ROMANS 8:29-31 Only God Can Provide Security

 ROMANS 8:29-31

“For whom He foreknew (proginōskō), He also predestined . . . and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified . . . If God is for us, who can be against us?”

 

  I. Definition of “foreknew.”

proginōskō:

option #1. to choose beforehand, foreordain.               

option #2. to know something in advance.

option #3. to set one’s love upon someone.

The context of the passage must determine which definition or combination of definitions we choose.

For example the term: paper.

option # 1. a thin sheet material made from cellulose pulp.

option # 2. a newspaper.

 

I read the paper this morning during breakfast. (2. newspaper)

We used paper plates at the picnic. (1. sheet material)

II. Context:

 

The context of chapter 8 in Romans is declaring the believers security and hope during trials. Our future glory is certain because GOD is bringing it to pass.  Paul’s evidence of this certainty is laid out in verses 29-30.

 

The Biblical Order:	Man made order:  The following order or system which states part truth and part error allows for no certainty or guarantee.
GOD is choosing individuals.	MAN chooses to exercise his faith.
GOD is determining life events.	GOD sees that faith in advance, a thing.
GOD is calling individuals to salvation.	GOD is determining events.
GOD is justifying humans.	GOD is calling and justifying people.
GOD is going to glorify His chosen ones.	GOD is going to glorify the one with faith.

 

III. Grammar:

 

The grammatical structure of the passage requires the choice of definitions #1 (to choose beforehand) and/or #3 (to set one’s love upon someone). In each clause of the passage, “God” is the subject and “men” are the objects of the verbs, not things.

God  |  foreknew  |  whom

In the Greek text the term: “whom” is a relative pronoun that is masculine in gender and plural in number. Thus, it is impossible for Paul to be saying that God foresaw “faith” because “faith” is a feminine singular noun and its relative pronoun would have to be feminine in gender and singular in number as well. Hence, it would be translated as:

 

God  |  foreknew  |  what

 

Also, in the New Testament when the Greek word for “foreknow” (proginōskō) is used with “God” as the subject it always has people as its object. The New Testament never says that ‘God foreknew things.’ 

 Thus, Romans 8 teaches that the believer can wait with certainty and confidence, because he knows that God is sovereign in his salvation. God foreknows people (“whom,” not “what”). We can have confidence because God foreordains, God determines life events, God calls, God justifies, and God will finish what He begins at our resurrection and glorification.  This glorification is such a sure thing to occur for all “the called,” Paul speaks of it in the past tense (Gnomic Aorist) as if it has already occurred.  It is hard to get more certain than that!