How does 1 Peter 1:20 emphasize God's foreknowledge in Christ's redemptive plan? Christ Chosen Before Creation 1 Peter 1:20: “He was known before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake.” • “Known” (Greek: proginōskō) literally means “fore-known, fore-ordained.” • “Before the foundation of the world” plants Christ’s saving work firmly in eternity past—long before sin ever entered the garden. • God did not improvise after humanity fell; He had already, knowingly and lovingly, singled out His Son as the Lamb. Foreknowledge: God’s Omniscient Initiative • Foreknowledge is more than foresight; it is God’s purposeful determination in advance. • Scripture presents it as an intimate, decisive choice—God actively setting His affection on His Son as the Redeemer. • Because God’s knowledge is perfect and exhaustive, nothing can derail the plan He set in motion before time began. Unfolding the Hidden Plan “in the Last Times” • The eternal plan became visible when Jesus stepped into history—incarnation, cross, resurrection, ascension. • “Revealed” highlights God’s timing: what was settled in eternity is unwrapped in human history exactly when He intends. • “For your sake” drives the point home: divine foreknowledge is not abstract theology but the believer’s personal rescue story. Supporting Witnesses from the Rest of Scripture • Acts 2:23—“This Man was handed over by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge.” • Ephesians 1:4—“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” • Revelation 13:8—“The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” • Isaiah 46:10—God declares “the end from the beginning… My purpose will stand.” • John 17:24—Jesus speaks of the Father’s love “before the foundation of the world.” Taken together, these verses echo Peter’s claim: redemption was eternally settled in the counsel of God. Personal Implications: Security in a Pre-Planned Redemption • Assurance—Our salvation rests not on shifting human effort but on an unchanging, pre-cosmic decree. • Worship—Seeing the ages-long scope of God’s plan fuels awe and gratitude. • Confidence—History is not random; every event moves under the sovereign hand that already secured our salvation in Christ. |
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