What is foreknowledge in the Bible?

Answer

Foreknowledge is the awareness of things or events before they come into existence or happen. In Greek, the term for “foreknowledge” is prognosis, which conveys the concept of knowing reality before it manifests and events before they take place. In Christian theology, foreknowledge pertains to the all-knowing, omniscient nature of God, whereby He comprehends reality before it materializes, all things and events before they occur, and all individuals before they come into being.

Both the Old and New Testaments mention God’s foreknowledge. Nothing in the future is concealed from God’s sight (Isaiah 41:23; Isaiah 42:9; Isaiah 44:6-8; 46:10). God perceives our lives, our bodies, and our days even before we are conceived: “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:15-16).

God promised to bless future generations through Abraham “and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”, (Genesis 12:3). God informed Moses about what would happen with Pharaoh “And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.”, (Exodus 3:19). Through God’s foreknowledge, the prophets foretold the coming of a Messiah (Isaiah 9:1-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6). Through Daniel, God revealed the future rise and fall of kingdoms (Daniel 2:21-22; Daniel 7:17-18).

Visit the (Daniel 2:31-45;7). In various New Testament sections, Old Testament predictions come true in the ministry of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the church (Matthew 1:22;Matthew 4:14;Matthew 8:17;John 12:38-41;Acts 2:17-21;3:22-25;Galatians 3:8;Hebrews 5:6;1 Peter 1:10-12).

The apostle Peter teaches that God had foreknowledge of His Son’s sacrificial death long before Jesus died (1 Peter 1:20;see also Revelation 13:8). Jesus’ death on the cross was part of God’s eternal plan of salvation before the creation of the world. On the day of Pentecost, Peter condemns those who put Christ to death but at the same time points to the sovereignty of God: they had been given free rein to do as they wished with Christ because of “God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge” «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). Although evil rulers had conspired to kill the Lord Jesus, His death had been decided by God beforehand «for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. », (Acts 4:28).

The Bible teaches that God’s children were chosen beforehand, and God’s foreknowledge was involved. The elect are those “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” «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», (1 Peter 1:2).

In (1 Peter 1:2), it is written, “For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” This same concept is reiterated in (Romans 8:29).

God’s selection of the elect was not solely based on His foreknowledge of events but on His good pleasure. As stated in (Ephesians 1:4-5), “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.” In Romans 11:2, divine foreknowledge implies an eternal bond between God and His chosen or “foreknown” people due to His faithful love: “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew” (ESV).

God’s foreknowledge goes beyond mere ability to predict the future; it is a genuine understanding of what will happen, based on His sovereign choice. He ordains what will occur. In essence, foreknowledge is not merely cognitive; it is intimate and relational.