. Oh, this situationís out of control. I foresee this now. Well, I guess I better make lemonade out of lemons. Iíll just adopt this and make this my plan of salvation because everything got out of control. You know what? Thatís just blasphemy.

Letís just call it for what it is. Itís blasphemy. Now, God the Father had set His heart upon Godís 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 1 Peter 1, verse 2. 1 Peter 1, verse 2, turn to it as quickly as you can, and I want you to see foreknowledge used twice in the same chapter. 1 Peter 1, verses 1 and 2, ìPeter, 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.î And someone will go, ìOh, wait a minute.

Itís foreknowledge, that is the controlling factor, unchosen. Not so fast.î Turn to verse 20 before you answer that way. In verse 20 we read, ìFor He, the antecedent of He, is at the end of the previous verse,î verse 19, ìChrist, the blood of Christ.î ìFor He,î this is referring to Jesus Christ, ìwas foreknown before the foundation of the world.î 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 that He would then integrate that into His plan, whatever that would be? Heíll 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, youíre going to 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. And 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 all of the elect. Now Romans 9 verse 13 says, ìJacob I loved and Esau I hated.î It sounds like distinguishing love to me. In love, He predestined us to the adoption of sons. What does foreknowledge mean?

It couldnít be any more clear. It means those whom He foreloved, whom He chose to love in eternity past with a distinguishing affection. Those whom He foreknew, He predestined and 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 weíre 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.

Whatís this crown doing on my head? It is back at your feet. This is the meaning of the foreknowledge of God. The doctrine of Godís foreknowledge. When we understand it correctly, it should bring about great humility on our part.

God chose without considering any goodness on our part. As the apostle Paul said, our salvation is not a result of works so that no one can boast. Weíre sharing portions of Dr. Stephen Lawsonís series The Attributes of God this week here on Renewing Your Mind, and we are glad youíve joined us. As weíve discovered this week, God has revealed Himself perfectly in the pages of Scripture. Dr. Lawsonís series features sixteen lectures that help us understand Godís sovereignty, His holiness, His wisdom, and yes, even His wrath. For your donation of any amount today, we will send you the two DVD set. Just request it when you call 800-435-4343 or when you go online to renewingyourmind.org.

Godís foreknowledge is misunderstood and even denied in some circles, so itís comforting to know what Godís Word says about it. If youíd like to encourage friends or family members to listen to Dr. Lawsonís message today, itís easy to do. Just point them to our website, renewingyourmind.org. Theyíll be able to stream todayís program and find an archive of past programs as well.

Listening is free when you go to renewingyourmind.org. Well, earlier I mentioned the wrath of God, and that will be Dr. Lawsonís focus tomorrow. Hereís a preview. His mercy holds back the wrath. Itís as though the pressure is intensifying and intensifying the longer that itís held back. And when at last that dam of mercy gives way, the wrath of God will come like a tsunami upon sinners and drown them and overwhelm them. Itís against that backdrop that weíre able to recognize the grace of God. I hope youíll join us Friday for Renewing Your Mind.