The concept of foreknowledge is an important one in the Bible. At a basic level, foreknowledge refers to God’s knowledge of events and circumstances before they come to pass. God, being eternal and omniscient, is outside of time and not limited by it like human beings are. As such, He can see the past, present, and future simultaneously. Several verses in Scripture attest to God’s foreknowledge.
Isaiah 46:10 states, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'” This verse indicates that God declares from ancient times what will yet happen in the future. Being sovereign over time, God can reveal aspects of the future beforehand, demonstrating His omniscience.
In Isaiah 42:9, God says, “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” This verse again attests to God’s capability to foretell future events accurately before they occur. Examples of God demonstrating His foreknowledge include prophecies concerning Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection hundreds of years before He came on the scene.
Acts 2:23 also testifies to God’s foreknowledge with respect to Jesus: “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” Here, Peter indicates that Christ’s crucifixion happened according to God’s set plan and foreknowledge.
Romans 8:29 similarly states, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” This verse ties God’s foreknowledge to His sovereign election and predestination of the saints. It conveys the idea that God, in His omniscience, foreknew who would respond in faith to the gospel call.
Ephesians 1:4 also makes this connection: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” God’s sovereign choice of the elect was in accordance with His foreknowledge of who would exercise faith in Christ.
From these verses, we see that foreknowledge means more than just knowing future events. It pertains to God’s intimate, relational knowledge of His people even before they are created. The apostle Paul alludes to this in Romans 11:2 when he talks about those “God foreknew.” It refers to those God set His covenant love upon ahead of time.
At the same time, Scripture cautions against thinking God’s foreknowledge eliminates human free will and responsibility. In Acts 2:23, Peter assigns responsibility to those who put Christ to death, even though it was according to God’s set plan and foreknowledge. God’s foreknowledge encompasses how people will freely respond, but it does not coerce their responses. His omniscience includes knowing future contingencies, not just certainties.
Foreknowledge also relates to election in that God does not elect people arbitrarily or randomly. Rather, He elects people based on His foreknowledge of their hearts and how they would respond to the gospel offer. 1 Peter 1:1-2 brings these aspects together by addressing the elect who were “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” Foreknowledge thus provides an important basis for God’s elective purposes.
In summary, foreknowledge refers to God’s sovereign knowledge of all events, circumstances, and people’s decisions before they come to be. It encompasses His ability to foretell certain aspects of the future accurately. Foreknowledge also relates to God’s covenant love for and election of His people even before they exist. At the same time, God’s foreknowledge does not diminish human freedom and accountability.
Beyond these core aspects, Bible scholars examine foreknowledge from different theological perspectives. The two main views are the Augustinian-Calvinist view and the Middle Knowledge view. Let’s look at each.
The Augustinian-Calvinist View of Foreknowledge
The Augustinian-Calvinist position emphasizes God’s active decree in what comes to pass, including people’s salvation. Named for its main early proponents, Augustine and later, John Calvin, this view sees foreknowledge as God foreknowing His own sovereign decrees. In other words, events happen because God decrees them, not just God foreknowing what will happen. As prominent Reformed theologian R.C. Sproul explains, “God foreknows what will happen because He decreed what will happen.”
From this perspective, God’s foreknowledge is based on His foreordination. He foreknows the elect because He predestined them to salvation, not the other way around. Romans 8:29-30 lays out this order – those God foreknew He also predestined, called, justified, and glorified. God’s foreknowledge of the elect is due to His choice to set His saving love upon them from eternity past.
Similarly, 1 Peter 1:2 indicates that election is “according to the foreknowledge of God.” Foreknowledge in this sense means God’s special love relationship with His people prior to creating them, not merely foreseeing their faith. The emphasis is on God’s active, sovereign election as the basis for what He foreknows.
Hence, Augustinian-Calvinists see foreknowledge and predestination as intimate and inseparable realities. Foreknowledge is rooted in God’s eternal choice to enter into covenant relationship with the elect. It flows entirely out of God’s grace and good pleasure, not human initiative.
This view also distinguishes between passive foreknowledge (simply knowing future events) and active foreknowledge (determining future events). Active foreknowledge is tied inextricably to God’s sovereign decrees. Some within this camp even call into question God’s passive foreknowledge of future free contingencies that are not divinely decreed. They emphasize God’s foreknowledge being qualitatively different than human foreknowledge.
Put simply, from an Augustinian-Calvinist perspective, foreknowledge stems from foreordination. God foreknows the elect because in His sovereign good pleasure, He predestined them to salvation from eternity past. His omniscience is inseparably linked to the active decree by which He works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11).
Middle Knowledge View of Foreknowledge
The Middle Knowledge perspective offers a different take on divine foreknowledge. It seeks to uphold a robust view of God’s sovereignty alongside meaningful human freedom and responsibility. This view is named for the concept of middle knowledge, proposed by 16th century Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina.
Middle knowledge refers to God’s knowledge of what free creatures would do in any hypothetical situation that is logically possible. This is an aspect of omniscience distinct from God’s knowledge of all possibilities (natural knowledge) and His decree of what will come to pass (free knowledge). Middle knowledge exists between them, as God’s knowledge of what creatures would freely do if they were placed in particular circumstances.
On this perspective, God’s active decree does not determine all events directly. Rather, God uses His middle knowledge to order events and circumstances in line with what He knows free creatures will freely do. Molina described it as follows: “By means of this middle knowledge, God knew in his providence how we would make use of our free will before he arranged the circumstances and, beginning with the highest grade of grace, he prepared the graces with which he decided to endow us.”
In other words, God incorporates the self-determined contingencies known via middle knowledge into His sovereign arrangement of reality. He ordains circumstances knowing already how humans will freely respond in various situations. This provides a basis for God to actively order the world while upholding meaningful human freedom and responsibility.
Regarding foreknowledge and election, proponents of middle knowledge argue that God’s foreknowledge of the elect refers to foreknowing their faith in Christ, not foreordaining their salvation. Romans 8:29 says God foreknew persons, not just facts. Acts 2:23 and 1 Peter 1:2 also pair foreknowledge with their choice to repent and believe.
From this angle, election is based on God’s foreknowledge of human response. God orders events and circumstances knowing who will freely embrace Christ when confronted with the gospel. He elects and predestines people based on the faith He foresees them freely exercising by His grace enabling their response. This view attempts to reconcile divine sovereignty and human freedom through God utilizing middle knowledge.
In summary, middle knowledge proposes that God’s omniscience includes hypothetically knowing how creatures would freely choose in any given set of circumstances. On this view, God’s foreknowledge involves foreseeing human free actions, including whether people embrace Christ through faith. God then intricately coordinates circumstances based on this knowledge to perfectly accomplish His sovereign purposes, including the salvation of those He foreknows will believe.
Examining Key Differences Between the Views
The Augustinian-Calvinist and Middle Knowledge views differ primarily on the logical order of divine foreknowledge and election. Augustinian-Calvinists see foreknowledge as stemming from foreordination – God foreknows people because He chose them. Those holding to middle knowledge argue instead that God’s foreknowledge of human free choices is logically prior to election. He elects based on what He foreknows people will freely do.
Augustinian-Calvinists emphasize God’s active decree as the basis for all events. Middle knowledge proponents say God allows some events to be determined by free creatures even if God foreknows them. This relates to debates over the distinction between active vs. passive foreknowledge and between determinism vs. libertarian free will.
Different interpretations of biblical words like “foreknow” also factor into these discussions. Calvinists interpret “foreknow” to mean foreloved or foreordained rather than simply foreseen. Proponents of middle knowledge argue “foreknow” in passages like Romans 8:29 refer straightforwardly to foreseeing human actions.
There are also differences regarding God’s relationship to time. Those holding to middle knowledge say God transcends time but can operate within its parameters and sequence. Augustinian-Calvinists are more apt to emphasize God being wholly outside of time in an eternal present, with the temporal order having no ultimate bearing on His decrees.
Despite their disagreements, both views uphold essential tenets of Christian orthodoxy. Both camps adamantly affirm that God has exhaustive foreknowledge of all things. Both hold that God unchangeably decrees whatsoever comes to pass. Both perspectives also maintain that God’s foreknowledge does not undermine genuine human freedom and moral responsibility.
Within orthodox Christianity, there is room for ongoing discussion around the logical order of foreknowledge and election and the precise nature of God’s relationship to time. Sincere followers of Christ ascribing to these views can still affirm core doctrines pertaining to God’s sovereignty, omniscience, and human responsibility.
Key Principles Derived from the Biblical Concept of Foreknowledge
While interpreting foreknowledge has some flexibility within Christian orthodoxy, Scripture places certain parameters around acceptable views. As such, several vital principles emerge from the biblical material:
- God has exhaustive foreknowledge of future events, human decisions, and His own sovereign decrees.
- God foretells certain aspects of the future as evidence of His omniscience.
- God’s foreknowledge demonstrates that He is outside of time and not limited by it.
- God’s foreknowledge encompasses fate-determined events as well as future contingencies.
- God’s foreknowledge does not diminish human freedom or moral accountability.
- God’s election is in accordance with His foreknowledge, however the logical order is understood.
- God’s foreknowledge stems from His love-relationship with His people prior to creation.
- God foreknowing events does not mean He actively causes all events.
In deriving principles from biblical teaching on foreknowledge, caution must be exercised not to demand more precision than Scripture itself provides. Human limitations must be acknowledged in attempting to understand God’s infinite mind and active decree. Even while calling for humility, these principles provide helpful guardrails for grasping a doctrine that is ultimately anchored in God’s omniscience and eternality.
Practical Implications of Foreknowledge
While debates around foreknowledge can quickly become abstract and complex, this doctrine also has vital practical implications for the Christian life. Reflecting on biblical teaching around God’s foreknowledge yields several key applications:
- Worship – God’s omniscience and eternality should evoke awe, wonder, and worship. Foreknowledge highlights His transcendence and incomparability to humans.
- Trust – God’s exhaustive foreknowledge instills confidence that He is in complete control. He knows the past, present and future simultaneously.
- Hope – God having foretold many aspects of Jesus’ life gives assurance that all His promises will come true.
- Perseverance – If God foreknows His elect, they can have assurance He will preserve them in faith to the end.
- Evangelism – Just as God foreknew in Scripture who would believe, He foreknows who will yet believe through gospel outreach.
- Humility – Accepting the limits of human knowledge against the backdrop of divine omniscience breeds humility.
Meditating on God’s foreknowledge provides motivation to live more fully for Him out of gratitude for electing undeserved sinners. His intimate foreknowledge of each person is both comforting and spurring. While leading to worship, foreknowledge also impels Christlike living in response to the God who knew us and chose us before time began.
Conclusion
The theological concept of God’s foreknowledge provides a window into His omniscience and intimate relationship with His people. Core aspects of foreknowledge emphasized in Scripture include God knowing future events, foretelling the future, seeing what people will freely do, and foreloving the elect. Biblical teaching on foreknowledge upholds God’s sovereignty alongside meaningful human freedom.
Within mainstream Christian theology, there are differing views on the logical order of foreknowledge and election. Both Augustinian-Calvinist and Middle Knowledge perspectives have strong bases in Scripture and Christian tradition. While debating certain facets, these views unite in magnifying divine foreknowledge and upholding God’s exhaustive omniscience and eternality.
Reflecting on God’s stunning foreknowledge yields increased reverence for Him alongside practical implications like trust in His sovereignty. As evidence of His infinite mind, foreknowledge illuminates God’s transcendence while also revealing His covenant love for His elect even before they are created. Grasping this doctrine leads to greater worship of the One who declared the end from the beginning, according to His good pleasure for the praise of His glorious grace.