Foreknown and Predestined

December 11th, 2024
by Dr. D. Lance Waldie

Romans 8:29 For those whom [God] foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren…

The explanation of why God works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (v. 28) is found in v. 29 as indicated by “for,” an explanatory particle. So, in vv. 29-30 Paul reveals the purpose, or plan, of God for working in and through His people in their weaknesses and trials to work out all things for their good.

God’s effectual call, or summons to salvation through the giving of the gospel message through a preacher, comes only to “those whom He foreknew.” Though some believe that God’s foreknowledge of one’s faith in Christ is the basis for God’s predestination of their salvation, this is not the essence of “foreknowledge” (Gr. proginōskō) which means “to know ahead of time.” Whereas Acts 26:5 and 2 Peter 3:17 do in fact mean “to know before” in the sense of humans having prior knowledge of something with which to base their decisions, all other instances in the NT (Acts 2:23; Rom. 11:2; 1 Peter 1:2, 20) have God as the subject of the passage. When God is the subject, “foreknow” means “to enter into a relationship beforehand,” or “choose to determine before.” It is never said in these passages that God foreknew the decisions those He foreknew would make, only that He foreknew them. Notably, the “those” whom God foreknew in v. 29 implicitly separates the “those” He did not foreknow.

So proginōskō (before + know) in Scripture speaks of prior knowledge. Did God have prior knowledge of who would believe in Him, predestining them based on what He knew they would do with Him? Or, did God simply have prior intimate knowledge of His own people, all others belonging to the devil himself (cf. John 8:44; 1 John 3:10)? The term for “knowledge” in the OT (Heb. yada) certainly relates to having information, but it also speaks of special intimacy, used for a man with his wife (cf. Gen. 4:1). In the NT, God has intimate, special knowledge of some but not all, in spite of the fact that He knows all people since all are His creation. In Matthew 7:21-23, for example, Jesus speaks of those He will reject at His second coming even though they claim to have performed signs and wonders in His name. They call him “Lord, Lord,” yet Jesus will reject them, saying, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness.” This means that, although God knows everyone, all are not specially known by Him. Elsewhere, Paul wrote, “Christ is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:10).

Now for those whom God foreknew, He also “predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” Predestine means to “predetermine.” God predestined His children for a purpose, namely to be like His Son, Jesus—His unique Son (John 3:16). Those who have this privilege as a gift from God (i.e., those who profess true faith in Jesus Christ) will be molded in ways like Jesus was molded, namely through sufferings and groanings (cf. 8:17-28). The sufferings Jesus endured, His followers must at least taste, for these sufferings “conform” (Gr. summorphos) them to His image. Simply put, all of life’s trials and sufferings are molding Christians into conformity with their Lord Jesus Christ. So, what God began in His people through Christ, He “will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6).

Being conformed to the “image” of Christ contrasts the image of Adam who, though originally created in God’s image, was marred by sin. Unlike Adam and all of humanity, Christ’s image is perfect, for He is God’s “firstborn.” Used in this context, firstborn means “preeminent one” since Jesus is God’s legal heir (cf. Ps. 89:27; Col. 1:15-18; Rev. 1:5). So, as Christ is, Christians will be when they inherit all that God has promised to them as “fellow heirs with Christ” (8:17). Their current sufferings only point to their legitimacy as sons of God.

Food for Thought

God’s purpose for our lives is that we be like Jesus Christ—conformed to His image. This is accomplished through study, prayer, obedience (i.e., worship), and discipline. Absolutely nothing else is as important in our daily routines as these, for God uses them to transform us on a daily basis, molding us after the image of Jesus Christ our Lord.