Predestination Word Study
(Bibliography for word studies include:
"Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek NT" by Rogers and Rogers
"Word Studies in the Greek NT" by Wuest
"Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament" by Vincent
"The Expositor's Greek Testament" by Robertson Nicoll)

The context for these verses is found in the preceeding verses that discuss our suffering in time while we live in creation that has been subject
to bondage. In this situation we know that the glory that will be revealed when the sons of God are revealed will be greater than any
suffering we have endured. In time, before this glory is revealed and creation is released from bondage, the Spirit of God works in our lives to
ensure that even in this place of bondage God's will is being done in each of our lives.

Paul sees three testimonies to the glorious future:
1) creation is groaning (8:22)
2) people are groaning (8:23)
3) Holy Spirit is groaning (8:26)

Romans 8
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
When Paul writes "and we know" which means "further, we know"
Paul is going to give us another reason why we know our future is going to be better.
It has to do with the fact that God's plan for our victory is already guaranteed to suceed in our lives because of the verses that follow.
"those who love him" speaks of the believer from the human side and their response to God.
"who have been called" speaks of the believer from the divine side and His response to men.
"Called" is klhtoiV and means "called" and is used to designate the person whose interest is affected.
"Purpose" is proqesiV and means setting forth, plan, purpose, resolve, will". With the preposition it refers to God's purpose.
The proqesiV as a reference to the eternal purpose is found in:
Romans 9:11- ". . .in order that God's pupose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls. . ."
Ephesisans 1:11- "In him we were also chosen, having been predetined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will."
Ephesians 3:11- ". . .according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord."
2 Timothy 1:9- "Who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace wasgiven us in Christ
Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearingof our Savior."

29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son,
that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

"foreknew" is proginwskw and is in the aorist tense, indicative mood, active voice, third person. It means to know before, to take note of, to
fix the regard upon. It is made up of two words: "pro" that means "before" and "yinwosko" which means "knowledge.
Notice what God foreknew. . .the reference here is to "those God foreknew" not to "what" God foreknew.
"predestined" is proorizw and in the aorist, indicative active.The Aorist views the competed action.It means to mark out with a boundary
beforehand, to predestine.
"conformed" is summorfoV means "conformed, having the same form with. It denotes an inward and not merely superficial conformity.
"firstborn" is prwtotokoV and in Judaism the firestborn was the most beloved, the most cherished, the most honored, the one with the most abiity.
It reflects the priority and supremacy of Christ."

Robertson Nicoll's "The Expositor's Greek Testament" says:
"Those he foreknew - in what sense? as persons who would answer His love with love? This is at least irrelevant, and alien to Paul's general mode of thought.
That salvation begins with God, and begins in eternity, are fundamental ideas with him, which he here applies to Christians, without raising any of the problems
involved in the relation of the human will to the Divine. He comes upon these in chapter 9, but not here.Yet we may be sure that proegnw has the pregnant sense
that gignwskw often has in Scripture as in Psalm 1:6 and Amos 3:2. hence we may render, "those of whom God took knowledge from eternity" as in Ephesians 1:4

Psalm 1:6, "God watches over the way of the righteous." ("watches over" is literally in the Hebrew "knows" or would be translated into Greek by using the word gnwskw.
Amos 3:2, "You anly have I chosen of all the families of the earth"

Ephesians 1:4, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through
Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace."
"Chose" is exekexato is the aorist indicative middle of eklegw which means to choose out, to select. The word involves these ideas:
1) the stem of the word, legw, means "say, speak, tell"
2) the prefix ek means "from, out from, by means of".
3) Together the compound word means to take something out of or from by means of speaking, saying or telling. "Chose" or eklegw could be said to mean "the telling over".
4) the aorist tense indicates an action done and completed in the past
5) the middle voice indicates that God was doing this "chosing" or "speaking something out of" for his own benefit or for his own self.
"Predestined" is proopisaV which is the aorist active participle of proopizw which means to mark out with a boundary beforehand, to foreordain, to predestinate.

The process begins with foreknowledge and reaches its final fulfillment with conformity to the likeness of his Son.
The process then is first there is foreknowledge with God. Then God predestines those he foreknew to ultimately and successfully be conformed into the image of Christ.
Foreknowledge. . . . . .Predestination. . . . . . .Conformed

"FOREKNEW"
This word is used 7 times in
the Greek New Testament. Two times is refers to man having previous knowledge based on circumstances.
Acts 26:5
2 Peter 3:17

Five times if refers to God having previous knowledge:

1) Acts 2:23, "This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge"
"set purpose and foreknowledge" in the Greek is
" 'wrismenh boulh kai prognwsei"

"set" ('wrismenh) is perfect passive participle of 'wrizw and means to mark off by boundaries, to determine. The perfect tense emphasizes
a state of completioin. God had willed the death of Jesus

"purpose" is boulh and means purpose, decision, counsel. It is a noun that when put together with the perfect particple "set" is translated:
"determined counsel" or, here in the NIV, "set purpose"
"boulh" ("purpose" or "counsel") is used in Classical Greek of:
a) a council convened for the purpose of administering the affairs of government in the Roman senate
b) a camp-fire-council of Xenophon and his officers on their march back to Greece. From the discussion of this camp-fire-council came a pre-determined
plan of action to meet the circumstances that they had to face on the march.

In Acts 2:23 we see a reference to God in a council that met before the creation of the world. In staying with the meaning of the word then the purpose of
the council was to discuss creation and the situations they would face after creation. They determined the course of action during this council concerning
how they would deal with every situation including the sin of man. The result of this council was that the Son of God, the second member of the trinity that
was meeting at this council would die on the cross.

boulh (counsel, purpose) is described by the use of 'wrizw (set, determined) which means "to mark out the boundaries or limits of any place or thing
and to determine and appoint. This verb tells us that this councel were held by the trinity to determine something. The fact that 'wpizw is in the perfect
tense means the discussion was successfully concluded and the decision was unchangeable.

In all the NT uses the word proegnw (foreknowledge in Acts 2:23 and Romans 8:29) means foreknow.
It does not mean foreordain.
In the NT the word signifies foreknowledge, foresight specifically omniscience with regard to the future.
It does not signifiy preelection.

2) Rom. 8:29
3) Rom. 11:2
4) 1 Peter 1:2
5) 1 Peter 1:20

Vincent makes these remarks concerning the word "foreknew" (proegnw):
1) "Foreknew"(proegnw) is used by the apostle as distinct and different from "predestinated" (prowrisen)
2) Strictly speaking, "Foreknew" is coordinated (equal or the same rank or order) with "foreordained" because in God there is no before. All the past, present,
and future are simultaneously present to Him. In presenting the two phases, the operation of God's knowledge and of His decretory will, the succession of time is
introduced, not as metaphysically true, but in concession to human limitations of thought. Hence the use of the equalizing force of the Greek word kai or "also".
That is the meaning of use of kia ("also") in "Those God foreknew he also predestined."
3) That a predetermination of God is clearly stated as accompanying or (humanly speaking) succeeding, and grounded upon the foreknowledge.
4) That this predetermination is to the end of conformity to the image of the Son of God, and that this is the vital point of the passage.

We see that in God foreknowledge and predestination can not be seperated by time since there is no time.
Yet, the predestination that is mentioned is based on the foreknowledge God has of the events that happen in time.
To the human mind then the events would be first God has foreknowledge of what will happen in time.
Based on that foreknowledge God then predestines those who will believe on him when he calls them.

30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
"Called" is the aorist, indicative, active of kalew and means "to call"
"Justified" is the aorist, indicative, active of dikaiow and means "to declare to be in the right, to justify"
"Glorified" is the aorist, iindicative, active of doxazw an dmeans to glory. Thoe aorist voice speaks of God who sees the end from the beginning and
in whose decree and purpose all future events are comprehended and fixed."

31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Footnotes: