Root Words | The Attributes of God – Foreknowledge

Hello friends. This is Bill Daly from Bitterroot Valley Calvary Chapel with this week’s episode of Root Words. We’re continuing our series this week on The Attributes of God. As I noted last week, one of the most important aspects of our walk with the Lord is that we are called to KNOW God. The second most important aspect of our walk with Christ is that, knowing more OF Him, that we are then TRANSFORMED by that knowledge. Knowledge is wonderful. But it’s not enough. See, the word of God doesn’t JUST inform us, it provides the possibility of transformation, through the word of God, by the Spirit of God. We are after all, called to be conformed to the image of Christ. But how can we do that when we don’t really KNOW the God we serve? And I’m speaking about knowing His nature, His character, and His divine attributes. 

Now, if you joined us last week, we spent just a few moments talking about the “Knowledge” of God. This week, we are going to examine:

The Foreknowledge of God: This is perhaps one of the most controversial of God’s attributes because this attribute of God deals with predestination; a hot topic of debate among theologians of different schools of thought, among the varying denominations, Arminians and Calvinists, and so on. There are a number of scriptural references that deal with God’s foreknowledge but I think Romans 8:29 is a helpful place to start. 1 Peter as well. 

See, God, in His high sovereignty, has singled out certain ones to be recipients of His distinguishing favor in the matter of salvation and therefore He determined to bestow upon them the gift of faith. God’s election is the cause and our believing in Christ is the effect. Let me explain: Foreknowledge is never used in Scripture in connection with events or actions, instead it ALWAYS has reference to persons. It is persons that God is said to “foreknow”, not the actions of those persons. God foreknows what will be because He has decreed what should be. He foreknows because He has elected. This removes the grounds or cause of election from outside the us, the creature, and places it in God’s own sovereign will. God elected certain people not because of anything good in them or from them, either actual or foreseen, but solely out of His own mere pleasure. If we are in Christ, it is so because God chose us in Christ before the foundations of the world.

God’s foreknowledge is a great comfort when it comes to our own eternal security, those of who are truly in Christ, and I think it’s helpful to look at our salvation in the light of God’s foreknowledge. If, as some Christians maintain, that salvation can be forfeited, it would then be obvious that God’s grace lacks everlasting power, that the life He bestows on believers is not eternal. A believer’s hope therefore could only be temporary. He would be in continual danger of losing salvation, because it would be dependent on his own faithfulness and power to avoid sin that would cast him back into lostness. If that were true, one’s own power to sin would be greater than God’s power to save, and any testimony given to unbelievers to bring them to salvation would be undermined. 

Let’s look at the passage from Romans 8:29-30 that I mentioned a moment ago. [Read]. What a glorious security we have BECAUSE God foreknew us. Not because of anything we have done, or anything we had potential to do. But because of WHO GOD IS. Let that marinate in our hearts and cause us to worship Him all the more deeply and sincerely, who alone deserves all honor and glory and praise. Well, I hope that’s given you something to chew on, hopefully that blesses you. Until I see you again, have a wonderful week in the Lord. God bless you.