Foreknowledge: God’s Special Love For Us

The English words translated “foreknow” and “foreknowledge” are from the Greek verb “proginosko” and the noun “prognosis.” The verb proginosko is used five times in the New Testament (Romans 8:29, 11:2; Acts 26:5; 1 Peter 1:20; 2 Peter 3:17), while the noun prognosis is found twice (Acts 2:23; 1 Peter 1:2). These words are compound words, “pro” meaning before and “ginosko” or “gnosis” both meaning knowledge, thus knowing something beforehand. However, the Bible uses these words in a way that goes beyond God just simply knowing the future. The Bible is clear that God knows every future event exhaustively and ordains those events according to His good pleasure (Ephesians 1:11). But these words have a deeper meaning. This can be seen by breaking these words down and seeing how they have been used. The Greek words “ginosko” and “gnosis,” both find their linguistic counterpart in the Hebrew word “yada.” This Hebrew term is used in the sense of knowing with experience or intimacy. For example, it is used of knowing good from evil (Genesis 3:5), of sexual relations in marriage (Genesis 4:1) and of knowing the one true God (1 Samuel 3:7). Amos 3:2 has God is speaking to Israel and He says, You only have I known (yada) of all the families of the earth. Does God only know of the nation of Israel on earth? Of course not; God knows all nations, but God chose to set His affection only upon Israel out of the all the families of the earth. Jeremiah 1:5, Before I formed you in the womb I knew (yada) you. God in His infinite knowledge, knew Jeremiah, loved him, chose him and predetermined his ministry as a prophet before he was born.

With this background in mind, you come to the New Testament and find the words for foreknowledge are pregnant with the meaning of yada. For example, in Acts 26:5 the word proginosko is used of human knowledge. This obviously excludes future knowledge since humans do not know the future. Paul, in his defense before Festus and Agrippa, discusses his own life and the fact that all the Jews have known him. He says in Acts 26:4-5, 4 All Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem 5 since they have known (proginosko) about me for a long time. Clearly the word is used here to mean relational knowledge. They knew Paul from the time he was young because he lived in their neighborhood. It is knowledge gained from experience.

In 1 Peter 1:20, Peter states of Christ, For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you. How was Christ foreknown? In the sense that God ordained Him to come and accomplish redemption on the cross and resurrection (Acts 2:23-24). The word is used in the sense of God having a prior loving relationship with Christ and planning His future work on behalf of sinful humanity. This was all in the mystery of the holy Trinity before time began. 

When you look at Romans 8:29, you understand that God foreknew certain people in a personal relationship that originates in God Himself. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. How did God foreknow those whom he would predestine? He knows them with an intimate knowledge in eternity past and then predestines their life in the future. It is the verb form used here meaning it is an action done by God. Foreknowledge is not a passive response to choices we make in the future as God see us. Rather, Almighty God, in an intentional act of sheer grace, loves certain people and sets His affection on them before time began. The thought of this is so powerful and special that believers should be blown away by it. God has done this for us by His sovereign grace and goodness. We can only respond in worship, praise and glory to His name.