Weekly Devotional 11-23-15 Knowing Beforehand
How are we to consider many of the people mentioned in the Bible? For example, persons of the Old Testament, Abraham, Moses, David, or from the New Testament, the Apostles Matthew and Paul. What quality was in these men that God would choose them to fulfill his purposes?
Some have suggested that our all-knowing God foresaw the faith of these men and chose them on that basis. For support of this conclusion they point to such verses as Romans 8:29 which states, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” or Romans 11:2a, “God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew” or First Peter 1:1-2, “1I Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.”
The terms foreknew and foreknowledge, however, have a deeper meaning than knowing beforehand. These terms also imply a finished work. Ephesians 2:1-10, explains that this finished work is not a finished work of man but of God Himself.
“1And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Please note that the apostle Paul includes himself (vs. 3) as being alienated from God and that he was a child of wrath. He, like all others, was dead toward God and would have remained as such had it not been for God’s mercy and election.
Concerning Abraham, we are informed by Joshua that he was an idol worshipper before God called him. Note, “2And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. 3Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.’” (Joshua 24:2-3). Abraham would have remained an idol worshipper had it not been for God calling him out from among his people.
Matthew was a tax collector (Luke 5:27-28) and would likely have remained so had Jesus not called Him. Speaking of the apostles, Jesus said, “15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:15-16).
Moses was second in command only to Pharaoh, enjoying all that Egypt had to offer until God called him. David was a shepherd boy until God called Him and eventually made him king. Therefore, as we consider these persons, we must recognize that God didn’t call them because of who they were, but because of what He would make of them.
Looking back to our Ephesians passage (Eph. 2:1-10) we read from verse 10, “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before-hand that we should walk in them.” In context, Paul is talking about both the redeemed Jew and the redeemed Gentile of his time, but the truth of the statement is applicable to all called persons of each generation. God knew each one beforehand, whom He would call. To God be the Glory.
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Transforming Power; the Work of God on Behalf of Man