(CHOSEN) ACCORDING TO THE FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD THE FATHER: kata prognosin theou patros: (Acts 2:23; 15:18; Ro 8:29,30; 9:23,24; 11:2) (see EBD; Torrey's Topic Counsels and Purposes of God)

God planned long ago to choose you by making you His holy people."

You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father" (TEV),

God the Father chose you according to His Own purpose”

In just a few strokes of his pen, Peter paints the grand picture of our salvation as orchestrated from start to finish by God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit...

THE MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY
and
THE MARVEL OF SALVATION

Foreknown by the Father

Sanctified of the Spirit

Sprinkled with the blood of the Son

All members of the Trinity work to bring about our salvation and provide a threefold assurance to believers.

Vincent agrees that this section speaks of

The foreknowledge of the Father, the sanctification of the Spirit, the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ the Son. The Father foreknowing, the Son atoning, the Spirit applying the Son’s work in sanctifying.

God the Father elects the sinner to salvation (see note Ephesians 1:4), God the Spirit brings him to the act of faith (2Thes 2:13), and God the Son cleanses him from sin (see notes Romans 5:6; 5:7; 5:8; 5:9; 5:10) having given

"Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father to Whom be the glory forevermore. Amen." (Gal 1:4-5)

C. E. B. Cranfield comments on this phrase (chosen according to the foreknowledge of God) writing

 If all our attention is concentrated on the hostility or indifference of the world or the exiguousness (excessive scantiness) of our own progress in the Christian life, we may well be discouraged. At such times we need to be reminded that our election is according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. The Church is not just a human organization—though, of course, it is that. Its origin lies, not in the will of the flesh, in the idealism of men, in human aspirations and plans, but in the eternal purpose of God.

In this section Peter presents truth to undergird the faith of the "elect sojourners" by emphasizing that the entire Godhead is active in their salvation experience (Click and scroll down to Macarthur's excellent summary of six "Advantages of God's Election"). 

Peter begins by explaining to his readers how they became "the chosen". Remember that the "chosen" are those individuals who have been picked out of all mankind by and for God Himself. God's choosing anyone for salvation is a reflection of His sovereign unmerited favor (grace). Furthermore, God chose us in Christ even before the foundation of the world (see note Ephesians 1:4). In eternity, before the universe came into existence, God had the elect in His heart for salvation! Believers are not an afterthought, but a forethought of God. Dearly beloved, be greatly encouraged by this incomprehensible, profound truth.

Next Peter explains that this salvation is according to the Father's foreknowledge. According to is the Greek word katá which means "down" and in the context of this verse conveys the idea of domination. In other words God's choice was "dominated" (or controlled or determined) by the foreknowledge of the Father.

What does the "foreknowledge of God the Father" imply? Some mistakenly reason that the elect are chosen because God knew beforehand that they would receive Him. The reasoning is that God looked down through the ages and in His omniscience saw what each person would do in regard to His Son, and then He chose or didn't choose individuals based on whether or not they believed. This might sound plausible but it is not how Scripture defines God's election and foreknowledge. So let's do a "simple" (actually somewhat technical) word study of foreknowledge to help understand.

Foreknowledge (4268) (prognosis from verb proginosko [word study] from pro = before + ginosko = know) literally means to know in advance or beforehand.

In the classic use foreknowledge simply indicates a previous knowledge of someone or some event, as in Acts 26:5 where Paul says "they have known about me...previously"  and in 2 Peter 3:1 (note) where Peter reminds the saints that they "know beforehand" that there are those who will distort the Scriptures. As discussed below God's foreknowledge means that He planned before, not that He observed before (cf. similar idea in Ex 33:17; Jer 1:5; Amos 3:2; Matthew 7:22; 7:23 [notes]).

John Macarthur comments on foreknowledge  that

A common explanation of election is that the elect are chosen because God knew beforehand what they would do. That defines foreknowledge as foresight. I've heard it explained that God looked down through the eons of history, saw by virtue of His omniscience what you and I would do, and then chose or didn't choose us based on whether we did or didn't believe. That at first sounds like a good explanation--but it's not the truth. There are several reasons for wanting to believe that God's foreknowledge means foresight. Our fallen nature desperately want some responsibility for our salvation. Likewise our fallen perspective makes God's sovereign choice appear unfair. But because our minds are polluted by sin, we are in no position to exalt our pride and call ourselves virtuous, or pull down the justice of God and call Him unfair."  (Read Dr Macarthur's interesting explanation of why many men want to believe that foreknowledge is simply foresight. Scroll down to the section entitled "Man's Decline") (Bolding added)

 In other NT uses both prognosis and the verb root proginosko are used in relationship to God and acquire an additional meaning as explained in the next section.

The first occurrence of either prognosis or proginosko related to God and the usage which is the pattern for the usage of both words in other places in the New Testament is found in Acts 2:23, where prognosis is used.

Acts 2:23 (Context: Peter is preaching to the unsaved Jewish audience and declares): "this Man (Jesus), delivered over (betrayed by Judas, to the power and will of His enemies) by the (definite article "te" in Greek placed before both the following nouns connected by "and" = kai) predetermined plan and (Greek = kai) foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death."

The words "the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23), are a Greek construction governed by the Granville-Sharp rule. This grammatical rule simply states that when two nouns are joined by the word “and” (the Greek kai) and the first noun has the article (article = "the") in front of it and the second does not, both nouns refer to the same thing.

In Acts 2:23, this rule shows that the word foreknowledge refers to the same act as does the phrase predetermined plan and is an additional description. The Greek word “plan” (boule), means to have an interchange of opinions, a mutual advising or the exchange of deliberative judgment. "Plan" refers to the results of a consultation between individuals.

Predetermined (perfect tense - past completed act with ongoing effect) refers to the past act of putting limits upon something with the present result that some certain thing has been appointed or decreed. It describes this consultation as one that had as its purpose the fixing of limits upon, thus determining the destiny of someone, in this case of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, in eternity (see notes  2 Timothy 1:9; Revelation 13:8), the Trinity, determined that the Lord Jesus Christ should be given over into the hands of godless men to be crucified. The word foreknowledge (prognosis) refers to the same act, and therefore includes in it the truth indicated by the predetermined plan. Foreknowledge, however, adds the idea of the foreordination or appointment in advance of the Person whose destiny was decided upon in the plan referred to. Stated succinctly the Granville Sharp rule  in Acts 2:23 equates foreknowledge to a predetermined plan. According to Peter, God's foreknowledge is a deliberate choice. God foreknew not by prior observation, but by bringing into reality His predetermined plan.

Spurgeon writes that...

With God there are no contingencies. The mighty charioteer of Providence has gathered up all the reins of all the horses, and He guides them all according to His infallible wisdom. There is a foreknowledge and predestination which concerneth all things, from the motion of a grain of dust on the threshing-floor to that of the flaming comet which blazes athwart the sky. Nothing can happen but what God ordains; and therefore, why should we fear? (Barbed Arrows from the Quiver of C. H. Spurgeon)

Prognosis is used again by Peter explaining that Christ "...was foreknown (prognosis) before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you." (see note 1 Peter 1:20) In eternity past, before Adam and Eve sinned, God did not just know it would happen but also planned the redemption of sinners through Jesus Christ.  In this verse as in 1 Peter 1:2, "foreknown" does not simply refer to awareness of what is going to happen, but conveys the added nuance of a predetermined relationship in the knowledge of God. In other words, God brought the salvation relationship into existence by decreeing it into existence ahead of time and believers are foreknown for salvation in the same way Christ was predetermined (or foreordained) before the foundation of the world to be a sacrifice for sins (see discussion of Granville-Sharp rule above in reference to Acts 2:23)

Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary says it this way --

God’s foreknowledge is much more than foresight. God does not know future events and human actions because He foresees them; He knows them because He wills them to happen. Thus God’s foreknowledge is an act of His will. (Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

John Piper warns of...

An increasingly popular movement afoot today is called "open theism," which denies that God has exhaustive, definite foreknowledge of the. entire future. (Desiring God) (See Piper's discussion Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity)

See also Piper's Resources on The Foreknowledge of God

Wiersbe adds that

Foreknowledge does not suggest that God merely knew ahead of time that we would believe, and therefore He chose us. This would raise the question, “Who or what made us decide for Christ?” and would take our salvation completely out of God’s hands. (Ed note: To say that God made a decision based on His prevision would mean that there was a time of indecision!) In the Bible, to foreknow means “to set one’s love on a person or persons in a personal way. (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)

Regarding foreknowledge, John Macarthur writes that

God pre-thought and pre-determined or predestined each Christian’s salvation...God predetermined to set His love upon certain people. If you are a Christian, you were foreknown by God as a part of that plan. God's foreknowledge of Christ serves as a model of God's foreknowledge of you. Christ is the elect stone--chosen and precious (see note Peter 2:6)."

William MacDonald writes that foreknowledge is

knowledge with a purpose that could never be frustrated. It is not enough to say that God foreknew those whom He realized would one day repent and believe. Actually it is His foreknowledge that insures eventual repentance and belief! (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)

J I Packer said it this way God

knows, and foreknows, all things, and His foreknowledge is foreordination; He, therefore, will have the last word, both in world history and in the destiny of every man.

D. Edmond Hiebert writes that proginosko (foreknowledge)

does not imply mere intellectual apprehension; it also indicates an active and affectionate desire to bless.

Kenneth Wuest writes that foreknowledge

is to be understood less as a passive ‘knowing in advance’ than as an active ‘taking note of’ or an eternal intention to bless. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)

William Kelly writes that God's

"foreknowledge is of persons, not of their state or conduct; it is not what, but whom He foreknew."

The discerning believer like all good Bereans needs to be aware that not all well known Christian scholars agree with the preceding interpretation of foreknowledge. Although this website follows no particular school of interpretation (other than the natural, literal approach), you should be aware that those who hold to the "Calvinist" school insist that God knows all events precisely because He sovereignly determines what is to happen in human history. Therefore in the Calvinist mindset, foreknowledge is closely related to foreordination (or predestination).  Most Calvinists assert that men are still responsible for their choices and are not merely victims of  "blind fate".

Those known as Arminian distinguish foreknowledge from the foreordination. While salvation and human history are predetermined by God, Arminians argue that individual response to God is not so predetermined. Hence, God can foreknow an event without directly decreeing that event to take place. There are other differences between these two schools of theology but you will need to consult other resources for more in depth discussion.

Scripture teaches both God’s foreknowledge of all things and the man's responsibility and these truth are like two parallel train tracks that never intersect. Both are true even if they cannot be resolved by our finite minds. To alter either of these truths is to not rightly handle the interpretation of the Word of Truth.

The verb proginosko is used 5x in the NT, two of those uses (Acts 26:5, 2 Peter 3:17 [note]) simply referring to previous knowledge that anyone might have.

Below are the other three of uses of proginosko that convey the meaning not just that God knew before, but that He also foreordained or appointed in advance.

Romans 8:29 (note) For whom He foreknew (proginosko), He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren." (Comment: As discussed above "foreknew" is not just a reference to God’s omniscience—that in eternity past He knew who would come to Christ but has the added notion of His predetermined choice to set His love on us and established an intimate relationship.)

Romans 11:2 (note) "God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew (proginosko) (Amplified adds " [whose destiny] He had marked out and appointed and foreknown from the beginning). Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?"  (Comment: The situation was similar to that which existed in the time of Elijah when most of the nation had turned away from God to idols. Conditions were so bad that Elijah prayed against Israel instead of for it! Paul's point is that even Israel's gross disobedience and turning away of most of the nation did not nullify God’s predetermined love relationship with her!)

1 Peter 1:20 (note) "For He was foreknown (proginosko) before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." (Comment: The Fall of man in the Garden of Eden did not take God by surprise. Christ’s work for us was no afterthought on God’s part. The Redeemer was destined to die for us before the creation of the world. Christ's sacrificial death was a set appointment not a serendipitous accident and began to be worked out in Ge 3:7 vs. Ge 3:21, when God killed animals that He might clothe Adam and Eve. The ram dying as a substitute for Isaac (Ge 22:13), the Passover lamb being slain for each Jewish household (Ex 12), and the One "like a lamb...led to slaughter" (Isaiah 53:6-7), all pictured the predetermined and foreknown plan which culminated in John the Baptist's presentation of the Messiah as "the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world” Jn 1:29)

C. H. Spurgeon in his inimitable style described God's actions in salvation:

"Before Salvation came into this world, Election marched in the very forefront, and it had for its work the billeting [assigning of lodging especially to soldiers] of Salvation. Election went through the world and marked the houses to which Salvation should come and the hearts in which the treasure should be deposited. Election looked through all the race of man, from Adam down to the last, and marked with sacred stamp those for whom Salvation was designed. 'He must needs go through Samaria,' said Election; and Salvation must go there.

Then came Predestination. Predestination did not merely mark the house, but it mapped the road in which Salvation should travel to that house; Predestination ordained every step of the great army of Salvation; it ordained the time when the sinner should be brought to Christ, the manner how he should be saved, the means that should be employed; it marked the exact hour and moment, when God the Spirit should quicken the dead in sin, and when peace and pardon should be spoken through the blood of Jesus. Predestination marked the way so completely that Salvation doth never overstep the bounds, and it is never at a loss for the road. In the everlasting decree of the Sovereign God, the footsteps of Mercy were every one of them ordained" from the sermon "The Things that Accompany Salvation"

BY THE SANCTIFYING WORK OF THE SPIRIT: en hagiasmo pneumatos: (1Th 5:23, 26:18, Heb 10:14, 1Co 1:30, 6:11 See Torrey's Topic Sanctification)

Literally "in sanctification of (the) Spirit" (no Greek word for "work"); "made a holy people by God's Spirit"

What does this mean? It means that a person cannot be saved anytime he wants and any way he wants. It means that a person cannot just choose some religion and some particular time of life to come to God. Two things are absolutely necessary for a person to be saved and to receive eternal life. A person must be sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God and obedience is the purpose and end of sanctification. This is not an exaltation of works in which we could ever boast. It is an exaltation of the Holy Spirit. It is not sanctification by works. It is sanctification by the Spirit, Who is Holy. Salvation is a work of God -- God chooses and the Holy Spirit sanctifies. From the inception of their salvation the Spirit is active in their our to set God’s seal on us as His people and to initiate a new separated way of life that should characterize the children of God and shine forth as His lights into the sin saturated darkness of this present evil age.

By is really the Greek preposition "en" which is literally translated "in" and in this verse is used as what is referred to as the "locative of sphere".

Wuest explains that in this verse the "locative of sphere" means that it was in the sphere of the sanctifying,

"setting apart work of the Spirit that the sinner was chosen. That is, God the Father chose the sinner out from among mankind to be the recipient of the setting-apart work of the Spirit, in which work the Holy Spirit sets the sinner apart from his unbelief to the act of faith in the Lord Jesus. The act of faith is spoken of here by the word “obedience,” which is not the obedience of the saint, but that of the sinner to the Faith, for this act is answered by his being cleansed in the precious blood of Jesus. In Acts 6:7 we read that “a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” Thus, the second step in the salvation of a sinner is taken by the Holy Spirit who brings the one chosen to the act of faith in the Lord Jesus as Saviour." (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)

Barclay elaborates on the Spirit's "sanctifying work" writing that

"It is the Holy Spirit Who awakens within us the first faint longings for God and His goodness. It is the Holy Spirit Who convicts us of our sin and leads us to the Cross where that sin is forgiven. It is the Holy Spirit Who enables us to be freed from the sins which have us in their grip and to gain the virtues which are the fruit of the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit Who gives us the assurance that our sins are forgiven and that Jesus Christ is Lord. The beginning, the middle and the end of the Christian life are the work of the Holy Spirit." (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press)

Marvin Vincent notes Peter's interesting use of three prepositions in close proximity in this passages --

"Note the three prepositions: according to (kata) the foreknowledge; in (en) sanctification; unto (eis) obedience. The ground, sphere, and end of spiritual sanctification."

Sanctifying (38) (hagiasmos from hagiazo = sanctify from hagios = holy, set apart, consecrated)  literally means sanctification and includes the ideas of consecration, purification, dedication and holiness. The dominant idea of sanctification is separation from the secular and sinful and setting apart for a sacred purpose, for God’s special use, all made possible by the atoning work of Christ. Hagiasmos does not denote the state of holiness but rather the process of being made holy, of becoming more and more in character and conduct that which God desires us to be.

Wuest puts it this way

The word “sanctify” in the Greek means “to set apart,” and the word “sanctification” refers to the setting apart process. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)

Hagiasmos is used twice in the Septuagint (LXX) (Ezekiel 45:4, Amos 2:11) and 10 times in the NT...

Romans 6:19 (note)  I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

Romans 6:22 (note) But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

1Thessalonians 4:3 (note) For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;

1Thessalonians 4:4 (note)  that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor

1Thessalonians 4:7 (note) For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

1 Timothy 2:15 But women shall be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.

Hebrews 12:14 (note) Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

1 Peter 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.

Hagiasmos was used in the Greek pagan religions to describe  buildings, altars or offerings set apart for religious purposes. The object set apart was thus declared sacred, holy, devoted to religious purposes. It applied also to the worshippers. They were set apart persons, thus religious devotees of the temple.

As explained below, hagiasmos can refer either to a state of being set apart from sin and the world unto God (equating with our initial salvation) or secondly can refer to the process by which a saint becomes progressively more set apart to God. Thus sanctification in one use takes place at a moment in time (salvation) but in the other use sanctification is a continuous process until we are glorified. Peter uses hagiasmos primarily with the former meaning. The Holy Spirit is crucial both aspects of sanctification.

Wuest adds that

This pre-salvation work of the Spirit is spoken of in Scripture as the sanctification of the Spirit. It is the setting-apart work of the Spirit in that He sets the unsaved person apart from his unbelief to the act of faith, from his standing in the first Adam which brought him sin and death, to a new standing in the Last Adam which brings him righteousness and life. This we call positional sanctification." (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)

The Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology has a note that helps illustrate the meaning of hagiasmos: "The generic meaning of sanctification is

“the state of proper functioning.” To sanctify someone or something is to set that person or thing apart for the use intended by its designer. A pen is “sanctified” when used to write. Eyeglasses are “sanctified” when used to improve sight. In the theological sense, things are sanctified when they are used for the purpose God intends. A human being is sanctified, therefore, when he or she lives according to God’s design and purpose." (Elwell, W. A., & Elwell, W. A. The Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology . Baker Book House)

The College Press NIV Commentary states that...

"The concept of sanctification can be understood by comparing the sanctification of people to the sanctification of the temple or its utensils. A sanctified building, lampstand, or pot is designated to be used only in service to God. A sanctified person has also been set apart for service. The Holy Spirit both marks us for God’s service and empowers us to render that service." (1 & 2 Peter: The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing).

As discussed, Peter uses hagiasmos to describe the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration or the new birth, by which a sinner is taken out of Adam and placed into Christ, thus equating sanctification in this context with salvation.

Writing to the Thessalonian believers (whose faith had been shaken by false teachers cf 2Th 2:1ff) Paul reminds them of the source and security of their salvation, explaining that they are

brethren beloved (perfect tense = their permanent state) by the Lord, because God has chosen you (election -- <