This is one of the great passages,
particularly for the doctrines of grace. By the way, here would
be a great place to study the Ordo Salutis, or the order of
salvation, which I dearly love. But this morning, Romans 8 and
verse 28, 29 and 30, and our subject again, the foreknowledge
of God, and we'll run across it here. All right, here we go. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them that are the
called according to purpose. 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 brethren. Moreover,
whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called,
them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Now look at verse 29 again and
the first statement. For whom he did foreknow. Now, the first order of our business
today is to set our text in line with the flowing context of the
apostle here in Romans chapter 8, and see how it fits in and
how it lines up with the overall or the larger context here in
Romans chapter 8. So we raise the question in that
light. Why does Paul make the statement
that he makes in the last part of verse 28? This, and we know
that all things work together for good to them that love God. Now, commentators say, some of
them, that the order of the words in the Greek or out of the Greek
would be like this. And we know, to them loving God,
all things God causes to work together for good." And then
he writes, because he has spoken in verse 17 of the chapter, if
so be that we suffer with him, that is, for his sake and for
his name and on his account, then we shall also be glorified
together with him. That's still in Paul's mind.
If we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified with him. But that's not all. In verse
18, Paul speaks of the suffering of this present time, of this
present day, of our present situation, which he contrasts with the glory
that shall be revealed in us. the suffering of this present
time contrasted with the glory that shall be revealed in us. Now, if we note here, the order
with the saints is exactly the same as the order is with Christ
our Lord, and that is first sufferings and then entering into glory. When Christ first suffered, then
entered into his glory as he said he would do in Luke chapter
24 and verse 26. Though the sufferings of the
saints are not, the suffering of the saints are not vicarious
as were the sufferings of our Lord. Our suffering do not atone
for sin or put them away. Now concerning their suffering,
in this present time or in that present time in their life, Paul
then writes for them a three-fold consoling here in Romans chapter
8. We'll look at them very quickly. First of all, in verses 18 through
verse 25, that the glory will be greater than the suffering. In fact, he said It's not worthy
to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. That is when glory comes. And he uses the example of creation. subjected but subjected in hope
and groaning and travailing toward the day of deliverance and the
promise thereof. Now the second thing is found
in verse 26 and verse 27. And that is the intercessory
ministry of the Spirit of God who directs us in our prayer
with groanings that we ourselves cannot utter and this brings
us to the thought that we actually have two divine intercessors
in our behalf the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven and the Holy
Spirit of God that lives within and then thirdly in verse 28
and birth through verse 30 that all things are are working together
for the good of the children of God, and that final salvation
is according to the immutable purpose of our great God. By the way, I think this is also
another proof of what we have in Romans chapter eight in verse
one, that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. But moving closer, note the last
words of verse 28, which further defines them that love God. All things are working together
for good to them that love God. But then he adds this. that are
the called according unto purpose. That is, they are called in accordance
with the eternal and divine purpose of God. And so we have two great
doctrines here in the end of verse 28. A, we have calling. And I agree with Murray, another
commentator, that Paul is speaking of the effectual call here, just
as he does in verse 30, a little further down. And that this is
connected to the purpose of God, called according to purpose. Within be, we have been the purpose
of God, called according This is a word kind of a favorite
with the apostle, and he uses it perhaps more than others in
his writing and in his epistle. And this word purpose is the
word prothesis, and it means kind of like a setting forth
an intention. And you have it in Romans 9 verse
11, the purpose of God according to election. In Ephesians 1 verse
11, according to the purpose of him that works all things
after the counsel of his own will. And in Ephesians 3 verse
11, the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus. How I love 2 Timothy chapter
1 and verse 9, according to his own purpose and grace which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Now, having
used the word purpose in the end of verse 28, Paul then, in
verse 29 and verse 30, expands upon that purpose, and he gives
us some of the great details and components of that eternal
purpose. It gives us a fuller explanation
of the purpose of God than in any other place in the writings
of Paul that I can think about. Drawing out, as it were, the
component parts of the thing that he calls. And he begins
with mentioning foreknowledge. Look what he said. And he uses
the word for. All things of those that are
called according to his purpose, for whom he did foreknow. Now, the called according to
purpose, for whom he did foreknow. And he will mention calling again
down in verse 30. But now, let's take a quick overview
look at verse 29 and 30. Whom he did foreknow, he did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son." Verse
30, "'Moreover, whom he predestinated, them he also called. Whom he
called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified.'" Now, this is important. That is that the apostle
uses all these verbs in the indefinite past as John Brown wrote in his
commentary on Roman, all of them in the indefinite past, past
tense. Linsky said, all of the verbs
here are eroist and are equally timeless, not even glorification. is in the future tent, it also
is in the past tent, because it is certain to come to pass
exactly as God will. He says they also, them he glorified. Now, not will glorify, but them
he also glorified. And that's because his works
are finished from the foundation of the world, Hebrews chapter
4 and verse 3. He is able to call things that
are not as though they were in Romans chapter 4 and verse 17. He is Alpha and Omega. the beginning and the end, Revelation
1 and verse 8. And one more passage to confirm
that, Isaiah chapter 46 and verse 10, declaring the end from the
beginning and from ancient time, the things that are not yet done,
saying, my counsel shall stand and I will do all of my pleasure. Now, coming to God's foreknowledge,
whom he did foreknow. Now, I know that most today who
named themselves Christian and are church and study their Bible,
most would be satisfied to say that foreknowledge and to foreknow
is that God simply knew beforehand. To know him, to have prior knowledge,
is how they would explain that, to be able to know something
beforehand and before it occurred, and to be able to know what a
person will do and how they will act in a given or certain situation. Now, we've heard the Armenian.
He is satisfied with a foreknowledge that has God looking ahead simply
to see who will repent and who will believe, and then electing
them based upon God having seen that they will believe and repent. Now, this is hard for the Armenian
to outright deny foreknowledge and election and predestination
because they are mentioned in the scripture, but they are content
with a watered-down version of them that they might spare their
darling idol of free will and escape the absolute sovereignty
of God. And to do that, they might quote
1 Peter 1 and verse 2, elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father. They would say from that, that
election is based upon God knowing that they would accept Jesus,
or they would turn to Jesus, or that they would believe. Against
such a view, we can make the point made by A.W. Pink in an
article that I have by him on divine foreknowledge, that to
foreknow and foreknowledge to no one, and so forth, never refers,
now think about this, it never refers in the scripture to the
acts of a person, but to person themselves. And you'll see that
as you study the scripture. Never to acts or events does
it say that God foreknow them, but to person. Pink said this,
It is persons God has said to foreknow, not the actions of
those persons," unquote. Now, don't get excited. Of course,
God knows everything there is to know. He knows every act and
He knows every action. He knows every word that we will
ever say. He knows every thought that will
ever pass through our mind. But none of these are the reason
that he elects. And it is not what foreknowledge
or foreknow means scripturally, as used in our text of the day. Now, some do say, because God
foresaw that some would choose Jesus, he therefore chose them. He foresaw them believing, and
so he ordained them to believe and unto salvation. Now, of course, they must use
the very same logic on reprobation, the same on one as on the other. Now let's consider these views
or this view in the light or in regard to our Lord Jesus Christ. Now I'm going to turn to Acts
chapter 2 if you want to go there and verse 22 and verse 23 because
it uses foreknowledge in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's what Peter said in Acts
2 22 and 23. Ye men of Israel, hear these
words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved
of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which
God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourself also know,
him being delivered. by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God ye have taken, and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain." Now again, see the words. being delivered
by the determinate counsel and the foreknowledge of God. Now this word foreknowledge here
is the same word as in 1st Peter chapter 1 and verse 2. And Jesus here is the object
of this foreknowledge of God. He is the one said to be foreknown,
and that by God. So here's our question in regard
to foreknowledge. Using Arminian logic, is the
reason that Christ died Or is the reason that God ordained
Christ to the death of the cross? Because he looked ahead down
in history and he saw that he would be crucified. And so he
ordained him to be crucified on the cross. Saw that the Jewish
leaders would take the Lord, deliver him into the hand of
the Romans, they would perform upon him that barbarian crucifixion
of the cross and God foreseeing that appointed him to the death
of the cross. Is that logical? Not at all. Or, as Peter said, look at it,
he was delivered by the determinate counsel of God. Now, a little word study. This
word determinate is the word horizo. It is kind of like, as
you can see, our word horizon, as we have the English word horizon. And it means to mark out or set
out a boundary, to set a limit, in other words. It means like,
can mean a frontier. and can also mean to appoint,
specify, and to ordain. And it appears in the New Testament,
unless I miscounted, about eight times that we have this word
determinate in our New Testament scripture. For example, here
are some in Luke chapter 22, 22. The Son of Man goes as it was
determined. That's that word. In Acts 10
42, 17 31, In our King James, it is translated
ordained. In Romans 1, 4, it is translated
declared. And in Hebrews chapter 4 and
verse 7, it is translated as limits or as fixes. He has fixed or limited Christ. So Christ, that is the son, was
1 Peter 1 and verse 20, foreordained before the foundation of the
world. Revelation 13 and 8, he was slain
from the foundation of the world. Says Peter, the determinate counsel
Now, counsel there is the word for will, or plan, or intent,
or purpose, and is the same word down in Acts chapter 4 and verse
28. When they did to Jesus whatsoever
thy hand and thy counsel determined before, to be done. So how then is the Lord the object
of the foreknowledge of God? That is, the one that died upon
the cross. Now, I guess this is kind of
a toughie for knowledge of God in regard to our Lord. I know
it's a toughie because I checked many of the commentators that
I have, and they virtually had little or nothing to say about
it. in Acts chapter 2 and verse 23,
basically passing right over it, giving no explanation of
the meaning. So let's see what we can say
about this foreknowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, because it
is the same word as in 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 2. Again,
in Acts 2 and verse 23, the only time this word is used in the
New Testament are those two. But in Acts chapter 2 and 23,
the word counsel and foreknowledge are not one and the same thing,
because they are distinguished. the counsel and the foreknowledge
of God. So to make them the same is therefore
to err as to the meaning of both of them. You notice at Acts 4,
27 and 28, in the determinate counsel, of what was to be done unto Christ
by lawless hand does not say anything about the foreknowledge
of God, as we have said, and foreknowledge is not God knowing
in advance what will happen for this falls under the heading
of his omniscience, that he knows all things. And his decree and
his counsel which shall stand, Isaiah 46, Now, I make this statement, and
I make it with fear and with trembling, lest some misunderstand
or misconstrue or think that I denigrate this great attribute
of God. And so that I stand not by myself
on this, I quote again from author W. Pink, who wrote this. for
knowledge, quote, is not causative, unquote. And I seem to remember
reading that in other great expositor of the scripture as well. And
I think perhaps a couple of verses might confirm this in our mind
by the connection that are made. Again, Acts 2 and verse 23. Him being delivered, by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. But our text speaks even
louder than that. Romans 8, 29. Whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be conformed and so forth. First foreknown. and being foreknown,
which includes election and him loving us and accepting and approving,
and then ordained to the thing that God had purposed. Do we
see it in Jeremiah chapter 1 and verse 5 that God knew Jeremiah
before he formed him the womb I knew you before I formed you
in the womb and Before he was ever born Ordained him a prophet
unto the nation now see the same order knew him, Jeremiah 1.5,
and ordained him. Knew him and ordained him. The same with Paul in Galatians
1 and verse 15. Separated me from my mother's
womb and called me by his grace. Now as to the foreknowledge of
Christ, in Acts chapter 2 and verse 23, it was not foreknowledge
of the act of crucifixion, but of the person crucified. For we've already established
that foreknowledge always refers to persons and not unto their
acts. Now again, of course God knew
every act in connection with the crucifixion of our Lord,
for He ordained it. It was by His determinate counsel
that it was done. What was done to Christ was by
God's hand and determinate counsel in Acts chapter 4 and verse 28. From Psalms chapter 2, there
is a record of this thing. God's foreknowledge, therefore,
is not strictly speaking the cause of election. Christ said, I know whom I have
chosen. There is knowing them and their
choosing. And to express it another way,
God did not elect for foreseeing faith or repentance, not because
he foresaw that some would believe and become servants of Christ,
which would make faith and repentance then the meritorious cause of
election, and that cannot be. Whereas scripture attributes
election to the sovereign, free purpose of God, and that before
the foundation of the world, not based on anything foreseen
as the cause. Of course, God foresees the elect
believing from the standpoint that He ordained them to faith
and belief. Acts chapter 13 and verse 48,
as many as were ordained to eternal life believe. 2 Thessalonians
2 and verse 13 chose them from the beginning to faith in Christ. He will create faith in them
and call them and will bring them to the faith of God's elect. Titus chapter 1 and 1 the faith
of God's elect a particular special faith for the elect of God So
let's hear again the words of Romans 8 29 whom he did foreknow
and again two quick short points Number one, whom is the object
of the verb foreknown? Whom is the object of the verb
foreknown? And then secondly, there is,
as Murray wrote, and look it over, there is no qualifying
here as to foreknown. Nothing to qualify it, nothing
at all. And you won't find it in connection
with it. Now, the point I'm making is
that this is a clear distinction. Whom he did foreknow. That's a distinction, is it not? Whom he loves, he chastened. That's a distinction. So here's
a distinction. Whom he did foreknow. Just as in verse 28, as he repeats,
to them, again and again. Them that are called, them that
are so forth. As someone once wrote, in the
words, whom he did foreknow, a differentiation is made. That makes a differentiation.
whom he did foreknow. For while Paul writes whom he
did foreknow, the Lord will say to some in that day, Matthew
7 and verse 23, depart from me, I never knew you. Now think about
that in this contract. Whom he did foreknow, and to
some the Lord will say, I never knew you. Depart from me. Now again, this cannot and does
not know that he did not know about them. He knew about them
perfectly and all-knowing. He knew about them and everything
about them. In fact, he recites those things
that they had done. Nor does it, nor can it mean
that he did not know their nature or their character or their works. taking the word in its usual
scriptural meaning, it is loved or approved or appointed. I never knew you in any of those. I never knew you as loved by
me, as appointed by me, or as approved by me. As the all-knowing
God, he knew everything about those. in Matthew chapter 7,
all of their works, all of their motives, all of their hypocrisy
as regarded religion. But his meaning is that he never
knew them in a saving way. For he knows his sheep, John
10 and 14 and 27. 2nd Timothy chapter 2 in verse
19 the Lord knows them that are his God said to Moses in Exodus
chapter 33 and verse 17 I know thee by name and face unto face
Amos 3 and 2 God says to Israel I You only have I known of all
the families of the earth. That cannot mean that he did
not know about the others, did not know facts about them and
their history and such like. But those in Matthew chapter
7, 21 through 23, he never knew, I never knew you. Now, here's how John Gill understood
and explained the words, I never knew you, in Matthew 7, 23. Quote,
I never had any love or affection for you. I never esteemed you. I never made any account of you
as mine, as belonging to me. I never approved of you nor your
conduct. Now again, Gill wrote, how the
old Persiac version renders it, I have not known you of old,
unquote. That is, I never knew you. I
never knew you in election. I never knew you in the everlasting
covenant of grace. I never knew you while you were
performing the great works that you boast of being done in the
name of God. And then perhaps some Arminian
might argue, well, this could mean that these were once in
grace, and they had fallen away and out of grace. That they were
once the servants of Christ, but they had fallen back to be
the servants of Satan. How shall we reply? Such cannot
be allowed, for the Lord said this, I never I never knew you. Not at any time or in any condition
did I know you in the sense of saving. And such he cast from
his present, saying to them, depart from me, ye workers of
iniquity. The ground of such I never knew
you. whom he did foreknow. He did work great things. One
thing this passage further confirms for us is the great matter which
rests upon God and upon Christ. And knowing or not knowing, as
all that he did foreknow, will be brought to a final glorification
through Jesus Christ. All that he knows not, will be
banished from his presence. And there are some who God knows
and some that know God. And in 1st John chapter 4 and
verse 6, some who know not God, 1st Thessalonians 4 and 5, 2nd
Thessalonians 1 and verse 8, who will meet a very bad end. So there is the foreknowledge
of the elect. And then there are those who
know or do not know God, and we'll drill with that just ahead. Thus, in another way, to distinguish
the human family, we can put them into two classes or categories. Number one, them that know not
God, and number two, them that know God. All the children of
Adam one or the other. They either know God or they
do not know God. Now, thinking about this, it
brought to mind for me another passage of Scripture from the
Apostle Paul. If you want to turn there, it's
found in Galatians chapter 4 and verse 8 and verse 9, and I would
like to read it. Paul is chastising some at Galatia
for falling away or unto another gospel. And listen to what he
writes. Galatians chapter 4, verse 8
and verse 9, and here it is. How be it then, when you knew
not God, You did service unto them which by nature are no gods. Verse 9. But now, after that
ye have known God, and watch this, or rather are known of
God. how turn you again to the weak
and beggarly elements, or until you desire again to be in bondage. Now, Methinks, that they are
right here, who believe that Paul is now principally addressing
the Gentile portion of the church at Galatia. The past religion,
of the Jew and the Gentile prior to Christ coming was very different. Let's get that in our mind. The
past religious practices of the Jew and the Gentile prior to
Christ were very different. For example, the Jews were worshipers
of God, Jehovah, and they were shut up unto Christ or Messiah
by the law, which Paul calls a strict child disciplinarian
in Galatian, to prepare them for their adoption and adult
sonship. That was the state and case of
the Jew. The Gentile, on the other hand,
in blind and gross ignorance, groveled before his idols and
he served and he worshiped them which were by nature no gods
at all see that again in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 11 and 12 the
state of the Gentile before Christ shed his grace upon them again
1st Corinthians 12 and 2, Paul calls them dumb idols. The Gentile idols are gods he
calls dumb idols. But some had been called. Some had heard the gospel, Gentile,
and they had come to know God through Jesus Christ, the one
blessed Lord of the one true God. And so in hearing the gospel,
The former and the latter states are given. Verse 8, when you
knew not God, you served them which by nature were no real
gods at all. Verse 9, but then, having come
to know God by Jesus Christ, 1 John emphasizes knowing God,
if you'll read it carefully. But see what Paul writes also
in verse 9, or rather are known of God. This precedes their knowing
God and could be what Paul is reminding them of God's foreknowledge,
that he knew them. before they ever knew Him. That God knew them before they
knew the true God. Just as in 1 John 4 and verse
19, we love God because He first loved us. Get the order, because
I want to make an application. He shed His love abroad in our
heart by the Spirit, Romans 5 and 5, He first loved us, and then
he brought us to love him. Even so, he knew us before we
knew him. He knew many before they ever
knew him. Many of us believed in God. We
believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believed that they existed.
We had heard about them. We had been to church, but we
did not know them. in a saving way in a former time
in our life. God knows the children of Adam
in two ways. Number one, he knows them all
as to their being, their action, their depravity, and their sinfulness. Nothing about them that he does
not know. And two, he knows some He foreknows
them in grace and in election and in Jesus Christ. And the
scripture make that very plain. And so several texts show God's
foreknowledge is not his mere knowing ahead of time or knowing
what they would do in a certain situation, but knowing them in
divine grace in connection with Christ. It lacked according to
the foreknowledge of God. And foreknowledge is distinct
from predestination. Whom he did foreknow, he did
predestinate, and so on down the line. Well, how can we know
God? He foreknows his own. How can
we know him? Well, Matthew 11. The Son knows
the Father, and no man can know Him except Him unto the Son will
reveal Him. The Son will reveal the Father. The Son knows the Father, and
He reveals Him. Only He can. Whom to know, Jesus
Christ, is eternal life. John 17. You don't know Christ,
you don't know eternal life. To know Him is eternal life. The elect are foreknown by God
by regeneration, divine calling, and enlightenment. They are then
brought to know God. and to know him in a spiritual,
saving, and worshipful way. Whom he did foreknow differentiates
right there.