Foreknown and Eternity
Foreknown and Eternity
In this post we will be looking at the ways some have tried to reject the Biblical view that God saves his own elect people because of his own sovereign choice.
But first I want to deal with the word "Foreknown" as many try to convert this word to mean "Foreseen". The easiest way to study this is to answer these three questions,
Does God’s foreknowledge determine what he decrees or does God’s decree determines what he foreknows?
Does God foreknow because he foreordains or does he foreordain because he foreknows?
Is being chosen in Christ from eternity based on what God’s foresees or what he foreordains?
The answer is quite simple, if all who has existed from eternity was God, then everything created has been made and planned according to how God has decreed (Willed it to be).
To often is the "God looked into the future and saw who would choose him statement made. But this is false as this would portray God as passively taking in knowledge from an out side source. Romans 9;11 tells us that election has done before anyone had done anything good or bad or were even born.
But in eternity God was all there was, he was not influenced in his will. God decrees what he wants. Also the word foreknow does not mean to foresee. The verb speaks of a personal choice on the part of the subject. It refers to the choice to enter into a relationship with someone. In this case, in eternity past God chose to enter into a personal relationship with his elect people, even before bringing them into existence.
Scripture makes it clear it is not based on foresight as John 1;13 says that "We are born (talking of salvation) not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. So then he has mercy on whom he desires, and hardens whom he desires (Rom. 9; 16-18). Romans 9 is clear that it is God who makes out of the same lump of clay one vessel for salvation and the other for hell.
If the truth was that God chooses what he foresees, then the creatures are by default the sovereigns of the universe, since their wills and actions are ultimate. God becomes a mere servant of the creature, reacting rather than reigning.
I want us now to look at two main scripture passages which confirm Gods; elect people from eternity, Romans 8; 29 –33 and Ephesians 1; 4-11. Throughout looking at this passage we will relate there meaning to John 6; 37 about being those the Father has given to the Son for salvation.
"For those whom he foreknow, he (God) also predestined to become conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren." (Rom 8; 29)
This passage starts out telling us that, those he foreknow, he (God) chose to have a personal saving relationship with from eternity, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. As we have already seen foreknown is not about foreseeing, as it would make no sense of predestination. As it would then be saying those God know who would believe, so he predestined them. But what would that make the word "predestined" to mean. If God knows they will believe, why does he have to predestine it. The truth is God is predestinating because this is what he has chosen to take place. He has chosen to bestow his love on these people and predestinate them to be conformed to the image of his Son. These who are predestined will without fail be conformed to the image of Christ.
One thing is for sure that this is not the whole world, so why would Jesus die for the whole wide world? The truth is he doesn’t for salvation anyway.
"These whom he predestined, he also called, and these whom he called, he also justified; and whom he justified, he also glorified". (Rom 8; 30)
It is clear that all those who are predestined are the one who are called to Christ. It is these that the Father in John 6; 37 is giving to the Son for salvation. If Jesus has called every one and died for everyone then every one would be predestined to be saved. This is of course false.
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us. He did not spare his own Son, but delivered him over for us all, how will he not also with him freely give us all things. For who will bring a charge against God’s elect" (Rom 8; 31-33)
Those that John 6 says the Father gave the Son are also those the father did spare his Son for, but delivered him up for his Elect chosen people.
In my next post we will look at Ephesians 1 and then the verse’ that say "God desires all to be saved"
In this post we will be looking at the ways some have tried to reject the Biblical view that God saves his own elect people because of his own sovereign choice.
But first I want to deal with the word "Foreknown" as many try to convert this word to mean "Foreseen". The easiest way to study this is to answer these three questions,
Does God’s foreknowledge determine what he decrees or does God’s decree determines what he foreknows?
Does God foreknow because he foreordains or does he foreordain because he foreknows?
Is being chosen in Christ from eternity based on what God’s foresees or what he foreordains?
The answer is quite simple, if all who has existed from eternity was God, then everything created has been made and planned according to how God has decreed (Willed it to be).
To often is the "God looked into the future and saw who would choose him statement made. But this is false as this would portray God as passively taking in knowledge from an out side source. Romans 9;11 tells us that election has done before anyone had done anything good or bad or were even born.
But in eternity God was all there was, he was not influenced in his will. God decrees what he wants. Also the word foreknow does not mean to foresee. The verb speaks of a personal choice on the part of the subject. It refers to the choice to enter into a relationship with someone. In this case, in eternity past God chose to enter into a personal relationship with his elect people, even before bringing them into existence.
Scripture makes it clear it is not based on foresight as John 1;13 says that "We are born (talking of salvation) not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. So then he has mercy on whom he desires, and hardens whom he desires (Rom. 9; 16-18). Romans 9 is clear that it is God who makes out of the same lump of clay one vessel for salvation and the other for hell.
If the truth was that God chooses what he foresees, then the creatures are by default the sovereigns of the universe, since their wills and actions are ultimate. God becomes a mere servant of the creature, reacting rather than reigning.
I want us now to look at two main scripture passages which confirm Gods; elect people from eternity, Romans 8; 29 –33 and Ephesians 1; 4-11. Throughout looking at this passage we will relate there meaning to John 6; 37 about being those the Father has given to the Son for salvation.
"For those whom he foreknow, he (God) also predestined to become conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren." (Rom 8; 29)
This passage starts out telling us that, those he foreknow, he (God) chose to have a personal saving relationship with from eternity, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. As we have already seen foreknown is not about foreseeing, as it would make no sense of predestination. As it would then be saying those God know who would believe, so he predestined them. But what would that make the word "predestined" to mean. If God knows they will believe, why does he have to predestine it. The truth is God is predestinating because this is what he has chosen to take place. He has chosen to bestow his love on these people and predestinate them to be conformed to the image of his Son. These who are predestined will without fail be conformed to the image of Christ.
One thing is for sure that this is not the whole world, so why would Jesus die for the whole wide world? The truth is he doesn’t for salvation anyway.
"These whom he predestined, he also called, and these whom he called, he also justified; and whom he justified, he also glorified". (Rom 8; 30)
It is clear that all those who are predestined are the one who are called to Christ. It is these that the Father in John 6; 37 is giving to the Son for salvation. If Jesus has called every one and died for everyone then every one would be predestined to be saved. This is of course false.
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us. He did not spare his own Son, but delivered him over for us all, how will he not also with him freely give us all things. For who will bring a charge against God’s elect" (Rom 8; 31-33)
Those that John 6 says the Father gave the Son are also those the father did spare his Son for, but delivered him up for his Elect chosen people.
In my next post we will look at Ephesians 1 and then the verse’ that say "God desires all to be saved"
posted by Rich7 at 4:17 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home