Ernest T. Bass
Hello EB,
You are making an error right from the start, let me suggest where.
You are confusing two ideas in a way the OP. does not.
Two issues, God's omniscience, and God's foreknowledge.
Being God knows every possible thing goes without saying, Foreknowledge as used in the bible is of persons, watch again;
29 For
whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover
whom he did predestinate
, them he also called: and
whom he called,
them he also justified: and
whom he justified,
them he also glorified.
whom, ,whom, them,whom, them,whom ,them...persons, not what they did, but them.
From post #2
Now in view of these passages (and there are no more) what scriptural ground is there for anyone saying God“foreknew” the acts of certain ones, viz., their “repenting and believing,” and that because of those acts He elected them unto salvation? The answer is, None whatever.
Scripture never speaks of repentance and faith as being foreseen or foreknown by God.
Truly, He didknow from all eternity that certain ones would repent and believe, yet this is not what Scripture refers to as the object of God’s “foreknowledge.” The word uniformly refers to God’s foreknowing persons ; then let us “hold fast the form of sound words” ( 2 Tim. 1:13).
You still did not prove God does not foreknow events. If God does not foreknow events then He cannot be omniscient. I gave you a verse that says God foreknows events, Isaiah 44:7-8 events that are going to take place. The crucifixion, the betrayal (Psalms 41:9) the dividing of Christ's clothes and casting lots (Psalms 22:17-18), the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24) are all events that God foreknew. How could events be prophesied if they were not foreknown?
As far as Rom 8, the verse 29 says "
For whom he did foreknow". There has not been a single person born into this world that God did not foreknow. Does that mean every single person will be saved, will be glorified in the end? Of course not, for many men will be lost (Matthew 7:13). Therefore "
for whom He foreknew" has to be qualified in some way...and it is:
28 -
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 -
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Verse 29 begins with an explanatory preposition "for" which means verse 29 gives further explanation of verse 28. Verse 28 specifically refers to those who
CONDITIONALLY become a Christian, that is, those who
CONDITIONALLY "love God" and have been "called". Paul says nothing here at all about God foreknowing and choosing certain individuals
UNconditionally.
So verse 28 tells us whom it was God foreknew, that being the group called Christian, those who of their own free will choose to love God (obey His commands, John 14:15). Verse 29 tells us God foreknew this group will be "conformed to the image of His Son" and someday Christians will be resurrected as Christ, who was the first born from the dead. Paul goes on to point out the end result of this foreknown, predestined group of Christians.....they will be justified, glorified.
The context shows that those whom God foreknows and predestined are the ones who meet the conditions God put on salvation (belief repentance confession baptism), that is, the ones who conditionally love God per Romans 8:28. (Love God means doing what God has said to do, John 14:15).....
Verse 28:
And we know - "we" refers to the group Christian, Christians can know good is in their future.
"
that all things work together for good to them that love God," for those that have CONDITIONALLY chosen to love God (obey God - John 14:15) and not certain individuals Unconditionally chosen before the world began.
to them who are the called according to his purpose. - God calls men by His word, the gospel, 2 Thessalonians 2;14, and those who CONDITIONALLY answer the gospel call become "the called" (Jude 1:1)
Verse 29:
For - gives further explanation of verse 28.
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate, - God foreknows all men who have been born into this world but the context limits the "whom" to those who have conditionally love God and have answered the gospel call per verse 28. And those whom have met the conditions of loving God and answering the gospel call are the ones predestinated.
'
conformed to the image of His Son'. Those in this group who love God, having answered the gospel call (v28) "look" like Christ, conformed to His image. Therefore God did not Unconditionally choose certain individuals regardless of how they live. Justification, glorification is for those who have
CONDITIONALLY conformed to the image of His Son. Those who
conditionally love God have been predestined to be among the 'conformed'.
that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.- Christ is the firstborn from the dead but will not be the only one. All those who conditionally loved God and answered the gospel call, that is, "brethren" which refers to the GROUP called Christian, the ones who CONDITIONALLY love God and answered the gospel call.
So the context is about a GROUP God foreknew and predestined to have certain traits (image of Christ) and not about God unconditionally choosing certain men apart from what those men do (apart from loving God, answering the gospel call).