Foreknowledge

'The elect are chosen "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father," Peter says. By "foreknowledge," Peter is not simply referring to God's intellect and omniscience, or to His knowledge of future events, including His awareness that certain people will believe. William Perkins writes, "We are not elected... either for our faith, or according to our faith, but to our faith; that is, elected that we might believe." Peter is speaking here of 'decretal' foreknowledge, of God's determination of whom He would graciously save from just condemnation. God's foreknowledge is inseperable from His sovereign plan and purposes (Acts 2:23), including His predestination of sinners to be conformed to Christ. As Romans 8:29a says, "...".

God's election is neither impersonal nor capricious..... Amos 3:2....Matt.7:23 Of course, He knows all about impenitent unbelievers:He knows them exhaustively, but He does not know them affectionately.

God's election of His people is His seal that He loves them.... God's foreknowledge means that He is so passionately and intimately in love with His people that He offers His own Son to go on Calvary for them.

Thus, God the Father elects His people on the basis of His eternal, overwhelming, sovereign affection for them. Why did He love them? Because He chose to do so. Sovereign, unchangeable love is the ultimate joy and reality of the universe...

God's foreknowledge means that God has always been in love with His people. He has loved the elect from all eternity... Henry Law says, "Eternal love devised the plan; eternal wisdom drew the model; eternal grace comes down to build it."

God's love is voluntary, discriminatory, and gracious.... God chose us because He has always foreknown us, meaning He has always loved us."

taken from Living for God's Glory by Dr. Joel Beeke pages 62-64