The Calvinism Debate - Way of Life Literature

that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called:and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom hejustified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say tothese things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Hethat spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for usall, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It isGod that justifieth.”We see that the foreknowledge of God is a crucial part ofHis plan of election. ose He foreknew he also predestinatedand called and justified. e key, then, is to understand whatforeknowledge means. If, as the Calvinist teaches, it is thesame as predestination then this passage can be understoodto teach “sovereign election.” But if foreknowledge is not thesame as predestination, it cannot be understood in this way.e word “foreknow” is from the Greek “proginosko,”which simply means “to know beforehand, i.e.foresee” (Strong). It is the same basic Greek word that istranslated “foreknowledge” in 1 Pet. 1:2, which says thebeliever is “elect according to the foreknowledge of God.”To say that “foreknow” is the same as predestination is toignore the meaning of the word and is also to ignore the factthat foreknow and predestinate are two separate steps in theprocess described in Romans 8:29-33.In light of this passage and 1 Pet. 1:2, it is scriptural to saythat God foresaw who would believe on Christ andpredestinated those to salvation. ere is doubtless more toelection than this; there are things about divine election thatwe don’t understand at this time; but foreknowledge isdefinitely a part of it, because the Bible says so.Romans 9:13-3313 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have Ihated.97