Topical Bible: God: Foreknowledge of

◄ God: Foreknowledge of ►

Jump to: Nave's • Greek • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of God's foreknowledge is a profound and intricate aspect of His divine nature, reflecting His omniscience and sovereignty over all creation. In the Scriptures, God's foreknowledge is closely linked to His eternal purpose and plan, encompassing both His knowledge of future events and His intimate awareness of individuals and their destinies.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible presents God's foreknowledge as an integral part of His omniscience. In Isaiah 46:9-10 , God declares, "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose.’" This passage underscores God's ability to know and declare future events, affirming His sovereign control over history.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul speaks of God's foreknowledge in the context of salvation. Romans 8:29 states, "For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers." Here, foreknowledge is linked to God's predestining work, indicating a relational and purposeful knowledge that goes beyond mere foresight.

Theological Implications

God's foreknowledge is not passive or detached; rather, it is active and purposeful. It is not merely a prediction of future events but involves God's sovereign will and plan. This is evident in 1 Peter 1:2 , where believers are described as "chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with His blood." This passage highlights the intimate connection between God's foreknowledge and His redemptive purposes.

The doctrine of God's foreknowledge raises important questions about human free will and divine sovereignty. While God's foreknowledge encompasses all events and decisions, it does not negate human responsibility. The Bible affirms both God's sovereign foreknowledge and human accountability, as seen in Acts 2:23 , where Peter speaks of Jesus being "delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross."

Foreknowledge and Election

The relationship between God's foreknowledge and election is a significant theological theme. In Ephesians 1:4-5 , Paul writes, "For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will." This passage suggests that God's foreknowledge is intertwined with His electing grace, emphasizing His initiative in the salvation of individuals.

Foreknowledge and Prophecy

God's foreknowledge is also evident in biblical prophecy. The prophets of the Old Testament, under divine inspiration, foretold events that would come to pass, demonstrating God's knowledge of the future. In Isaiah 42:9 , God declares, "Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you." This prophetic foreknowledge serves to authenticate God's sovereignty and the reliability of His word.

Conclusion

The foreknowledge of God is a testament to His infinite wisdom and sovereign control over all things. It assures believers of His purposeful plan and His intimate involvement in their lives, providing comfort and confidence in His unchanging nature and promises.

Nave's Topical Index

1 Samuel 23:10-12
Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.
Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 42:9
Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 44:7
And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them show to them.
Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 45:11
Thus said the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command you me.
Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 46:9,10
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 48:3,5,6
I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.
Nave's Topical Index

Daniel 2:28,29
But there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets, and makes known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head on your bed, are these;
Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 6:8
Be not you therefore like to them: for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him.
Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 24:36
But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Nave's Topical Index

Acts 15:18
Known to God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Nave's Topical Index

Romans 8:29
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Nave's Topical Index

Romans 11:2
God has not cast away his people which he foreknew. Know you not what the scripture said of Elias? how he makes intercession to God against Israel saying,
Nave's Topical Index

1 Peter 1:2
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you, and peace, be multiplied.
Nave's Topical Index

Greek

4268. prognosis -- foreknowledge
... 4268 () occurs twice in the NT, both times of "God's absolute ." See 4267 (). Word
Origin from proginosko Definition foreknowledge NASB Word Usage ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4268.htm - 7k

3724. horizo -- to mark off by boundaries, to determine
... comes from 3724 (), "to set ." 4309 ("-horizon, -determine") emphasizes God's with,
as operating in His perfect wisdom, absolute foreknowledge, etc.).]. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3724.htm - 8k

Library

God's Foreknowledge.
... Homily III. Chapter XLIII."God's Foreknowledge. "But if Adam, being the work
of God, had foreknowledge, much more the God who created him. ...
/.../unknown/the clementine homilies/chapter xliii gods foreknowledge.htm

Answer to Objections: Man's Freewill and God's Foreknowledge
... CHAPTER IV ANSWER TO OBJECTIONS: MAN'S FREEWILL AND GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE.
ANSWER TO OBJECTIONS: MAN'S FREEWILL AND GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE ...
/.../origen/origen on prayer/chapter iv answer to objections .htm

victor Entangles Himself in an Exceedingly Difficult Question. ...
... God's Foreknowledge is No Cause of Sin. In ... purpose. For God's foreknowledge
only marks beforehand those sinners whom He purposes to heal. ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 7 vii victor entangles himself.htm

Whether the Prophets See the Very Essence of God?
... God, for a gloss on Is.38:1, "Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die and
not live," says: "Prophets can read in the book of God's foreknowledge in which ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the prophets see the.htm

Whether There was any Other Possible Way of Human Deliverance ...
... For since it is impossible for God's foreknowledge to be deceived and His will or
ordinance to be frustrated, then, supposing God's foreknowledge and ordinance ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether there was any other.htm

Whether Anyone May be Blotted Out of the Book of Life?
... Dei xx, 15): "God's foreknowledge, which cannot be deceived, is the book of life."
But nothing can be taken away from the foreknowledge of God, nor from ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether anyone may be blotted.htm

Against the Preaching of Predestination the Same Objections May be ...
... and from confessing the predestination of the saints in accordance therewith, even
as we are not deterred from confessing God's foreknowledge, although one ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 38 xv against the preaching.htm

Concerning the Foreknowledge of God and the Free Will of Man, in ...
... And further, if it is not true that all things happen just as they have been foreknown
by Him, there is not, says he, in God any foreknowledge of future events ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 9 concerning the foreknowledge of.htm

A Treatise on the Gift of Perseverance,
... which they make against predestination, he shows that the same objections may be
twisted in no unlike manner either against God's foreknowledge or against that ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/a treatise on the gift.htm

The Purpose for which God in his Foreknowledge Created Persons who ...
... Book IV. Chapter XXI."The purpose for which God in His foreknowledge
created persons who would sin and not repent. God in His ...
/.../john/exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter xxi the purpose for which.htm