Foreknowledge (4268) (prognosis from verb proginosko [word study] from pro = before + ginosko = to know) literally means to know in advance or beforehand. In the classic use foreknowledge (prognosis) simply indicated a previous knowledge of someone or some event, as in Acts 26:5 where Paul says "they have known about me...previously" and in 2Peter 3:1 (note) where Peter reminds the saints that they "know beforehand" that there are those who will distort the Scriptures. As discussed below God's foreknowledge means not only that He knew beforehand but that He also planned beforehand (cf. similar idea in Ex 33:17; Jer 1:5; Amos 3:2; Matthew 7:22; 7:23 [notes]). And thus the simple meaning of prognosis takes on an additional sense when it is applied to God's foreknowledge as discussed in more detail below (see also preceding above). Related Resources: Foreknowledge as God's Attribute Foreknowledge in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Foreknowledge in Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology John MacArthur comments on foreknowledge as it relates to election noting that A common explanation of election is that the elect are chosen because God knew beforehand what they would do. That defines foreknowledge as foresight. I've heard it explained that God looked down through the eons of history, saw by virtue of His omniscience what you and I would do, and then chose or didn't choose us based on whether we did or didn't believe. That at first sounds like a good explanation--but it's not the truth..... There are several reasons for wanting to believe that God's foreknowledge means foresight. Our fallen nature desperately want some responsibility for our salvation. Likewise our fallen perspective makes God's sovereign choice appear unfair. But because our minds are polluted by sin, we are in no position to exalt our pride and call ourselves virtuous, or pull down the justice of God and call Him unfair." (Click to read Note that this quote is not from "Chosen by God, Part 1" but is found in Part 2 which can be accessed by clicking the dropdown window near the top of the article. Dr MacArthur's interesting explanation of why many men want to believe that foreknowledge is simply foresight. Scroll down to the section entitled "Man's Decline") (Bolding added) In other NT uses both prognosis and the verb root proginosko are used in relationship to God and acquire an additional meaning as explained in the next section. Theologian Louis Berkhof has this to say about foreknow (proginosko) and foreknowledge (prognosis), noting that in the New Testament these terms do not denote simple intellectual foresight or prescience, the mere taking knowledge of something beforehand, but rather a selective knowledge which regards one with favor and makes one an object of love, and thus approaches the idea of foreordination, Acts 2:23 (Comp. 4:28); Rom. 8:29; 11:2; 1 Peter 1:2. These passages simply lose their meaning, if the words be taken in the sense of simply taking knowledge of one in advance, for God foreknows all men in that sense. Even Arminians feel constrained to give the words a more determinative meaning, namely, to foreknow one with absolute assurance in a certain state or condition. This includes the absolute certainty of that future state, and for that very reason comes very close to the idea of predestination. (L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976, 112) Acts 2:23 is the first occurrence of either prognosis or proginosko related to God and provides a pattern for the meaning of both words in other places in the New Testament. In Acts 2:23 Peter is preaching to the unsaved Jewish audience and declares this Man (Jesus), delivered over (betrayed by Judas, to the power and will of His enemies) by the (definite article "te" in Greek placed before both the following nouns connected by "and" = kai) predetermined plan and (Greek = kai) foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death." (Acts 2:23) Comment: The words "the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23), are a Greek construction governed by the Granville-Sharp rule. This grammatical rule simply states that when two nouns are joined by the word “and” (the Greek kai) and the first noun has the article (article = "the") in front of it and the second does not, both nouns refer to the same thing. In Acts 2:23, this rule shows that the word foreknowledge refers to the same act as does the phrase predetermined plan and is an additional description. The Greek word “plan” (Greek = boule [word study]), means to have an interchange of opinions, a mutual advising or the exchange of deliberative judgment. Plan refers to the results of a consultation between individuals. Predetermined (perfect tense - past completed act with ongoing effect) refers to the past act of putting limits upon something with the present result that some certain thing has been appointed or decreed. It describes this consultation as one that had as its purpose the fixing of limits upon, thus determining the destiny of someone, in this case of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, in eternity (2Ti 1:9-note; Re 13:8-note), the Trinity, determined that the Lord Jesus Christ should be given over into the hands of godless men to be crucified. The word foreknowledge (prognosis) refers to the same act, and therefore includes in it the truth indicated by the predetermined plan. Foreknowledge, however, adds the idea of the foreordination or appointment in advance of the Person whose destiny was decided upon in the plan referred to. Stated succinctly the Granville Sharp rule in Acts 2:23 equates foreknowledge to a predetermined plan. According to Peter, God's foreknowledge is a deliberate choice. God foreknew not by prior observation, but by bringing into reality His predetermined plan. Spurgeon writes that... With God there are no contingencies. The mighty charioteer of Providence has gathered up all the reins of all the horses, and He guides them all according to His infallible wisdom. There is a foreknowledge and predestination which concerneth all things, from the motion of a grain of dust on the threshing-floor to that of the flaming comet which blazes athwart the sky. Nothing can happen but what God ordains; and therefore, why should we fear? (Barbed Arrows from the Quiver of C. H. Spurgeon) Prognosis is used again by Peter explaining that Christ "...was foreknown (prognosis) before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you." (1Pe 1:20-note) In eternity past, before Adam and Eve sinned, God did not just know it would happen but also planned the redemption of sinners through Jesus Christ. In this verse as in 1 Peter 1:2, "foreknown" does not simply refer to awareness of what is going to happen, but conveys the added nuance of a predetermined relationship in the knowledge of God. In other words, God brought the salvation relationship into existence by decreeing it into existence ahead of time and believers are foreknown for salvation in the same way Christ was predetermined (or foreordained) before the foundation of the world to be a sacrifice for sins (see discussion of Granville-Sharp rule above in reference to Acts 2:23) Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary says it this way -- God’s foreknowledge is much more than foresight. God does not know future events and human actions because He foresees them; He knows them because He wills them to happen. Thus God’s foreknowledge is an act of His will. (Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary) John Piper warns of... An increasingly popular movement afoot today is called "open theism," which denies that God has exhaustive, definite foreknowledge of the. entire future. (Desiring God) (See Piper's online book Beyond the Bounds - in which he confronts the unsound doctrine of Open Theism) See also: John Piper's Resources on The Foreknowledge of God Wiersbe adds that Foreknowledge does not suggest that God merely knew ahead of time that we would believe, and therefore He chose us. This would raise the question, “Who or what made us decide for Christ?” and would take our salvation completely out of God’s hands. (Ed note: To say that God made a decision based on His prevision would mean that there was a time of indecision!) In the Bible, to foreknow means “to set one’s love on a person or persons in a personal way. (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor) Regarding foreknowledge, John Macarthur writes that God pre-thought and pre-determined or predestined each Christian’s salvation...God predetermined to set His love upon certain people. If you are a Christian, you were foreknown by God as a part of that plan. God's foreknowledge of Christ serves as a model of God's foreknowledge of you. Christ is the elect stone--chosen and precious (1Pe 2:6-note)." William MacDonald writes that foreknowledge is knowledge with a purpose that could never be frustrated. It is not enough to say that God foreknew those whom He realized would one day repent and believe. Actually it is His foreknowledge that insures eventual repentance and belief! (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson) J I Packer said it this way God knows, and foreknows, all things, and His foreknowledge is foreordination; He, therefore, will have the last word, both in world history and in the destiny of every man. D. Edmond Hiebert writes that proginosko (foreknowledge) does not imply mere intellectual apprehension; it also indicates an active and affectionate desire to bless. Kenneth Wuest writes that foreknowledge is to be understood less as a passive ‘knowing in advance’ than as an active ‘taking note of’ or an eternal intention to bless. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans) William Kelly writes that God's foreknowledge is of persons, not of their state or conduct; it is not what, but whom He foreknew. The discerning believer like all good Bereans needs to be aware that not all well known Christian scholars agree with the preceding interpretation of foreknowledge. Although this website follows no particular school of interpretation (other than the natural, literal approach), you should be aware that those who hold to the "Calvinist" school insist that God knows all events precisely because He sovereignly determines what is to happen in human history. Therefore in the Calvinist mindset, foreknowledge is closely related to foreordination (or predestination). Most Calvinists assert that men are still responsible for their choices and are not merely victims of "blind fate". Those known as Arminian distinguish foreknowledge from the foreordination. While salvation and human history are predetermined by God, Arminians argue that individual response to God is not so predetermined. Hence, God can foreknow an event without directly decreeing that event to take place. There are other differences between these two schools of theology but you will need to consult other resources for more in depth discussion. Scripture teaches both God’s foreknowledge of all things and the man's responsibility and these truth are like two parallel train tracks that never intersect. Both are true even if they cannot be resolved by our finite minds. To alter either of these truths is to not rightly handle the interpretation of the Word of Truth. The verb proginosko is used 5x in the NT, two of those uses (Acts 26:5, 2Peter 3:17-note) simply referring to previous knowledge that anyone might have. Below are the other three of uses of proginosko that convey the meaning not just that God knew before, but that He also foreordained or appointed in advance. Romans 8:29 (note) For whom He foreknew (proginosko), He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren." Comment: As discussed above "foreknew" is not just a reference to God’s omniscience—that in eternity past He knew who would come to Christ but has the added notion of His predetermined choice to set His love on us and established an intimate relationship. Romans 11:2 (note) "God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew (proginosko) (Amplified adds " [whose destiny] He had marked out and appointed and foreknown from the beginning). Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?" Comment: The situation was similar to that which existed in the time of Elijah when most of the nation had turned away from God to idols. Conditions were so bad that Elijah prayed against Israel instead of for it! Paul's point is that even Israel's gross disobedience and turning away of most of the nation did not nullify God’s predetermined love relationship with her! 1 Peter 1:20 (note) "For He was foreknown (proginosko) before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." Comment: The Fall of man in the Garden of Eden did not take God by surprise. Christ’s work for us was no afterthought on God’s part. The Redeemer was destined to die for us before the creation of the world. Christ's sacrificial death was a set appointment not a serendipitous accident and began to be worked out in Ge 3:7 vs. Ge 3:21, when God killed animals that He might clothe Adam and Eve. The ram dying as a substitute for Isaac (Ge 22:13), the Passover lamb being slain for each Jewish household (Ex 12), and the One "like a lamb...led to slaughter" (Isaiah 53:6, 7), all pictured the predetermined and foreknown plan which culminated in John the Baptist's presentation of the Messiah as "the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). C. H. Spurgeon in his inimitable style described God's actions in salvation: "Before Salvation came into this world, Election marched in the very forefront, and it had for its work the billeting [assigning of lodging especially to soldiers] of Salvation. Election went through the world and marked the houses to which Salvation should come and the hearts in which the treasure should be deposited. Election looked through all the race of man, from Adam down to the last, and marked with sacred stamp those for whom Salvation was designed. 'He must needs go through Samaria,' said Election; and Salvation must go there. Then came Predestination. Predestination did not merely mark the house, but it mapped the road in which Salvation should travel to that house; Predestination ordained every step of the great army of Salvation; it ordained the time when the sinner should be brought to Christ, the manner how he should be saved, the means that should be employed; it marked the exact hour and moment, when God the Spirit should quicken the dead in sin, and when peace and pardon should be spoken through the blood of Jesus. Predestination marked the way so completely that Salvation doth never overstep the bounds, and it is never at a loss for the road. In the everlasting decree of the Sovereign God, the footsteps of Mercy were every one of them ordained" from the sermon "The Things that Accompany Salvation" BY THE SANCTIFYING WORK OF THE SPIRIT: en hagiasmo pneumatos: (1Th 5:23, Acts 26:18, Heb 10:14, 1Co 1:30, 6:11) See Torrey's Topic Sanctification As explained in more detail below (See hagiasmos), sanctification sometimes refers to the work of the Spirit in a person AFTER we are saved (and is synonymous with a walk of holiness or "present tense salvation") but below are verses which use sanctification to refer to the initial born again experience (as used in this passage by Peter)... He 10:10 By this will we have been sanctified (perfect tense = set apart at the time of initial salvation with ongoing effects or results - this also speaks of the permanence of salvation or "eternal security" of the believer) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Comment: By contrast Heb 10:14 says "those who are sanctified" which is present tense indicating an ongoing process of progressive sanctification. Acts 26:18 to open their (in context of Ac 26:17, the Gentiles) eyes (by proclaiming the Gospel) so that they may turn from darkness (cp Col 1:13-note) to light and from the dominion (exousia = the "right" and the "might") of Satan (He 2:14, 15-note) to God, that they may receive forgiveness (aphesis) of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (perfect tense = see He 10:10 above) by faith in Me.’ 1 Corinthians 6:11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God 2Th 2:13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Comment: By contrast 1Thes 5:23 is a prayer for progressive, ongoing (not past tense) sanctification - "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." The Greek sentence has no word for "work" so that Young's Literal version accurately reads... in sanctification of the Spirit (As explained below the idea is "made a holy people by God's Spirit"), to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ Wuest expands the verse paraphrasing it as... those chosen out to be recipients of the setting-apart work of the Spirit resulting in obedience [of faith] and [this resulting] in the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. [Sanctifying] grace to you, and [tranquilizing] peace be multiplied. What is Peter saying? The phrase sanctifying work of the Spirit means that a person cannot be saved anytime they "decide" and any way they "want" (cp Jesus' words in Jn 3:7,8 and Jn 1:12, 13, especially the phrases "nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God"!). A person must be sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God the evidence of this sanctifying work being that the person now chooses to obey God (cp the Divine enablement of one who has been born again in Php 2:13-note, He 8:10, 11-note and the "new" responsibility of this regenerate individual in Php 2:12-note). This is not an exaltation of works in which we could ever boast, but instead is exaltation of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is the work of God -- God chooses and the Holy Spirit sanctifies, even as taught in Peter's opening "doxology"... Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who (on what basis did He choose to save us?) according to His great mercy (Wuest = "who impelled by His abundant mercy") has caused us to be born again (NIV = "In His great mercy He has given us new birth") to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation (future tense salvation) ready to be revealed in the last time. Fallen mankind have always sought a way to "earn" salvation as evidenced by this question to Jesus... They said therefore to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." (Jn 6:28, 29) Comment: He is not referring to a "meritorious" work by man. Man cannot do any works that please God. So this is not referring to "work" in the sense of something man conjures up and wills himself to do to earn God's salvation. As Ryrie says "The only "work" that a man can do that is acceptable to God is to believe in Christ (cf. 1Jn 3:23)." This is the picture of a drowning man going under but raising his hand out for help. The point is he can do nothing to save himself except cry out. That is not a work on his part that earns any favor with God. The "works of God" (Jn 6:28) are impossible to attain, requiring absolute obedience to God's law (Dt 27:26; Jas 2:10) to be acceptable to God. Only Jesus, in His perfect humanity, was able to accomplish this, but His righteousness is imputed to all those who believe on Him apart from works (Ro 4:5-note). This is possible only because He, perfectly righteous Himself, could then voluntarily and in love bear "our sins in his own body on the tree" (1Pe 2:24-note). Jesus had just cautioned His audience (and all men of all ages) to work "not for the food which perishes, but for that meat which endures" (Jn 6:27). He was not trying to "trap" them but to get them to understand that the only "work" acceptable to God is belief in His Son. By - This preposition is actually the Greek preposition "en" which is literally "in" which in this verse is used as what is referred to as the "locative of sphere". Wuest explains that in this verse the locative of sphere means that it was in the sphere of the sanctifying or... setting apart work of the Spirit that the sinner was chosen. That is, God the Father chose the sinner out from among mankind to be the recipient of the setting-apart work of the Spirit, in which work the Holy Spirit sets the sinner apart from his unbelief to the act of faith in the Lord Jesus. The act of faith is spoken of here by the word “obedience,” which is not the obedience of the saint, but that of the sinner to the Faith, for this act is answered by his being cleansed in the precious blood of Jesus. In Acts 6:7 we read that “a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” Thus, the second step in the salvation of a sinner is taken by the Holy Spirit who brings the one chosen to the act of faith in the Lord Jesus as Saviour. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans) (Bolding added) Barclay elaborates on the Spirit's "sanctifying work" writing that "It is the Holy Spirit Who awakens within us the first faint longings for God and His goodness. It is the Holy Spirit Who convicts us of our sin and leads us to the Cross where that sin is forgiven. It is the Holy Spirit Who enables us to be freed from the sins which have us in their grip and to gain the virtues which are the fruit of the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit Who gives us the assurance that our sins are forgiven and that Jesus Christ is Lord. The beginning, the middle and the end of the Christian life are the work of the Holy Spirit." (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press) Marvin Vincent notes Peter's interesting use of prepositions in close proximity... "Note the three prepositions: according to (kata) the foreknowledge; in (en) sanctification; unto (eis) obedience. The ground, sphere, and end of spiritual sanctification." Wiersbe sums up salvation in this section as follows... We have been chosen by the Father, purchased by the Son, and set apart by the Spirit. It takes all three if there is to be a true experience of salvation.