For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.Romans 8:29,30

The Word of God is such a glorious and beautiful testimony of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Reading verses like these and others bring such encouragement and assurance of God’s sovereign will and plan, and there is great peace and joy in the richness of His Word. When we hear words like foreknew, we may have a preconceived notion as to what it means, which may not agree with the actual meaning of the text. At the same time, there can be meaning ascribed to words in Scripture that veer in an aberrant and dangerous direction away from God’s original message and truth.

One such teaching centered on this verse and others speaking of being made in the likeness and image of God and Jeremiah being known by God (Genesis, 1:26, Jeremiah 1:5). Though Scripture was referenced, the doctrine being presented was that we preexisted with God. According to this minister, foreknowing means we each had a conversation with God before we were born. Predestination then comes in knowing one’s purpose and destiny that was established in this conversation with God. The minister told those listening that when someone discovers their purpose and destiny, it was because that person already knew it as a spiritual person experiencing a natural disposition. This teaching also focused on passages, such as John 1:1, John 8:56, 58, and Hebrews 10:5, stating that a spirit cannot legally enter the earth without a body and essentially attributing these passages concerning Jesus Christ and His incarnation to our preexistence and physical body on earth.

There are several problems with this teaching, including the fact that religions such as Mormonism and Christian Science hold to this belief, as well as the New Age. This type of teaching is also man centered rather than Christ centered in that the focus is on one’s purpose and destiny being fulfilled. Ultimately, it can lead to placing ourselves on par with God. The main issue with this teaching is that the verses noted do not support this teaching, and Scripture says nothing about us preexisting. If anything, Scripture denies this teaching. For example, John the Baptist said this about Jesus, “This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me’”. (John 1:30) In other words, John the Baptist affirms the preexistence of Jesus and not himself.

We can also gain better understanding of passages such as Romans 8:29 by understanding the meaning of the Greek word for foreknow. According to the Moody Commentary, foreknew means “to determine ahead of time to enter into a loving relationship with someone. While foreknew emphasizes God’s initial decision to embrace a specific believer, predestination refers to the final eternal goal of His active foreknowledge, namely, believers being conformed to the image of His Son on their way to their eternal destination.”

In every area of life, there is a great temptation to place our existence as the central focus. As Christians, our lives are to be Christ centered. We exist for Him. We did not preexist with God. Our God who is omniscient and is outside of space and time knew our names before we were born, and He determined to enter into a loving relationship with those He predestined. The truth of Scripture is far richer and more glorious than any manmade teaching. May we be in awe of the preeminence of Christ, the sovereign plan of our Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit who conforms us for His glory.

Listen to this episode discussing the teaching of preexistence from a professing prophet: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: Did We Preexist with Christ? on Apple Podcasts