Divine Foreknowledge
A. W. Pink
What
controversies have been engendered by this subject in the past! But what
truth of Holy Scripture is there which has not been made the occasion of
theological and ecclesiastical battles! The deity of Christ, His virgin
birth, His atoning death, His second advent; the believer's justification,
sanctification, security, the church, its organization,
officers, discipline; baptism, the Lord's supper, and a score of other
precious truths might be mentioned. Yet, the controversies which have been
waged over them did not close the mouths of God's faithful servants; why,
then, should we avoid the vexed question of God's Foreknowledge, because
forsooth, there are some who will charge us with fomenting strife! Let
others contend if they will, our duty is to bear witness according to the
light vouchsafed us.
Foreknowledge
Misunderstood
There
are two things concerning the Foreknowledge of God about which many are
in ignorance: the meaning of the term, its Scriptural scope. Because this
ignorance is so widespread, it is an easy matter for preachers and teachers
to palm off perversions of this subject, even upon the people of God. There
is only one safeguard against error, and that is to be established in the
faith; and for that, there has to be prayerful and diligent study, and
a receiving with meekness the engrafted Word of God. Only then are we fortified
against the attacks of those who assail us.
There are those today who are misusing this very truth in order to discredit
and deny the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners. Just
as higher critics are repudiating the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures;
evolutionists, the work of God in creation; so some pseudo Bible teachers
are perverting His foreknowledge in order to set aside His unconditional
election unto eternal life.
When the solemn and blessed subject of Divine foreordination is expounded,
when God's eternal choice of certain ones to be conformed to the image
of His Son is set forth, the Enemy sends along some man to argue that election
is based upon the foreknowledge of God, and this "foreknowledge" is interpreted
to mean that God foresaw certain ones would be more pliable than others,
that they would respond more readily to the strivings of the Spirit, and
that because God knew they would believe, He, accordingly, predestinated
them unto salvation. But such a statement is radically wrong. It repudiates
the truth of total depravity, for it makes His decrees rest upon what He
discovers in the creature. It completely turns things upside down, for
in saying God foresaw certain sinners would believe in Christ, and that
because of this, He predestinated them unto salvation, is the very reverse
of the truth. Scripture affirms that God, in His high sovereignty, singled
out certain ones to be recipients of His distinguishing favours ( Acts
13:48
), and therefore He determined to bestow upon them the gift of
faith. False theology makes God's foreknowledge of our believing the cause
of His election to salvation; whereas, God's election is the cause, and
our believing in Christ is the effect.
Foreknowledge
Defined
Ere
proceeding further with our discussion of this much misunderstood theme,
let us pause and define our terms. what is meant by "foreknowledge? "To
know beforehand" is the ready reply of many. But we must not jump at conclusions,
nor must we turn to Webster's dictionary as the final court of appeal,
for it is not a matter of the etymology of the term employed. What is needed
is to find out how the word is used in Scripture. The Holy Spirit's usage
of an expression always defines its meaning and scope. It is failure to
apply this simple rule which is responsible for so much confusion and error.
So many people assume they already know the signification of a certain
word used in Scripture, and then they are too dilatory to test their assumptions
by means of a concordance. Let us amplify this point.
Take the word "flesh." Its meaning appears to be so obvious that many would
regard it as a waste of time to look up its various connection in Scripture.
It is hastily assumed that the word is synonymous with the physical body,
and so no inquiry is made. But, in fact, "flesh" in Scripture frequently
includes far more than what is corporeal; all that is embraced by the term
can only be ascertained by a diligent comparison of every occurrence of
it and by a study of each separate context.
Take the word "world." The average reader of the Bible imagines this word
is the equivalent for the human race, and consequently, many passages where
the term is found are wrongly interpreted.
Take also the word "immortality." Surely it requires no study! Obviously
it has reference to the indestructibility of the soul. Ah, my reader, it
is foolish and wrong to assume anything where the Word of God is concerned.
If the reader will take the trouble to carefully examine each passage where
"mortal" and "immortal" are found, it will be seen these words are never
applied to the soul, but always to the body.
Now what has just been said on "flesh," the "world," "immortality," applies
with equal force to the terms "know" and "foreknow." Instead of imagining
that these words signify no more than a simple cognition, the different
passages in which they occur require to be carefully weighed. The word
"foreknowledge" is not found in the Old Testament. But "know" occurs there
frequently. When that term is used in connection with God, it often signifies
to regard with favor, denoting not mere cognition but an affection for
the object in view.
"I know thee by name" ( Ex. 33:17 ).
"Ye have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew thee"
( Jer. 1:5 ).
"They have made princes and I knew not" ( Hos. 8:4 ).
"You only have I known of all the families of the earth" ( Amos 3:2
).
In these passages "knew" signifies either loved or appointed.
In like manner, the word "know" is frequently used in the New Testament,
in the same sense as in the Old Testament.
"Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you" ( Matt. 7:23 ).
"I am the good shepherd and know My sheep and am known of Mine" ( John
10:14 ).
"If any man love God the same is known of Him" ( I Cor. 8:3 ).
"The Lord knoweth them that are His" ( II Tim. 2:19 ).
Foreknowledge
of PERSONS
Now
the word "foreknowledge" as it is used in the N. T. is less ambiguous than
in its simple form "to know." If every passage in which it occurs is carefully
studied, it will be discovered that it is a moot point whether it ever
has reference to the mere perception of events which are yet to take place.
The fact is that "foreknowledge" is never used in Scripture in connection
with events or actions; instead, it always has reference to persons. It
is persons God is said to "foreknow," not the actions of those persons.
In proof of this we shall now quote each passage where this expression
is found.
The first occurrence is in Acts 2:23 . There we read, "Him being
delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have
taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." If careful attention
is paid to the wording of this verse it will be seen that the apostle was
not there speaking of God's fore knowledge of the act, but of the crucified:
"Him (Christ being delivered by," etc.)
The second occurrence is in Rom. 8:29- 30 . "For whom He did fore
know, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son,
that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did
predestinate, them He also called." etc. Weigh well the pronoun that is
used here. It is not what He did foreknow., but whom He did. It is not
the surrendering of their wills nor the believing of their hearts, but
the persons themselves, which is here in view.
"God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew" ( Rom. 11:2 ).
Once more the plain reference is to persons, and to persons only.
The last mention is in I Peter 1:2 : "Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father." Who are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God
the Father"? The previous verse tells us: the reference is to the "strangers
scattered" i.e. the Diaspora, the Dispersion, the believing Jews. Thus,
here too the reference is to persons, and not to their foreseen acts.
Now in view of these passages (and there are not more) what scriptural
ground is there for anyone saying that God "foreknew" the acts of certain
ones, viz., their "repenting and believing," and that because of those
acts He elected them unto salvation? The answer is, None whatever. Scripture
never speaks of repentance and faith as being foreseen or foreknown by
God. Truly, He did know from all eternity that certain ones would repent
and believe, yet this is not what Scripture refers to as the object of
God's "foreknowledge." The word uniformly refers to God's foreknowing persons:
then let us "hold fast the forms of sound words" ( II Tim. 1:13 ).
Decree Precedes
Foreknowledge
Another
thing to which we desire to call particular attention is that the first
two passages quoted above show plainly and teach implicitly that God's
"foreknowledge" is not causative, that instead, something is His own sovereign
decree. Christ was "delivered by the (1) determinate counsel and (2) foreknowledge
of God" ( Acts 2:23 ). His "counsel" or decree was the ground of
His foreknowledge. So again in Rom. 8:29 . That verse opens with
the word "for," which tells us to look back to what immediately precedes.
What, then, does the previous verse say? This, "all things work together
for good to them ... who are the called according to His purpose." Thus
God's "foreknowledge" is based upon His "purpose" or decree (see Psalm
2:7 ).
God foreknows what will be because He has decreed what shall be. It is
therefore a reversing of the order of Scripture, a putting of the cart
before the horse, to affirm that God elects because He foreknows people.
Truth is, He "foreknows" because He has elected. This removes the ground
or cause of election from outside the creatures and place it in God's own
sovereign will. God purposed in Himself to elect a certain people, not
because of anything good in them or from them, either actual or foreseen,
but solely out of His own mere pleasure. As to why He chose the ones He
did, we do not know, and can only say, "Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in Thy sight." The plain truth of Rom. 8:29 is that God, before
the foundation of the world, singled out certain sinners and appointed
them unto salvation (I I Thess. 2:13 ). This is clear from the concluding
words of the verse: "Predestinated to be conformed to the image of His
Son," etc. God did not predestinate those whom He "foreknew were conformed,"
but, on the contrary, those whom He "foreknew", i.e., (loved and elected)
He predestinated "to be conformed." Their conformity to Christ is not the
cause, but the effect of God's foreknowledge and predestination.
Forseen Faith
Not the Cause of Election
God
did not elect any sinner because He forsaw that he would believe, for the
simple but sufficient reason that no sinner ever does believe until God
gives him faith; just as no man sees until God gives him sight. Sight is
God's gift, seeing is the consequence of my using His gift. So faith is
God's gift. If it were true that God had elected certain ones to be saved
because in due time they would believe, then that would make believing
a meritorious act, and in that event the saved sinner would have ground
for "boasting," which Scripture emphatically denies: Eph. 2:9 .
Surely God's Word is plain enough in teaching that believing is not a meritorious
act. It affirms that Christians are a people "who have believed through
grace" ( Acts 18:27 ). If, then, they have believed "through grace,"
there is absolutely nothing meritorious about "believing," and if nothing
meritorious, it could not be the ground or cause which moved God to choose
them. No; God's choice proceeds not from anything in us, or anything from
us but solely from His own sovereign pleasure. Once more, Rom. 11:5,
we read of "a remnant according to the election of grace." There it is,
plain enough; election itself is of grace. and grace is unmerited favor,
something for which we had no claim upon God whatsoever.
It thus appears that it is highly important for us to have clear and Scriptural
views of the "foreknowledge" of God. Erroneous conceptions about it lead
inevitably to thoughts most dishonouring to Him. The popular idea of Divine
foreknowledge is altogether inadequate. God not only knew the end from
the beginning but He planned, fixed, predestinated everything
from the beginning. And, as cause stands to effect, so God's purpose is
the ground of His prescience. If then the reader be a real Christian, he
is so because God chose him in Christ before the foundation of the world
( Eph. 1:4 ), and chose not because He foresaw you would believe,
but chose simply because it pleased Him to choose; chose you notwithstanding
your natural unbelief. This being so, all the glory and praise belongs
alone to Him. You have no ground for taking any credit to yourself. You
have 'believed through grace" ( Acts 18:27 ), and that, because
your very election was "of grace" ( Rom. 11:5 ).
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