On “Foreknowledge” in Former Adventist Podcast
The first part of that “Golden Chain” [of Romans 8]: “Those He FOREKNEW”. What is this FOREKNEW? Could it be important? To me it speaks of God’s foreknowledge of those who will choose to believe in The Lamb and His works. Those that will put on Christ’s Robes, (put their faith in Christ). These He Predestined, these He wrote in the Lamb’s Book of Life from the foundation of the world. This gives hope for everyone; they have the chance to choose to believe and to follow and be saved.
—VIA YOUTUBE
Response by Nikki Stevenson: It appears that like with so many words in Scripture the context determines the meaning or use of the word. I believe that living fully submitted to the Word means that we can’t offer new definitions or slightly adjusted definitions, we can only choose from the ones given to decide which fits the context. Seeing that the word can be used for human knowledge means that it doesn’t always have to mean the predetermined will of God.
In the context of the “Golden Chain” it does appear to me to contextually relate to God’s predetermined will. If this were the only place where we see God’s predetermined will in Salvation I might want to push harder into what Paul is getting at but it actually fits with the theme in all of the Bible and specifically in the NT as it relates to saving faith. One reason I see this as relating to the monergistic work of God is because Paul (by the Spirit) spoke of believers as “glorified” –in the past tense. Also, God doesn’t learn. He is Omniscient. The use for it when speaking of human knowledge is related to acquired information. In the context of the “Golden Chain” Paul is writing about a monergistic work and leaves no room for God ever learning or acquiring information.
So, the problem comes, in my opinion, when we use our human logical conclusions to determine that if this means God predestines the saved to salvation then it must mean He predestines some for destruction. That’s just logical to us. There is nothing abnormal about that reaction. What we have to be willing to submit, though, is that God’s ways are far above our own. There are no other passages of Scripture that I can think of that would affirm the human logical conclusion of “double predestination”. Aside from perhaps Jesus words in His high priestly prayer, “While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” (John 17:12) But Jesus said that was that the Scriptures would be fulfilled, He didn’t imply this is the way it is for all of humanity. When Scripture is fulfilled it’s often a one time unrepeatable event. [An edit here to say that there are prophecies in Scripture with multiple fulfillments, but we don’t get to decide which ones they are; the Scriptures will reveal them.]
So, from where I sit, the Bible does not didactically teach “double predestination”. Nor does it allow us to leave the blame on God for all who are not saved. Humanity is lost on the basis of our nature which we inherited from Adam. We are all dead and headed for eternal death apart from the saving work of God. The gospel was commissioned to go into all the world that whoever believes will have eternal life. The writer of Hebrews implores his readers to respond to God’s voice “Today”—to not harden their hearts but to trust Him.
Paul will address this logical question we all end up with later in Romans 9. I love that he does, too, because Paul understands what these truths elicit in us. I find that his answer is similar to God’s answers to Job. God doesn’t explain Himself to Job, He puts Job in his place. “Were you there…?” and in Romans 9 Paul will ask the question, what right do we have to question God? This doesn’t mean he is affirming double predestination. He actually doesn’t really engage with the question. Rather, he puts us in our place. It’s like he is saying, “What if He does? Who are you to question Him?”
This is where I land on this difficult question. Even if He does, who am I to question God? That’s an unsatisfying response for many, I know, but even if God does do this, He is still God and I love Him and will not forsake Him. You have no idea how hard that is for me to say but like with Peter my soul asks, “Where else can we go, Lord? You alone have the words of eternal life.” I truly grieve and weep before God for the salvation of some of my dearest loved ones—and I believe we are called to do so. I wasn’t saved for 30 years but in His perfect time He gave me life. I trust Him with those I pray for. Just because they’re not saved now, doesn’t mean they never will be.
So, for me, when I struggle with this issue, I throw my hands up and say, “God, you are God. I trust you,” but I also obey His other commands in Scripture that say to pray for the salvation of all and to share the gospel.
One of the things I’ve been taught by mentors is that if you read something that is unclear in Scripture, then you need to pull back and go to clearer passages about that same topic. The message to the people in all of Scripture is to respond to God in faith. God reveals Himself to all people and in Romans 1 Paul made clear that those who are storing up wrath from God are actively suppressing the truth that is actively being manifested to them. They are responsible for rejecting truth.
I mentioned that God’s sovereignty is on display all over the New Testament. Here are just a few examples. In Acts we read things like, “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed,” (13:48). We also read Paul talk about meeting Christ and coming to faith in Gal 1:15,16 and he wrote, “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone…” God’s timing is always perfect and always intentional.
Once you see God’s sovereignty in salvation, you begin to see it all over the Bible. It’s all over the OT. Hebrews 11 is a great passage for reviewing that. We cannot find God, but when God reveals Himself to us we are responsible to respond to Him.
I have no idea if this helps, but to respond to your suggestion about how we might read the passage, I understand how you get there. Even so, my hermeneutic requires me to respond to the words and their original meaning without speculating to make it fit with something that makes sense to me. Living with the tension Scripture gives us is a step of faith. This is why I won’t ever call myself a Calvinist or any other “ist”. It’s also why I’ve never read his works. Too many systems try to answer questions raised by Scripture with logic. Human logic fails us. I’d much rather live with the question, “Who am I to question God?” and to leave my confusion with Him while trusting the clarity of the messages He gives us.
Feeling Lost and Confused
I have just left the Adventist organization, and I am spinning in my mind. I have watched several of your videos as well as others, and I just feel so lost and confused: what now? I want to become a part of a church, but I have such a hard time trusting any of them. God has impressed me to reach out to you for support and guidance. I am completely alone now, and I need to talk to someone about all of this. All of my friends are Adventist.
—VIA EMAIL
Response: That you so much for writing!
First, your confusion and that “lost feeling” are completely normal. We all feel that way as we begin to realize that the worldview which shaped our reality may not be grounded in absolute truth! I have often thought that waking up to the reality that our Adventism was based on unreality instead of on biblical truth is a bit like the old movie The Truman Show, or discovering that we lived in The Matrix!
Your distrust of a church is also familiar and “normal” after realizing that we have been shaped by what we believed was the true church only to discover that we have been deceived. We all had the problem of not knowing what to believe at first!
Here is the bottom line: God’s word will rewire your worldview and stabilize you.
The first thing that is necessary is understanding the gospel. Have you trusted in Jesus’ finished atonement for your sins? Have you realized that you need a Savior, and nothing you can do can contribute to your salvation? If you have trusted Him alone, laying down before Him all that you have believed and loved and trusting HIM, He will give you His resurrection life and seal you with His Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13 14).
The Lord Jesus will make Scripture come alive, and the truth will become increasingly clear and transforming as He teaches you to trust His word and live by it. I can honestly say that it is the Bible which has changed my “head” and regulated my emotions. Ha! I was not “regulated” as an Adventist, let me tell you! But the Lord has given me more and more ability to see reality as it actually is—and that only comes by immersing oneself in His word.
So, I will make some suggestions: First, as you pursue the details of all the Adventist questions which will come up, develop a consistent plan for ingesting Scripture. Get a notebook, and begin literally copying books of the Bible into it, a few verses a day, asking the Lord to teach you what He wants you to know. Begin with Galatians: the lifeline for drowning Adventists who can’t figure out what to do with the Sabbath! Paul clearly explains the role of the law and the new reality of being in Christ. When you’ve finished Galatians move on to Hebrews, Ephesians, Colossians, John, Philippians—you get the idea!
Second, consider joining us on Friday evenings for our weekly FAF Bible study. We meet in person locally (we are in Southern California), and we have people from across the continent and sometimes from other countries who join us by Zoom. We meet every Friday evening at 7:00 PM Pacific Time. If you are able to join us, email this same email address and request a zoom link for the FAF Bible study. Richard sends out an email every Friday afternoon with the zoom link (it’s the same every week), and with a link to the song we’ll sing together that evening as well as with a PDF of the lesson we are currently studying. We are currently going through Colossians and are in Colossians 3. We will always stop for questions, and our study includes discussion. We find that we go slowly because studying the word contextually involves a lot of “a-ha” moments as our old understanding of the words is transformed by contextual reading using normal rules of grammar and vocabulary!
Third, ask the Lord to lead you to a church. He knows what church you need to be in and where you will be taught biblical truth and find true Christian fellowship. Check out local churches online. A good church will keep the gospel and the Lord Jesus and the inerrant word of God at the center of all they do. It will not be a “Holy Spirit focussed” church, because the role of the Spirit is to point to Christ and to make the truth about Him clear. We are never asked to pursue signs and wonders, but we are asked to trust the Lord Jesus and His word. It is an absolute promise of God tat He indwells every believer, and we don’t have to worry that we don’t have “enough” of Him nor signs of His presence. The Lord tailor-makes our experience with Him so we can trust Him. Pursue a church where the Bible is taught and where Christian fellowship is alive and well.
Here is a link to a talk our pastor gave at a past FAF Conference in which he addressed “How To Choose a Church”: https://lifeassuranceministries.org/faf2007/GaryInrig2007.mp3
Fourth, I have added your email to our list to receive our weekly Proclamation! email. It comes out every Friday morning, so you should receive it tomorrow.
Finally, please feel free to email anytime. It is a lonely and scary thing you are doing, but leaving a dark deception for reality and truth is also the most exciting thing you will ever do. I remember feeling as if I were losing myself when we left Adventism; it truly felt like going through a divorce. But the Lord is faithful; He said that He gives us 100 times what we lose for His sake in this life plus eternal life—and He does. He does not leave us orphaned.
I also want to mention that in the weekly Proclamation! email we are publishing, a chapter per week, Dale Ratzlaff’s seminal book Sabbath In Christ. The chapters we have already published can be accessed here:
I strongly urge you to begin reading this book; Dale addresses, clearly and biblically, every Adventist argument that we learned about the Sabbath and teaches us about the biblical covenants that explain the role of the law. And do take some time to poke around on the ProclamationMagazine.com website. We have many articles organized by topics, and I believe you will find much help in the material available there! †
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