The Lord's Prognosis

11.24.10
J.A. Matteson

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

Πέτρος ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκλεκτοῖς παρεπιδήμοις διασπορᾶς Πόντου, Γαλατίας, Καππαδοκίας, Ἀσίας, καὶ Βιθυνίας, κατὰ πρόγνωσιν θεοῦ πατρός, ἐν ἁγιασμῷ πνεύματος, εἰς ὑπακοὴν καὶ ῥαντισμὸν αἵματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ: χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη πληθυνθείη.
1 Peter 1:1-2

Regarding obedience to and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the two constructs are inseparable. Genuine faith is known by its obedience and obedience is impossible apart from faith. In this passage the Apostle states that his readers are chosen or elect (ἐκλεκτοῖς) unto salvation on the basis of the Fathers foreknowledge (πρόγνωσιν) of them. And foreknowledge in the Greek is not equivalent to the English concept of foresight. In Greek foreknowledge provides the sense of forethought or pre-arrangement independent of future variables (e.g., behavior). On the other hand foresight has no regard of the past or present, its intelligibility being constrained to a future event. In the biblical sense God foreknows the future because He has foreordained the future, “For in him we live and move and have our being” and “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Acts 17:28; Ps. 139:16). To conclude that the Apostle's readers are ἐκλεκτοῖς (elect) as a result of God's foresight from eternity past of a future faith is to distort the syntax, context, and etymology of the text.

Rather their ἐκλεκτοῖς (election) is according to or on the basis of what? What does the Apostle say? Indeed, he says that it is according to God's πρόγνωσιν (foreknowledge). Had the Apostle intended to infer that their ἐκλεκτοῖς (election) was in response to God's foresight of their faith this would have been the ideal place to explicitly state it. But he does not make that claim but rather states that their ἐκλεκτοῖς (election) is in response to or according to God's πρόγνωσιν (foreknowledge) of them.

Now let us briefly examine the Greek etymology of foreknowledge. The Greek word foreknowledge (πρόγνωσιν; prog'-no-sis) is often used in English by the medical community to describe the likely outcome of an illness. It combines pro (before) and gnosis (a knowing). In the Scripture when God's election is under consideration His foreknowledge is always in the context of the individual person, not a foreseen behavior. In other words it is the individual person that is foreknown apart from their actions. That is not to suggest God is unaware of an individuals future actions, for if that were the case He would not be omniscient. What is clear, however, is that with respect to election His foreknowledge is not predicated upon foresight, but fore-ordination which finds its basis in grace in accordance to the good pleasure of His will, “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will” (Ephesians 1:5). According to what? According to His foresight of our faith? No, but according to the kind intention of His will, prior to our physical birth, prior to faith being expressed.

Now let us consider two more words in the context of verse 2, the words "to obey" (εἰς ὑπακοὴν). The Greek preposition εἰς (ice) can be rendered "to, unto, for, through, or into" with the context giving the meaning. The sense of the passage at hand yields an interpretation of to or for. The noun ὑπακοὴν (obey) is defined as the act of submission or compliance. Obedience to what? The Lord Jesus Christ. How does an unbelieving, unregenerate, person at enmity towards God, one spiritually dead in sins and trespasses, become obedient to Jesus Christ? Once more, what does the Apostle state?, “by the sanctifying work of the Spirit.” Herein is the grace of God through the agency of the Spirit of God applying the Word of God (Gospel) to the unregenerate heart. This sovereign act of God is the circumcision of the heart—the new covenant—revealed to the prophets of the old covenant.

Now if, as the Armenians insist, God's foreknowledge is in fact His foresight of a future faith expressed, then an obvious contradiction is introduced in this passage since election is “to” or with the goal of faith (obedience), and not because of it, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight”, and “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (Ephesians 1:3-4; 2 Tim. 1:9). For the initial act of obedience is faith in Jesus Christ, “Therefore they said to Him, 'What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent'" (Jn. 6:28-29). Beloved, let us give thanks always to the Lord our God for His merciful electing grace which planted in our hearts a hope that is imperishable.

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