Who Did God Foreknow? - A Non-Calvinist Look at Romans 8:28-30

Who Did God Foreknow? 

A Non-Calvinist Look at Romans 8:28–30

Romans 8:28–30 is often cited in support of Calvinism, especially the doctrines of unconditional election and irresistible grace. Many claim this passage teaches that God chose specific individuals before the foundation of the world, and predestined them to be saved apart from any condition, including faith. But is that really what Paul is saying?

A closer look, especially in the broader context of Romans 8–11, reveals a compelling non-Calvinist alternative: the “foreknown” are not arbitrarily chosen individuals, but the faithful remnant of God’s covenant people, now expanded to include both Jews and Gentiles who are in Christ. Paul is not describing how individuals become believers, but what God has always planned for those who truly love Him and trust in His promises.

Let’s walk through the passage and surrounding context to see how this interpretation makes better sense of Paul’s argument and avoids the theological problems of determinism.

Verse 28: Called According to His Purpose

“And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Paul is offering assurance specifically to those who love God and are called according to His purpose: believers who have responded to God’s invitation by faith. This does not imply a predetermined or restricted group chosen from all eternity to be in Christ, but rather identifies those who are in Christ through faith (see Romans 5:1; 8:1).

The word “called” (Greek: klētos) refers to an invitation, not an irresistible summons. Scripture consistently shows that God’s invitation goes out to all (Luke 14:16–24; 1 Tim. 2:4; Titus 2:11), though not all will respond positively. Paul’s focus here is on those who have responded to God’s call and now walk in love for Him. These are the ones for whom “all things work together for good,” not because God causes all things, but because He is able to redeem and bring good even out of suffering, especially for those who are walking according to His purpose.

The phrase “according to His purpose” translates the Greek phrase kata prothesin, which is typically rendered as “according to purpose.” However, the word prothesis literally means “a setting forth” or “a presentation,” and is used elsewhere in Scripture to refer to the bread of the Presence, the showbread placed continually before God in the sanctuary (Exodus 25:30; Hebrews 9:2). This does not mean the translation “purpose” is incorrect. Far from it. But it suggests that Paul may be drawing from a word rich with covenant and temple associations that are not easily captured in a single English equivalent.

When understood in light of that background, prothesis may point not only to God’s redemptive plan but also to a deeper truth. Those who love God and respond to His call are consecrated and set forth before Him, just as the showbread represented the twelve tribes of Israel in continual fellowship before God. This imagery flows naturally into verse 29, where Paul says that God’s purpose is to conform believers to the image of His Son. Jesus, who is the Bread of Life (John 6:35), was Himself “set forth” by God (Rom. 3:25), and believers are now being shaped into His image, ultimately to be glorified in Him (v. 30).

Thus, while the idea of being “called according to His purpose” certainly involves God’s redemptive plan, it may also carry deeper covenant and priestly significance. It could be pointing to the very purpose God has planned for His people, both the faithful remnant of Israel and those now in Christ: to present a holy people before Him, invited into His presence through Christ, the true Bread, and ultimately conformed to His image in glory.

Verse 29: Those Whom He Foreknew

“For those He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…” (Romans 8:29)

This verse is crucial and often misunderstood. Paul is not saying that God predestined certain individuals to be foreknown. Rather, he is describing what God has planned for a particular group that He already foreknew. The object of predestination here is not who would believe, but what would happen to those who do: they are to be conformed to the image of His Son.

The term “foreknew” (Greek: proginóskó) can simply mean knew (or know) prior, beforehand, in advance. It does not mean “chose ahead of time” or “set His love on,” as Calvinists often assert. Nowhere in the text is “faith” inserted as something God causes, only that He “foreknew.”

But who or what did God foreknow?

The Remnant Interpretation (and Another Non-Calvinist View)

Many non-Calvinists understand “foreknew” to mean that God, in His omniscience, knew in advance something real and meaningful, but there are two primary non-Calvinist understandings of who is being referred to:

1. Foreknew = Individuals Who Would Freely Believe (Free Will View)

Some interpret this to mean that God foreknew which individuals would freely respond to the gospel in faith. Based on this foreknowledge, not causation, God then predestined those believers to be conformed to Christ. This view emphasizes that while God knows all things, He does not causally determine human choices. Salvation is conditioned on a genuine human response, not on an irresistible decree.

2. Foreknew = The Faithful Remnant (Corporate/Relational View)

Others, and especially those reading Romans 8–11 as a continuous flow, argue that Paul is referring not to foreseen individuals, but to a faithful remnant, a group God had a historical, covenantal relationship with. This group includes the faithful in Israel under the Old Covenant and expands to include believing Gentiles in the New.

This reading is supported directly by Paul’s use of the same word in Romans 11:2:

“God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.”

In that passage, “foreknew” clearly refers to Israel, not all ethnic Israelites, but the faithful remnant who remained loyal to God. Paul appeals to the example of Elijah, when God preserved 7,000 faithful ones as a remnant (Romans 11:4–5). This remnant was not merely foreseen but relationally known.

An additional insight comes from Acts 26:5, where again Paul uses proginōskō:

“since they have known about me for a long time previously…”

The Greek phrase, proginōskontes me anōthen, literally means “having previously known me from the beginning.” Here, Paul is referring to the Pharisees’ prior acquaintance with him, a personal, experiential familiarity. This supports the argument that proginōskō conveys more than abstract foresight. It implies relational knowledge, fitting with a covenantal view of God’s people whom He has intimately known.

Further confirmation comes from Romans 9:27, where Paul quotes Isaiah 10:22:

“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.”

This echoes Paul’s unfolding argument: not all who are descended from Israel are true Israel (Rom. 9:6–8). God’s redemptive plan has always focused on a faithful core, those who truly love and trust Him.

Importantly, Paul introduces the remnant argument in Romans 9 specifically to defend the integrity of God’s promises, especially in light of widespread Jewish unbelief. He begins with the crucial claim in Romans 9:6:

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed.”

Despite the fact that many Israelites rejected the Messiah, Paul insists that God’s word has not failed because the promises were always meant for the remnant, not for every ethnic descendant of Abraham.

Also key to understanding Paul’s logic is how the remnant concept changes in the New Covenant. In the Old Testament, Gentiles could become part of God’s people by aligning themselves with Israel, participating in the law, and becoming part of the covenant community (e.g., Exodus 12:48; Ruth 1:16). But now, inclusion comes not by law-keeping, but through faith in Jesus Christ:

• Romans 3:28–30: “A person is justified by faith apart from works of the law… God is one—and he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.”
  
  
• Galatians 3:7–9: “Those who have faith are children of Abraham… God announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’”
  
  

This means that God’s covenant people now include all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile, apart from the works of the law. The remnant has expanded, not through ethnicity or legal observance, but through faith.

In this context, then, “those whom He foreknew” in Romans 8:29 is best understood as this covenantal remnant, not a secret group of eternally chosen individuals. These are the people God had known in relationship and preserved by grace, now including believing Gentiles who are grafted in (Rom. 11:17–24) and become part of the same people of God.

Verse 29 (continued): Predestined to Be Conformed

Notice what is predestined: not belief, but conformity to the image of His Son.

“He also predestined [them] to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

This is about God’s predetermined purpose for those who are “in Christ”: to make them like Jesus. It’s not about God selecting who will believe, but about what happens to those who believe. Paul has been emphasizing this throughout Romans 8 (see vv. 17–25), where the focus is on the hope of resurrection glory for God’s children.

This conformity is not merely about moral transformation in this life, but about full glorification in resurrection, when believers will be made like Christ (Phil. 3:21; 1 Cor. 15:49; 1 John 3:2). Jesus is “the firstborn among many brothers and sisters”, the resurrected Son who goes before us so that we, too, may be raised in glory.

Summary of Verse 29:

Paul is saying that those whom God foreknew, that is, those whom God knew beforehand, knew in advance, or had a prior covenant relationship with (such as the faithful remnant of Israel), He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. This was always God’s redemptive purpose. His covenant people, both Jews and Gentiles who believe, are to be shaped into the likeness of Christ and share in His resurrection glory as part of God’s redeemed family.

The word “foreknew” (Greek: proginóskó) does not mean “predetermined” or “caused.” It reflects God’s prior knowledge or relationship, consistent with how it’s used elsewhere in Scripture, such as in Romans 11:2. In fact, the biblical concept of “knowing” often refers to relationship, not just awareness. For example, in Matthew 7:23, Jesus says to the lawless, “Depart from Me, I never knew you,” indicating that He never had a relationship with them. This interpretation avoids reading theological determinism into the text while highlighting God’s faithful intention to glorify those who love and trust Him.

Hebrews 11:39–40: Glorification with the Faithful Remnant

This interpretation is further supported by Hebrews 11:39–40, where the author reflects on the faithful Old Covenant saints:

“And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.”

This reinforces the idea that the faithful remnant God foreknew, those who trusted Him under the Old Covenant, will not be glorified apart from New Covenant believers. The final fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan awaits the full gathering of His people, both those who believed before Christ and those who are now in Him. This beautifully fits with Romans 8:29 and God’s predetermined plan to glorify all of His people together, not about selecting certain individuals from all eternity for salvation, but about uniting the faithful remnant in Christ for a shared future glory.

Verse 30: Called, Justified, Glorified

“And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.”

Following verse 29, Paul is not outlining a rigid, deterministic chain of salvation applied to arbitrarily chosen individuals. However, he is referring to specific individuals, namely those who are part of the faithful, believing remnant that God foreknew. This passage describes what God has always purposed to do for those who belong to His covenant family through faith, not how one becomes part of that family.

Those (the covenantal remnant whom God foreknew) He predestined, that is, He planned beforehand that their destiny would be to be conformed to the image of Christ (verse 29), He also called. This calling (klētos) refers to God’s gracious invitation to participate in His redemptive purpose. As seen in verse 28, Scripture teaches that this call goes out to all (Luke 14:16–24; 1 Tim 2:4; Titus 2:11), though not all respond.

So when Paul says, “those He called, He also justified,” this does not mean that everyone who is called is justified. That would be a negative inference fallacy, much like arguing that since Jesus died for His sheep or His friends, He didn’t die for anyone else, when in fact Scripture teaches He died for all (e.g., 1 John 2:2; Heb 2:9; 2 Cor 5:15).

The point is that everyone who is justified was first called, they responded in faith to God’s invitation. And those who are justified (by faith, per Romans 5:1) are also glorified. Paul uses the past tense here not because glorification has already occurred, but because it is so certain in God’s redemptive plan that it’s spoken of as if it has. This is similar to Ephesians 2:6, where believers are said to be “seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”, even though we are still awaiting our resurrection, the outcome is already secured.

This verse doesn’t describe a closed, selective sequence that determines who will be saved. Instead, it highlights God’s consistent redemptive plan for those who are in Christ, those He foreknew, called, and justified by faith. For them, glorification is the intended and promised outcome. Paul is not addressing how people come to be in that group, but rather affirming what God has purposed (predestined) for those who are: to be conformed to the image of His Son and to share in His future glory.

A Quick Note on Romans 8:33: Who Are the “Elect”?

Soon after describing God’s redemptive plan in verses 28–30, Paul asks:

“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?” (Romans 8:33)

This term “elect” (Greek: eklektos) does not introduce a new category of people apart from those previously mentioned. Rather, it refers to the same group, those who love God, are called, justified, and will be glorified. In the Old Testament, "the elect" often referred to Israel as God's chosen people (e.g., Isaiah 45:4), and Paul is now applying this title to the faithful remnant, which includes both believing Jews and Gentiles who are in Christ.

This fits naturally with Paul’s unfolding argument in Romans 9–11, where he redefines Israel and election not in terms of ethnicity, but in terms of faith. God’s elect are those who respond to His call, not a list of individuals unconditionally chosen before time. In this context, Romans 8:33 serves to reassure believers of their standing before God, not to teach unconditional election.

Tying It All Together: Contextual Clarity

Here’s how the remnant reading fits the flow of Romans 8–11:

• Romans 8:18–25 speaks of present suffering and future glory, as believers await their adoption and resurrection.
  
  
• Romans 8:29–30 explains that God’s plan for those He foreknew (the faithful remnant) is to conform them to Christ’s image.
  
  
• Romans 9:6–8 clarifies that not all Israel belongs to Israel, only the children of the promise. This serves Paul’s defense that God’s word has not failed despite Israel’s widespread rejection of Christ.
  
  
• Romans 9:27 and 11:2–5 emphasize the concept of a faithful remnant, which includes both believing Jews and Gentiles.
  
  
• Romans 11:26 concludes the argument by saying “all Israel will be saved”, referring to the full number of this faithful, believing remnant.

Conclusion: Not Arbitrary Election, but Faithful Inclusion

Paul’s point in Romans 8:28–30 is not that God arbitrarily selected certain individuals before the foundation of the world for salvation while excluding others. It is that God’s eternal purpose has always been to redeem a faithful people, conform them to Christ, and glorify them with Him. This purpose applies to all who respond in love and faith to God’s gracious invitation.

“Those whom He foreknew” are the people God had a covenant relationship with, the faithful remnant, preserved by grace. This remnant now includes all who are in Christ by faith. What God predestined was not who would be in the group, but what He would do for those who are: to conform them to the image of His Son and raise them in glory.