in the arminian camp the belief on foreknowledge is centered around redefining the words in the bible so as too make calvinist veiw seem unbiblical
in dealing with this claim we must understand this is not the biblical view "to foreknow" but is the dictionary definition -- so immediately we have a second source of authority in play -- and is being chosen to determine what the bible teaches or does not teach
this is called eisegesis "reading into the context a concept which is foreign to the pssages use of a term or which is not indicated by the original writings" -- when we are believers and lovers of the truth have the means of knowing exactally how a bible uses words and terms
and this is where we start .. not the dictionary
the two veiws are
foreknowledge concept 1 -- to passively take in knowlegde of events and / or acts of man without first determining them, and from this God is able to make people saveable
foreknowledge concept 2 -- to fore love -- to enter into a relationship on Gods part from eternity ... on the merits of christ .. and people are fully saveable
with concept 1 -- there are several problems
a --- this makes Gods choice contingent on mans, which put a great deal of focus on the sinful man it also suggests that God would have based on what he see in a man (like looking down the corridors of time)
b --- it also brings up the question of the reliablity of Gods word -- as it declare man has nothing to do with God redemptive work, but the triune God alone is
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law -- romans 3 :21 -31
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them -- ephesians 2 :1 -10
We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. -- galatians 2 :15 -21
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life -- titus 3 :4 -7
here is the point if this veiw is true that God looks down the corridors of time and bases his salvation upon what he see in aperson, or about what the person does in his time, then we have a big problem since that means none of these scriptures are true, since they all exclude mans input on any level
"the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith" ..
here paul makes it clear that this is not something any man can gain through meritorious work but is a gift based on the work of christ .. not only that but note what else paul say in this first passage " Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith"
meaning we have no place to boast of our own self righteousness as faith in christ is what brings this act into veiw .. this is eternal imporatance
we also have to consider paul words in galations 2 ...
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God"
this is powerful in its implication .. that we are no long of this wirld, but of christ as christ live in and through us .. we are now his own
and titus exclude works done in righteousness ... by his mercy
c -- how can an all knowing God (lit. he knows all things) take in knowledge passively, does this not suggest that he is dependant of something outside his perview and point to the fact he is not all knowing
d --- the arminian seems to exalt the dictionary to a level that is either on par with the bible or is ultimate for them anyway above it
foreknowledge concept 2 -- to fore love -- to enter into a relationship on Gods part from eternity ... on the merits of christ .. and people are fully saveable
how do we define the term "to foreknow" by the bible
And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”-- genesis 17 :15 -21
Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“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 --jeremiah1:5
here are two references to what the bible means by the term "foreknow" it is to enter into a relationship with specific people .. here we have isaac and jeremiah
this is significant as to the importance of the understanding of predestination as well since in the first reference God favour isaac over ishmael ...
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified -- romans 8 :28 -30
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?--- romans 9 :19 -24
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will -- In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will -- ephesians 1 :3 -5 and 11
above we have the final points to make this whole issue more complete in our understanding of who God is and what man is ...
"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers"
in this one statement we have a few interesting things to mention ..
a -- God entered into a relationship on the basis of what christdone, although the elect are not reveal, but God will call them back to himslf before christ 2nd return,
b --- we are changed as to knew creature who will be like christ,
c --- we also will be and are his brothers
we see that God work in accord to his will by saving those who are in christ, and letting others perish .. we may seem to have a problem with this but God is in control for "he is the potter and we are the clay" .. but all will work to bring him glory
now predestination is this basic point ... "having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will
here we see a yet again something which has been granted to us on behalf of christ .. like in romans 5 :1 ... we have the words "having been"
this point to a action God undertook in eternity --- when like r. 5 :1 we were justified by God in eternity, so to we are predstined ... and these things are in accord to his will
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?--- romans 9 :19 -24
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will -- In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will -- ephesians 1 :3 -5 and 11
above we have the final points to make this whole issue more complete in our understanding of who God is and what man is ...
"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers"
in this one statement we have a few interesting things to mention ..
a -- God entered into a relationship on the basis of what christdone, although the elect are not reveal, but God will call them back to himslf before christ 2nd return,
b --- we are changed as to knew creature who will be like christ,
c --- we also will be and are his brothers
we see that God work in accord to his will by saving those who are in christ, and letting others perish .. we may seem to have a problem with this but God is in control for "he is the potter and we are the clay" .. but all will work to bring him glory
now predestination is this basic point ... "having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will
here we see a yet again something which has been granted to us on behalf of christ .. like in romans 5 :1 ... we have the words "having been"
this point to a action God undertook in eternity --- when like r. 5 :1 we were justified by God in eternity, so to we are predstined ... and these things are in accord to his will
