He was known before the foundation of the worldThis phrase emphasizes the pre-existence and eternal nature of Christ. It indicates that Jesus was not a plan B or an afterthought in God's redemptive plan. The concept of being "known" suggests an intimate and purposeful relationship within the Trinity. This aligns with
John 1:1-2, which states, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The idea of being known before the world's foundation also connects to
Ephesians 1:4, where believers are chosen in Christ before the creation of the world, highlighting God's sovereign plan and foreknowledge.
but was revealed in the last times
The revelation of Christ in the "last times" refers to His incarnation, life, death, and resurrection. This period is often understood as the culmination of God's redemptive history, marking the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.Hebrews 1:1-2 speaks of God speaking through His Son in these last days, indicating a new and final phase of divine revelation. The term "last times" reflects the eschatological perspective of the New Testament, where the coming of Christ initiates the end times, a period characterized by the fulfillment of God's promises.
for your sake
This phrase underscores the personal and communal aspect of Christ's mission. It highlights the sacrificial nature of Jesus' work, emphasizing that His revelation and redemptive acts were done for the benefit of believers. This aligns with the broader biblical narrative of God's love and salvation plan for humanity, as seen inJohn 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son." The personal pronoun "your" makes the message intimate and direct, reminding believers of the personal impact of Christ's work and the grace extended to them.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Jesus ChristThe central figure of this verse, whose pre-existence and revelation are highlighted. He is the one known before the foundation of the world.
2.
The Foundation of the WorldRefers to the creation of the world, indicating the eternal nature and divine foreknowledge of Christ's mission.
3.
The Last TimesThis term refers to the period of Christ's incarnation and the subsequent era of the Church, emphasizing the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan.
Teaching Points
Eternal Purpose of ChristRecognize that Christ's mission was not an afterthought but part of God's eternal plan. This should give believers confidence in the sovereignty and wisdom of God.
Revelation for Our SakeUnderstand that Christ was revealed for our benefit, emphasizing God's love and desire for a relationship with humanity. This should inspire gratitude and a deeper commitment to living for Him.
Living in the Last TimesAcknowledge that we are living in the "last times," a period marked by the opportunity to know Christ personally. This should motivate us to share the gospel and live with an eternal perspective.
Foreknowledge and AssuranceTake comfort in the fact that God’s plan, including our salvation, was known before the world began. This assurance should strengthen our faith and trust in God's promises.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of 1 Peter 1:20?
2.How does 1 Peter 1:20 emphasize God's foreknowledge in Christ's redemptive plan?
3.What does "foreknown before the foundation of the world" reveal about Jesus' mission?
4.How can understanding 1 Peter 1:20 strengthen your faith in God's sovereignty?
5.Connect 1 Peter 1:20 with Ephesians 1:4 on God's eternal plan for believers.
6.How should 1 Peter 1:20 influence your daily walk with Christ today?
7.How does 1 Peter 1:20 affirm the pre-existence of Christ before the world's foundation?
8.What does 1 Peter 1:20 reveal about God's foreknowledge and plan for salvation?
9.How does 1 Peter 1:20 challenge the concept of free will in salvation?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 1 Peter 1?
11.How can 1 Peter 1:20 claim Christ was chosen “before the creation of the world” when historical evidence places Jesus’s life in the first century?
12.What does 'before the foundation of the world' mean?
13.What does "before the foundation of the world" mean?
14.What does 'Slain Before the Foundation of the World' mean?What Does 1 Peter 1:20 Mean
He was known before the foundation of the world• Long beforeGenesis 1:1, the Son was already fully present with the Father.John 1:1-2 says, “In the beginning was the Word… He was with God in the beginning.”
• This foreknowledge is personal, not merely informational.Revelation 13:8 speaks of “the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world,” showing the cross was never Plan B.
• God’s eternal plan also included us: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).
• Jesus prayed, “glorify Me… with the glory I had with You before the world existed” (John 17:5), underscoring His eternal deity and unity with the Father.
but was revealed in the last times• Though eternally present, the Son stepped into history at a specific, God-appointed moment: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son” (Galatians 4:4-5).
•Hebrews 1:1-2 contrasts past prophetic revelation with this climactic unveiling: “In these last days He has spoken to us by His Son.”
• Grace planned before time “has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:9-10).
• The “last times” began with Christ’s first coming and continue until His return, marking the decisive era of salvation history.
for your sake• Peter has just reminded believers that they were redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The eternal plan became visible so that sinners could be rescued.
•Romans 5:8 personalizes this love: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
•Titus 2:14 adds that He “gave Himself for us to redeem us… and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession.”
• The revelation of Christ is therefore not an abstract theological event; it is a gift aimed directly at you. Accepting it leads to living hope (1 Peter 1:3) and confident faith (1 Peter 1:21).
summaryThe verse tracks a straight line from eternity past to your present salvation: the Son was eternally known to the Father, stepped into human history at the perfect moment, and did it all with you in mind. His pre-existence guarantees His sufficiency, His appearing marks the turning point of history, and His purpose is your redemption and transformation.
(20)
Who verily was foreordained.--There is a sharp contrast intended between the two clauses of this verse, and in the Greek the tenses are different. "Who
had been foreknown,indeed, before the foundation of the world, but for your benefit
was(
only)
pointed out at the end of the times." St, Peter is returning once more to the great argument of
1Peter 1:10-12, "Do not treat your share in the gospel liberation as if it were, at best, a piece of good luck, and so learn to despise it. Neither think of it as if Paul and Silvanus were preaching to you a novel invention at discord with the spirit of the old covenant, under which you were bred. God knew from all eternity who was to be His Messiah and His Lamb, but for your sakes the particular and personal declaration of Him was reserved till now. For you has been kept the revelation of a secret which underlay the whole Old Testament system." The grammatical antecedent of the relative "who verily" is not "lamb," but "Christ;" and the word for "foreordained" is, literally,
foreknown,only as in
1Peter 1:2 (see Note), with the additional notion of coming to a decision. We see that St. Peter's doctrine has not changed since the great day of Pentecost (
Acts 2:23). The foreknowledge (as that passage would show) includes not only the knowledge and decision that Jesus should be the Christ, but that the Christ's history should be what it was; and this seems to involve not only the doctrine that the Incarnation was no mere episode, consequent upon the Fall of man, but also the doctrine that, "before the foundation of the world," God had foreknown, and predecided to allow, the Fall itself. The same doctrine seems to be involved in
Revelation 13:8, but only indirectly, because there the words "from the foundation of the world," are to be attached, not to the word "slain," but to the word "written."
Was manifest.--Better,was manifested, i.e.,unambiguously shown, pointed out. The context shows that it does not simply mean the visible life of the Incarnate Word among men, as in1Timothy 3:16;1John 3:5; but that the Messiah and Lamb of God was pointed out as being identical with the Man Jesus. And this was the work of John the Baptist, to say of the particular Person whom he saw walking by Jordan,"Behold the Lamb." So St. John Baptist himself described his mission: "The whole purpose of my coming was that He might bemanifested,singled out and shown to Israel," as the Person round whom all their Messianic hopes were gathered (John 1:31). . . .
Verse 20. -
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world; rather, as in the Revised Version,
who was foreknown indeed; literally,
who hath been fore known. But the foreknowledge of God implies the exercise of his will, therefore the "foreordained" of the Authorized Version, though not here an exact translation, is true in doctrine. St. Peter had asserted the same great truth in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost (
Acts 2:23; comp. also Acts 3:18 and Acts 4:28). He had heard the words, "before the foundation of the world," again and again from the lips of Christ; he may possibly have read them in the Epistle to the Ephesians (
Ephesians 1:4). The incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ were not the result of a change of purpose to meet unforeseen circumstances; they were foreseen and foreordained in the eternal counsels of God. Those counsels are wholly above the range of our understanding; we cannot see through the veil of mystery which surrounds them; we cannot fathom the awful necessities which they imply. But was manifest in these last times for you; rather, as in the Revised Version, with the best manuscripts,
was manifested at the end of the times for your sake. The aorist (
φανερωθέντος) marks the Incarnation as an event which took place in time; the purpose of God was eternal, before all time. For the phrase, "at the end of the times" (
ἐπ ἐσχάτου τώνχρόνων), compare the reading of the most ancient manuscripts in
Hebrews 1:1 (
ἐπἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων, "at the end of these days"); also in
Jude 1:8 (
ἐπ ἐσχάτουχρόνου). "This is the last time," St. John says; or, rather, "the last hour (
ἐσχάτη ὥρα)" (
1 John 2:18); the last period in the development of God's dealings with mankind is the time which intervenes between the first and the second advents of Christ.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
He was known beforeπροεγνωσμένου(proegnōsmenou)Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 4267:To know beforehand, foreknow. From pro and ginosko; to know beforehand, i.e. Foresee.[the] foundationκαταβολῆς(katabolēs)Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2602:From kataballo; a deposition, i.e. Founding; figuratively, conception.of [the] world,κόσμου(kosmou)Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2889:Probably from the base of komizo; orderly arrangement, i.e. Decoration; by implication, the world (morally).butδὲ(de)Conjunction
Strong's 1161:A primary particle; but, and, etc.was revealedφανερωθέντος(phanerōthentos)Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 5319:To make clear (visible, manifest), make known. From phaneros; to render apparent.inἐπ’(ep’)Preposition
Strong's 1909:On, to, against, on the basis of, at.theτῶν(tōn)Article - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.lastἐσχάτου(eschatou)Adjective - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2078:Last, at the last, finally, till the end. A superlative probably from echo; farthest, final.timesχρόνων(chronōn)Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 5550:A space of time or interval; by extension, an individual opportunity; by implication, delay.for your sake.δι’(di’)Preposition
Strong's 1223:A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.
Links
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NT Letters: 1 Peter 1:20 Who was foreknown indeed before the foundation (1 Pet. 1P iP i Pet) 
