Salvation’s Links Series

Now God knows everything, but how does God know us, meaning know through personal relationship? God does not know any one relationally outside of Christ Jesus. Thus God can only know man through the Cross of Christ. Then how can God have such personal knowledge of man? God can have such foreknowing or relationship knowledge of man because Christ was slain before the foundation of the world (see Rev. 13:8, 1 Pet. 1:20, Heb. 4:3). Thus God foreknew all those in Christ before the foundation of the World (Eph. 1:4).

Ephesians 1:4 says that we were chosen in Christ (also see 1 Peter 1:2). Here again foreknowledge comes before predestination and since God sovereignly chose the method of salvation and Christ as His High Priest He sovereignly chose all those who are "in Christ." God does not chose anyone outside of Christ.

God knows everything by His all-knowing. God also knew relationally in Christ all those that would accept His chosen One and His chosen means of salvation, those that would not only hear but heed the call to salvation and He predestined them to eternal life. ["The NT does not dwell heavily on predestination [mentioned twice here & 3 more times-Acts 4:28; Eph 1:5; 11], but whenever the idea occurs it is anchored in the person of Christ." [Edwards, James. New International Biblical Com. Romans. Hendrickson Publ. Peabody Mass. 1995. p 219].

Thus God foreknew those in Christ who would respond to His call and predestined them so that nothing satan or the world would do could cause even one of God’s elect to be lost. God did not chose men then slay Christ to have them. He slew Christ then chose men - before the foundation of the world. Those men He chose were "in Christ."

What is often skipped over in this step progression is that foreknowledge precedes predestination. All this confusion and rhetoric would not be needed if the Bible had simply said ‘whom He predestined He foreknew.’ But it does not, it places foreknowledge before predestination. Or if in Ephesians 1:4-5 God just said we were chosen and brought into Him, but it says we were chose while we were in Him. "Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love (5) He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will" [NAS. emphasis added].

Whatever conclusions we may reach in this matter, it should be obvious that nothing in the foreknowing or predestinating of God can deny the necessity for human responsibility and nothing that man can do will ever detract from God’s sovereignty.

II. GOD’S PREDESTINATION: Predestined to Christ’s image

Let’s now examine the second clasp in the link. "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined" (29b)

Predestined (prorisen) is to predetermine meaning "to mark out, to appoint or destine beforehand," "to prehorizon" or "to define in advance the limits" (Acts 4:28). [Hodge, Charles. Romans. Banner of Truth. Mackays. Great Britain. 285.] Predestined indicates predetermined according to the purpose and plan of God. Predestination is God’s sovereign right (Acts 4:28, 1 Cor. 2:7, Eph. 1: l1). While there is debate as to whether "foreknowledge" refers exclusively to God’s knowledge, there is no question that "predestine" speaks of the divine will. [This predestination is not a predestination to faith but a decision on God’s part] [Briscoe, S. 175 - as to the outcome of faith].