What does 1 Peter 1:20 reveal about God's foreknowledge and plan for salvation? The Text of 1 Peter 1:20 “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.” Literary Context Verses 18–21 form one sentence in Greek. The redemptive price (v. 18), Christ’s sinless blood (v. 19), foreknowledge (v. 20), and believers’ faith/hope (v. 21) flow in one movement. Foreknowledge explains why Christ is an unblemished Lamb—He was chosen for that role before any human sin occurred. Foreknowledge as Eternal Covenant Purpose Scripture consistently presents salvation as devised in eternity: • Ephesians 1:4 – “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” • 2 Timothy 1:9 – “grace … given us in Christ Jesus before time began.” The foreknowledge in 1 Peter 1:20 thus belongs to the Father’s decree, the Son’s willing acceptance (John 10:17-18), and the Spirit’s application (1 Peter 1:2). Old Testament Preparation and Typology • Genesis 3:15 promises a Serpent-crusher. • Exodus 12 introduces the Passover lamb; Jesus fulfills it (1 Corinthians 5:7). • Isaiah 53, written centuries earlier (a complete Isaiah scroll, 1QIsaᵃ, dated ~125 BC, confirms its pre-Christian wording), describes the Suffering Servant. These prophecies exhibit foreknowledge embedded in history. Historical Reliability of the Prophetic Record Dead Sea Scrolls (1947-) place the Isaiah, Psalms, and Minor Prophets manuscripts firmly before the incarnation, falsifying any charge of post-event editing. Ossuaries inscribed “Yehosef bar Qayafa,” discovered 1990, verify the historical Caiaphas (John 18). Such finds corroborate the New Testament setting in which the foreknown Lamb was “revealed.” The Lamb Revealed: Incarnation and Resurrection The revelation climaxed in the resurrection (1 Peter 1:3). Multiple converging data sets validate it: • Early creed 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 (dated within 5 years of the event). • Empty tomb attested by hostile witnesses (Matthew 28:11-15). • Transformation of skeptics (James, Paul). • Willingness of eyewitnesses to die for the claim (Acts 4-5). These “minimal facts” sustain 1 Peter’s assertion that Christ has now been “revealed”—publicly vindicated. Geological and Historical Illustrations of Rapid Formation • Mount St. Helens (1980) produced stratified layers and a canyon in days, illustrating how Flood-scale hydraulics (Genesis 7-8) could shape earth swiftly. • Polystrate tree fossils penetrating multiple coal seams imply rapid burial, not deep-time deposition. Thus “foundation of the world” need not entail eons; a young-earth timeframe remains scientifically defensible. Philosophical Implications of Divine Foreknowledge If Christ was foreknown yet freely sacrificed (Acts 2:23: “delivered over by God’s set plan and foreknowledge … you put to death”), divine sovereignty and human responsibility coexist. God’s timeless decree secures redemption; human choice appropriates it (Romans 10:9-13). Practical Assurance for Believers Because salvation predates creation, no contingency can nullify it (John 10:28-29). Foreknowledge grounds assurance (Romans 8:29-30) and mission: the Lamb was “revealed … for your sake,” compelling proclamation (1 Peter 2:9). Call to Glorify God 1 Peter 1:20 funnels history toward doxology (v. 21: “so that your faith and hope are in God”). The believer’s chief end is to glorify and enjoy the God whose eternal foresight provided the Lamb before the first dawn of time. |
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