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A | Reference to Christ and His sacrifice (Acts 2: 23).
B | Reference to man and his previous knowledge of facts (Acts 26: 4, 5).
C | Reference to the elect people of God (Rom. 8: 29; 11: 2; I Pet. 1: 2).
A | Reference to Christ and His sacrifice (I Pet. 1: 20).
B | Reference to man and his foreknowledge as a result of scriptural testimony
(II Pet. 3: 17).
Commentators are divided in their treatment of the meaning of the "foreknowledge"
of God. The Calvinist sees in the word a synonym for predestination. Others an
indication of love and favour. Apart from theological necessity, the word means to know
beforehand, without responsibility as to the event. Dr. Liddon says of the earlier
suggestions, "The New Testament use of the word does not sanction this (not even
Rom. 11: 2; I Pet. 1: 20), or any other meaning than to know beforehand". To us,
creatures of time and space, such knowledge borders upon the impossible. Indeed, some,
like Jonathan Edwards, have boldly said: "It is impossible for a thing to be certainly
known, to any intellect, without evidence", and have come to the conclusion that the
foreknowledge of God compels Him, the Most High, to decree, foreordain, and
unalterably fix every act and word that He has foreknown. It is extraordinary that any
should thus presume to say what is or is not possible to the Lord; nor can such avoid the
logical conclusion of their argument, that God must be, if they are right, the author of sin,
a conclusion diametrically opposed by the Word of God, and odious to the conscience of
His children.
Time is the measure of motion, and in our limited state, the idea of a timeless state
expressed by the title I AM, is beyond our comprehension. A very crude illustration,
however, may be of service in arriving at some understanding of the matter. Suppose the
reader to be standing at a small table upon which there rest books, paper, ink and pens.
As he stands, he comprehends the whole table and contents as one; there is neither a first
nor a last. The articles could be well be enumerated from the left hand as from the right.
Now, further, suppose that an ant has crawled up one of the table legs, and that he visits
each article in turn. To the ant there will be definite sequence because the element of
time is introduced and, resultingly, there will be a first and a last. So, also, if a spider
crawl up the opposite leg, its enumeration would be reversed. So God, as it were, sees all
at a glance: He knows the end from the beginning, but the future is hid from our eyes.
We shall be wise, therefore, to leave the word foreknowledge to mean just what it says
and no more. The infinite knowledge of God makes it impossible that He shall not know
who will preach and who will teach; where they will go, and when they will go; who
shall hear, who reject, who accept, and who be left without a word of the gospel. The one
great demand upon all who hear the gospel is that they believe the testimony of God
concerning His Son. Whoever so believes passes into all the blessings purchased by the
blood of Christ. Whoever does not believe makes God a liar (I John 5: 10). If there were
any idea of preordination in this, refusal to believe would be as much a part of God's
predeterminate decree as is election to glory, and it would not be possible to make God a
liar by so refusing His testimony. Further, in the passage before us, foreknowledge is
differentiated from predestination, for we read: "Whom He did foreknow He also did
predestinate." If we alter the word "foreknow" to any word bearing the sense of