8 essential components for discerning God’s will

[Greg Long]

Strong’s, EDNT, Louw & Nida, Thayer’s, and TDNT all agree that it means to determine in advance (predetermine), predestine, foreordain.

• EDNT says, “There are 6 occurrences in the NT, all referring to the predestination of events and peoples by God before all time or before their concrete historical time.”
• TDNT says, “This comparatively rare and late word is used in the Gk. Bible only 6 times in the NT in the sense ‘to foreordain,’ ‘to predestinate.’ Since God is eternal and has ordained everything before time, proorizein is a stronger form of horizein [to set a limit, to appoint]…The omniscient God has determined everything in advance, both persons and things in salvation history with Jesus Christ as the goal.”

The word is used in Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:29, 30; 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:5, 11.

Greg, thanks for the references. I may be teaching SS and preaching this Sunday (not on this subject!) so I will look into “proorizo” once I have confirmation either way.

Strong’s, EDNT, Louw & Nida, Thayer’s, and TDNT all agree that it means to determine in advance (predetermine), predestine, foreordain.

But again, is it the determination of something known in advance (like if I go to the store to get bread and milk but also know that I will buy my favorite candy once there) or is it causative / determinative? It seems to me that EDNT and TDNT don’t actually get at the crux of our discussions.