Known & Foreknown

"God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew" 

(Rom. 11: 2)

There is some historic debate on the precise meaning of the words "foreknowledge" (noun) and "foreknew" (verb). The Greek words translated "foreknow" and "foreknowledge" are the verb proginosko and the noun prognosis. The verb has the basic meaning of "to know beforehand," "to know in advance," and the noun simply means "foreknowledge." I believe that in the context of election and predestination the word "know" carries the idea of special intimate knowledge, or to love and regard with favor. The prefix "pro" simply tells us when God knew. That this is the meaning of the word in the context of being chosen and predestined seems clear as it does in the above text, where it does not mean simple prescience or to see before hand. It this latter sense God foresees all creatures, even those who are not "his people." But, in the above passage it is specifically and only "his people" who are foreknown, thus the meaning means loved beforehand. 

Paul in this same epistle had earlier written:

"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." (Rom. 8: 29)

God has foreknown all men and creatures in the sense of simple foreseeing or prescience. But, in this text, as in the preceding, all those foreknown are also predestined to be saved by being conformed to the image of the Son of God. This cannot be said of all men, for all are not predestined to salvation, thus the foreknowing is not simple prescience but a knowing in love and favor. This is in line with the declaration of the Lord by the prophet who said: "You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." (Amos 3: 2) In the sense of simple knowing, God knows all, for he is omniscient. But, in this text, God only knows his chosen people. The word “know” in the text therefore means “to choose.” Both the New American Standard Bible and the New International Version render יָדַע here as “chosen”.

The apostle Peter also wrote:

"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." (I Peter 1: 2)

Again, this foreknowledge is not a mere seeing something or someone ahead of time, for if it did, then all who are foreseen would be elect. Obviously this is a special intimate knowing, or a loving regard. It is the kind of intimate knowledge that a husband and wife have, so we read that "Adam knew Eve his wife." (Gen. 4: 1, 25 and I Sam. 1: 19 as between Elkanah and Hannah) In these texts the knowledge is love knowledge as seen in sexual union. God does not know any but his chosen, those who are believers. Notice what the Lord said along this line.

“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" (Matt. 7: 23)

He did not foreknow the reprobate, nor does he know them now, nor will he know them in the future. But, believers, being God's elect, are addressed as was the prophet Jeremiah by God who said:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer. 1: 5)

Notice that Jeremiah was first foreknown, and foreloved, and this knowledge was the impetus for him being predestined and chosen ("appointed"). Yes, Jeremiah would later be born and come to know the Lord, but the knowledge of Jeremiah by God came first. This is what the apostle John also said - "We love Him because He first loved us." (I John 4: 19)

Does God love everyone? Yes, and no. He has a general or common love for all men but a special love for his chosen, for the elect, for the one he has chosen to be his wife. God's general love is born witness to in John 3: 16 - "for God so loved the world." His special love is born witness to in these passages:

"For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives."(Heb. 12: 6)

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her..."(Eph. 5: 25)

"...having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." (John 13: 1)

Thus, in the sense of being known, or foreknown, the idea of being chosen, loved, and intimately known is involved in the meaning. God knows his people in a way he does not love those who are not. Wrote Paul:

"Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (II Tim. 2: 19)

Christ says in John 10 that he "knows" his sheep and his sheep know him. But, who knew who first? (John 10: 14-15) Notice these words of Paul:

"But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?" (Gal 4: 9)

Here the apostle mentions both aspects of knowledge, the believer's coming to know God, and of God knowing the believer, and the emphasis and priority is on God's knowledge of the believer or the elect. 

Other Usages of Foreknowledge

It does not seem that foreknowledge always means foreloved. From the Greek words proginosko and prognosis we get our English words prognostication and prognosis. In today's speech the latter means the "indicating of something in the future by signs or symptoms," as in a physician's "forecasting of the probable course and termination of a case of a disease." The former denotes forecasting or predicting, for foretelling. In some limited ways weathermen and doctors are prognosticators, or forecasters. But, they are often wrong in their predictions. God is not. Thus, I do not think that the words always mean foreloved or chosen but may mean simply to foreknow in the sense of knowing events before they happen, a seeing into the future. Let us notice some texts where this seems to be the case.

"Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." (Acts 2: 23 kjv)

Whatever is the precise meaning of "foreknowledge" in this text, it is what follows "the determinate counsel"(hōrismenē boulē) and is distinguished from it. The Greek word hōrismenē is a form of the word for "predestinated" (proorizō). The word boulē means "will" or "volition." I believe the text is saying that God foresaw occurring what he had predetermined or predestined to occur. It is therefore a similar verse to another in the book of Acts. "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." (Acts 15: 18) Thus, we may say that the Crucifixion of Christ was both the work of God and the work of wicked men. The wicked who crucified Christ could not have done what they did to Christ had it not been in accordance with God's will and plan.  

Another text where both ideas seem to be included in the usage of the word is in a text by the apostle Peter. He wrote of Christ:

"For He was foreknown ('foreordained' kjv) before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you." (I Peter 1: 20 NASB) 

In this passage the KJV translators thought that both ideas were in the mind of Peter when he spoke of foreknowledge, the idea of being predestined (or foreordained or predetermined) and the idea of prescience, or seeing things before they occur. I think this is correct. God foresees what he first determines shall occur. A couple other texts that speak of seeing future events are in these:

"He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption." (Act 2:31) 

"And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." (Gal 3:8) 

In both these passages the words highlighted are from the Greek word prooraō and simply means to foresee. The reason why David could foresee the resurrection was because it was predetermined by God and revealed to David. The reason why the scripture foresaw the justification and salvation of the Gentiles is also because it was first predetermined by God. Said David:

"Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them." (Psa. 139: 16)

Here again the reason why God foresaw the formation of David in the womb of his mother was because he first determined to create David.