How God Foreknew Us

God foreknew his people in Christ. God foreknew us as justified and glorified in Christ. God foreknew our salvation as complete (Philippians 1:6). In Romans 8:28-30, God's purpose in salvation is a prolepsis (i.e., to see before). God foreknew all who shall be in Christ (1 Peter 1:2).

Although God foreknew us in Christ, everyone is commanded to repent and believe the gospel (Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 16:31). The gospel of Christ is offered to all. However, only those who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. As believers, we experience the gospel in power with assurance. That is the Holy Spirit working in our hearts (1 Thess. 1:5).

God foreknew us justified by grace through faith in Christ. We are justified through the death of Jesus Christ for our sins. Justification is by faith in the power of his resurrection. Justification means all our sins are taken away through the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7). God declares us justified by faith in Christ. "It is God who justifies" (Romans 8:33).

God foreknew us glorified in the image or likeness of Christ. Glorification is salvation complete. "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). What is future for us as believers is now in the foreknowledge of God. Therefore, God foreknew us as glorified in the very image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Sins Are Gone

Charles Spurgeon preached, "Now, he who believes in Jesus, who puts his hands upon the head of Jesus of Nazareth, the Scapegoat of His people, has lost his sins. His faith is sure evidence that his iniquities were of old laid upon the head of the great Substitute. The Lord Jesus Christ was punished in our place."

Spurgeon taught the truth of the Gospel, when he declared faith is the evidence. By grace through faith in Christ, our sins are gone. The Bible teaches, the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). God's Son has taken all our sins away. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is evidence that our sins are gone.

The scapegoat in the Old Testament symbolically took away the sins of the nation of Israel (Leviticus 16). The High Priest laid his hands upon the scapegoat. That symbolized the transfer of the peoples sins to another. Then, the scapegoat was led into the wilderness, symbolizing sins taken away. That Old Testament figure points to our Lord Jesus Christ. As a believer in Christ, our sins are gone. 

The scapegoat in the Old Testament foreshadowed Jesus taking our sins away. The Lord Jesus Christ was punished in our place as sinners at the cross. That's the Gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). He who was sinless, was punished for every believer's sins. Through faith in Christ, our sins are gone.

Deliver Us from Evil

"We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19). Evil comes from the sinful desires of people, and the wicked one, as well as other spiritual powers of darkness (Romans 3:10-18; Ephesians 6:10-13). We live in this present evil age "under the sway of the wicked one."

Deliverance from evil is through the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Christ died for our sins and defeated Satan, as well as all unclean spirits at the cross (Colossians 2:13-15). The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is our deliverance and victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-58). Deliverance from the evil one comes as we call upon Jesus our risen Lord (Romans 10:9, 13).

Deliverance from evil is through the power of Jesus our Lord. Jesus died to take away all our sins (1 John 1:7). God raised Jesus from the dead to break the power of death. His resurrection power is our deliverance from the wicked one and all powers of darkness. God delivers us from evil through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who has all power in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).

Deliverance from evil is through prayer. Christ revealed God's goodness to those in bondage to sin and the wicked one. Jesus taught us to pray, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13). That's the will of God to deliver us from evil, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Unbelief Rejects Christ

Holy Spirit conviction exposes the sin of unbelief. Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit convicts of unbelief, "of sin, because they believe not in Me" (John 16:9). No one living in unbelief can receive God's blessings in Christ. Faith receives all the blessings of God in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

Unbelief rejects God's blessings in Christ. Unbelief spurns the goodness of God. Unbelief is the choice of a heart that is hard against the goodness of God. It never considers that it could be wrong, even eternally wrong. Unbelief defiantly says, no, to all that God graciously offers in Christ. Unbelief is the sin that rejects the love, goodness, and grace of Christ. Unbelief sees the promises of Christ as foolishness.

Faith receives the blessings of God in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "You believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1). All the blessings of God come to us in Christ. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Believing is receiving Christ (John 1:11-12).

Faith comes as an abiding gift of the Holy Spirit; unbelief rejects the gift of God in Christ. Faith testifies that Christ is trustworthy; unbelief will not trust in Christ. Faith walks in the light of Christ; unbelief is satisfied to stand in darkness without Christ. Faith receives the blessings of God in Christ; unbelief rejects Christ.

The Covenant Meal

The Lord's Supper is the covenant meal in the New Testament. Some refer to it as communion, and so it is. The word communion, from the Greek word koinonia, may also be translated fellowship. At the covenant meal, we have fellowship or communion with the Lord of the covenant and other believers. We are bonded in union and communion with the Lord and others in the body of Christ.

The covenant meal is a time to remember what Christ did for us, as he died on the cross for our sins. Jesus said, this do in remembrance of me (Luke 22:19). We give thanks to the one who died for us. We thank God for the new covenant through the shed blood of Jesus. Our Lord Jesus said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you (Luke 22:20).

After giving thanks to God for his Son Jesus shedding his blood for our sins, we eat the bread and drink from the cup. The bread represents the body of our Lord given for us. The cup represents the blood of the new covenant shed for us. We eat and drink to the glory of God in communion with Christ. Believers receive the covenant meal as an act of worship.

Jesus mentioned the kingdom of God twice at the first covenant meal. He said, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God (Luke 22:16). He also said, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes (Luke 22:18). The kingdom of God comes in all of its fulness at the second coming of Christ. Yes, Jesus is coming again and the covenant meal calls it to our remembrance.

Interpreting the Bible

Frederick Bruce wrote,"Any part of the human body can only be properly explained in reference to the whole body. And any part of the Bible can only be properly explained in reference to the whole Bible." The Holy Spirit who inspired the Bible is the same Holy Spirit who will helps believers interpret the Bible. Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit will guide believers into all truth (John 16:13).

Interpret Bible verses within the context. The Bible is given by inspiration of God the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16). When you interpret a verse with other verses, you are being taught by the Spirit of God. Bible study will guide you into all truth (John 16:13).

Interpret Bible verses comparing Scripture with Scripture. Look at the other verses in the same chapter, as well as the book and the whole Bible. That is to say, you can interpret Scripture with Scripture. A verse in the Bible is not properly interpreted, when taken out of context.

Satan tempted Jesus, quoting a verse taken out of context (Luke 4:3-8). Other Scripture was ignored. Jesus overcame this temptation, quoting another Scripture to interpret Scripture. That's a warning for us today not to take verses in the Bible out of context. Interpret Scripture with Scripture. The Holy Spirit who inspired the Bible will guide believers to interpret the Bible.