DIVINE
FOREKNOWLEDGE
"Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain." -- Acts 2:23
If you would understand the meaning of the
word "foreknowledge" as it relates to God, you must consult
the Bible, not a dictionary. The meaning of the word is determined by the Holy
Spirit's usage of it. Here are four things the Bible teaches about God's
foreknowledge.
1.
IN
THE BIBLE THE WORDS "KNOW," "KNOWLEDGE," AND
"FOREKNOWLEDGE" MEAN MUCH MORE THAN "AWARENESS OF"
WHEN THEY REFER TO GOD.
Though the word "foreknowledge"
is not used in the Old Testament, the word know is often used to describe God's
gracious favor of and affection for his people (Ex. 33:17; Deut. 9:24; Jer.
1:5; Amos 3:2). This word, "know", is used in the same way in
the New Testament (Matt. 7:23; John 10:14; 1 Cor.8:3; 2 Tim. 2:19). God's
knowledge of his elect is his special, distinguishing love for them.
2.
GOD'S
FOREKNOWLEDGE IS NEVER RELATED TO EVENTS, THINGS, OR ACTS, BUT ALWAYS TO PEOPLE.
God the father foreknew Christ as our
Surety and Substitute (Acts 2:23). And he foreknew his elect as his sons in
Christ (Rom. 8:28-30; 11:2; 1 Pet. 1:2). In every place where “foreknowledge”
is mentioned, it refers not to what people would do, but to people themselves.
In every place the word "foreknowledge" means
"foreloved," "foreordained," "foreaccepted," and
"foreapproved."
3.
THE
BASIS OF GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE IS HIS OWN ETERNAL DECREE.
God's foreknowledge is not the cause of
his decree, but just the reverse. His decree is the cause of his foreknowledge.
God's foreknowledge of Christ as our Substitute was the result of his
determinate counsel that Christ be our Substitute (Acts 2:23). His
foreknowledge of us as his sons was the result of his decree of election by
which he purposed to make us his sons (Rom. 8:28-30).
4.
DIVINE
FOREKNOWLEDGE IS A SOURCE OF GREAT COMFORT AND CHEER TO GOD'S PEOPLE IN THIS
WORLD.
If foreknowledge were nothing but what God
foreknew we would do or be by our own free-will, what comfort could we find in
it? Thank God, it is not so. But when we understand, according to the
Scriptures, that God's foreknowledge is his immutable love and approval of us
in Christ, our hearts rejoice (2 Tim. 2:19). Those whom God foreknew he will
never cast away (Rom. 11:2). In the midst of great trial our hearts are
sustained by God's foreknowledge (Nah. 1:7). We rejoice in our knowledge of
God. But our hope and confidence is in God's foreknowledge of us.