Foreloved: A Reason For Hope
Pastor Ostella
8-9-98
Introduction
In light of last week's study on the context of giving a reason, I would like to give a reason for my hope that reaches to the deepest depths of my heart and soul.
To get to my point, let's do a little experiment. If I say that I want to give you a radical reason for my hope, a deep rooted reason, one that sustains me as a human being, a Christian, and a pastor in the face of my frailty, and my confrontation with aging, decline, suffering and death, but I want you to guess what verse I would cite, what verse would you guess? Let me narrow down. What single verse in the NT am I probably thinking about when I sweep across the things of life and have hope and expectation for good to come?
As you are trying to figure out the verse I have in mind, let me narrow it down to the book of Romans. Now I want to say this, I think you will be one verse off. You are most likely thinking its Romans 8:28, "all things work together for good." But I am thinking of Romans 8:29. I refer you to v. 29 instead of v. 28 because v. 29 gives the ground and basis for the sweeping promise that all things are worked for our good. As we shall see, it gives a radical foundation for Romans 8:28, placing it firmly on the rock of God's eternal love.
You might say that last week, I did a broad overview of the passage in Romans 8 when I made some references to it. This week I want to narrow down very precisely in the text in order to ground our hope in God in the most fundamental and decisive sense that I can imagine. I will focus on the love of God that is discussed here particularly in the word usually translated foreknew (v. 29). I will work to show that this means foreloved and that it is a profound and matchless reason for hope. Granted, this has its controversial aspects. But it is not a matter of being a Christian or not being a Christian. Nor is it a matter of being some particular denomination because the perspectives differ across all the churches.
How you read Romans 8:29 does not determine whether we are Christians or not, but it is a matter of hearing the voice of God verses hearing our own rationalizing. It is a matter of submitting our hearts, thoughts, and wills to Christ speaking in Scripture. It is therefore important that we work through the difficulties that surface in studying this passage.
I believe that I have a great future out in front of me. I believe that every Christian has a great future in things yet to come. I want to speak to this hope in a most fundamental way today by looking at God's prior love, His forelove as a reason beyond all reasons for hope that is steadfast, sure and unchanging.
1A. Roman 8:28 in context
Romans 8:28 is a classic text with some astounding claims. 1) The text speaks to them that love God and who are called according to His purpose. 2) Good is promised to them in the most comprehensive sense: all things work together for good to them. 3) This would be beyond belief and mere wishful thinking if we left out the fact that God is at work behind the scenes of all of creation, life and history: God causes all things to work together for good to them. 4) But there is another notable fact stated here. Without it, this verse would be no comfort to us: "we know." We know that God causes all things to work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose. 5) Finally, we know this. Those who love God, the called by God, know God's working behind the scenes of history and their personal histories.
Now how do we know this? How do we find this truth to be the case in all of its profound depth, height and breath? Paul confirms this truth and shows that our knowledge is well grounded in v. 29 where he roots everything deep in the heart of God. The fountain from which all else flows is the fountain of God's everlasting love.
So let's now look at v. 29.
2A. We need to pin down the meaning of the word foreknew.
I want take you through some steps to show you why it means foreloved and why this is important.
How do we get the meaning of a word like this? How do we go beyond the surface appearance and grab on clearly to what the biblical writer is saying? For some words, the surface appearance may be just what the word means. But that is not the case with foreknow. But we can begin here.
1B. Let's first consider the surface meaning.
Just take it as it hits us. That is, forget the history, culture, and time distance from the Bible to the present. Just read the word and kind of intuit its meaning breaking it apart as we go. What do we come up with? Well, we have the word "know" and the prefix "fore." We can define the word as knowing before, or having knowledge of something beforehand. This would relate to God's omniscience, to use the familiar theological word. Now let's brainstorm and try to add other things to this reading.
2B. What is it that is foreknown as far as this text is concerned?
Obviously, if we ask what does God foreknow in His omniscience, then everything is foreknown. God knows the beginning and the end. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He knows A to Z and everything in between. But does this passage get more specific? Yes, it does. It refers to "those" God foreknew. It refers to people that are known by God. Is this everyone from Adam and Eve to the end of time? No, it goes back to v. 28, to the ones called according to His purpose who love God, in other words, to followers of Christ. These people are known by God in a special way described as "before" (foreknown). Now we know that general omniscience is not in view.
3B. How far before?
The time frame is given to us by the reference here to God's purpose or plan. The called ones are called in accord with God's purpose (v. 28) which is tied with another word with the before prefix: predestined (v. 29; note the "pre").
Predestined can be translated foreordained. This emphasizes the point that God's plan has a precise goal or end in mind for the called ones and they are pre-appointed to reach the end marked out ahead of time: of conformity to Christ. This obviously suggests that God's purpose includes the whole history of God's people. Two things support this.
Therefore, Paul gives us the most sweeping perspective possible on the scope of God's purpose such that it takes in the universe and all of human history in order to realize His electing and predestinating goals.
4B. But our text has some specialness regarding the called ones who are foreknown. They are foreknown in some special way. This special way refers us to God's love. Let me show why that is the case.
1) Because of the relation to v. 28. The working of all things for the called is embraced by the word "foreknow." God is working good to the foreknown (v. 28) such that something specific pertains to them: they are foreordained to the likeness of Christ (v. 29). Foreknow is a hinge between vs. 28 and 29. "Foreknown" harkens back to v. 28 and to all that is spoken of there. The foreknown are the called who love God and for whom all things are being worked for good in the outworking of God's purpose that embraces all of factuality.
The people for whom the things of v. 28 are being done are identified as the "foreknown" for whom something more is also promised: they are also predestined to conformity to Christ. Good is for the foreknown and also predestination. Therefore, to be "foreknown" means more, much more, than the general fact that God knows all things ahead of time about them. It means that God is working all things for their good now (v. 28) and that this working will also lead inevitably and infallibly to conformity with Christ in the future.
To be foreknown means to be protected in the midst of life's uncertainties, in the midst of all the things that threaten us, like tribulation, distress, persecution, peril, nakedness, famine, sword, and all the sufferings of this present age. In other words, foreknown means to be foreloved. It is not a matter of God's foresight of things we will do; it refers to the action of God in love that will see us through all things.
This word roots the working of v. 28 deep in the fountain of God's everlasting love. Love is a matter of action. And God does not act according to whim but according to plan and purpose. "Foreknown" refers to God's loving purpose for His called ones. This is a love, Paul tells us, that reaches back into eternity past to the throne of God, to the very heart of God as a great fountain from which flows the working of all things for our good (v. 28)!
2) This meaning of foreknow is confirmed in its use all through the Bible. Let me give some examples that show that the word refers to God's intimate, distinguishing, and eternal love for His people. It builds and fills out but the usage regarding relationships always has the flavor of intimate love.
We should stress what is and what is not intended by foreknow
It refers to an action of God, to His love, to His prior love that is everlasting. It does not refer to any action of man of whatever kind. It does not refer to something God sees man will do ahead of the time of man's doing it whether faith, repentance, love, or anything else.
When Paul says "whom He foreknew," he refers to God doing something. He refers to God placing His love on people and doing this as the fountain of all His workings throughout all of the universe and history to see us through all things and safely home to glory.
Our pilgrimage is bounded by love that reaches back to eternity past and that looks to eternity future in our appointment to conformity to Christ, and all the history in between is where God is working out His eternal love in order to see to it that we arrive safely home with Him in glory as brothers and sisters of Christ. The working of Romans 8:28 is toward the end specified in 29b and is rooted in the love specified in 29a.
It is as simple as this: why will the working take us safely home to glory? Because it is rooted in His prior love which grounded His plan that we be conformed to Christ, that we certainly reach the destined end.
3A. Why this is so important?
It is important because if our salvation is tainted in any way by some human contribution then our hope is shifted from God to ourselves. When we do that we exchange the good news of saving grace for the bad news of a saving synergism. Synergism means "co – work" like the cooperative, synergistic principle in a shopping center where the store owners co-operate (you do your part and I'll do mine). A human contribution to our salvation would turn the grace of God into a "grace-plus" salvation, grace plus some work, choice, act of man. This would make salvation ultimately depend on ourselves. On this view, ultimately, at the decisive moment, in the final analysis, who is saved and who is not saved depends on man and not on God. That is not good news. The good news directs us to the love and grace of Almighty God not frail man.
The view that "foreknow" refers to something God sees in us is a view that makes our salvation depend on some final and decisive element over which God has no control. This may be referred to in various ways. It may be said that it all depends on our choice or our will: "God has done all He can and now it depends on you, on your will." But what does Scripture say to this? It says, it is not of man's will but of God (Jn. 1:13). It says, it is not of him that wills but of God who shows mercy; it does not depend on man but on God (Rom. 9:16).
If our salvation depends on something beyond God's control, then we have no real hope. The claim that "God is not in control" is hardly a basis for hope. It can also be easily seen that the view that our salvation ultimately rests on us does not glorify God. Quite the reverse, it exalts man. It does not glorify God to proclaim that the emphasis in "foreknow" is on our choice of God that God knew ahead of time. Of course, God knows all that will happen ahead of time but the emphasis is not on our choice of God (there is not a word of that here and it is something we are incapable of unless the Father draws us to Christ by the power of the Spirit). The emphasis is on God's choice of us; it is on God's electing love, His forelove.
Two concerns usually emerge at this point:
In our closing hymn (#258, O could I speak the matchless worth), note Romans 8:29 in the last verse.
As you sing, follow the progression of the song: the intro of the matchless worth of Christ (v. 1); His precious blood (v. 2); praise (v. 3) and the delightful day—of triumph with my Saviour, brother, friend (v.4).