The First Step in the Road to Salvation, Foreknowledge: Romans 8:29 & 30

I have often pondered the meaning and significance of these verses; but recently, I have listened to a sermon by Alistair Begg on this subject; and I want to share a point of that sermon with you—at least, this is the part I took home with me.

The passage says that there are several steps in the final salvation of a believer: First, there is foreknowledge of the one who will be saved from his sins. Next comes predestination followed by God’s effectual calling. Next comes justification, and, finally, glorification. Below, I wish to discuss foreknowledge, because this has been a stumbling block to me. I believe that God knows who will choose Him—but, on what criteria?

God’s foreknowledge is a knowledge borne out of his ability to know the future—a strange and unknown ability to us, mere humans, who cannot even conceive of such an ability. Nevertheless, God can do it. Well, what, exactly is it that God knows? He knows what he has, in advanced, ordained. But that is not all—He also knows what we are going to choose of our own free will. THE TWO GO TOGETHER. Free will and God’s sovereignty go together in this disposition.

In discussing this situation, it is necessary to understand that there are two scenarios, which do not exist. The first is a case in which a person wants to know God, who understands the principles of His teachings, who loves Him and the things that are His; but, since he is not one of the elect, he is excluded from heaven. We must remember that Jesus said, “…whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37) The second scenario is one in which a person is living a life of willful sin, who has no interest in Christ and no faith in God—but…because he is one of the elect , God admits him to heaven. Neither of these situations is true.

Somehow, in some mysterious way, the freewill choice of men and women and the supreme decision of God about election to his family coincide perfectly. Only those who will have the faith prescribed in the Bible will receive the eternal life that Christ promises. And…at the same time, God knows each one of us who will make that choice. It is a mystery; man’s freedom in Christ allows him to optionally go God’s way and at the same time to realize a measure of obedience to the Gospel admonitions of the Scripture. That is, to conform to God’s foreknowledge of his elected, salvational, condition.

Another important point from Mr. Begg’s sermon is that no matter what we think of or know about this so called chain or way of salvation, our own particular salvation has nothing to do with it. We are saved by believing in and having faith in the Savior—it is simply that and no more. So…I think we should not spend very much effort in understanding all the theological ins and outs of this complicated theology. Our relationship to the Savior is really all that counts in our eternal destiny.