Predestination

                                                PREDESTINATION

 

Predestination-knowing beforehand.

The word “predestination” occurs four times, foreknowledge two times and foreordained once in the Bible.  In each instance it refers to God’s omniscience knowledge, the knowing of all things from the beginning.  In Acts 26:5 Paul states in his defense to Agrippa that God knew from the beginning who would say what.   Acts 15:18 tells us that God knows all from the beginning of the world.  But with this in mind, I would like to point to some of the Scriptures that deal with predestination in relationship with Christians, the elect or the chosen.

Ephesians 1:4-5 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him, in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”.

Ephesians 1:11 “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will,”.

Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love the God, to them who are called according to his purpose.  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren.  Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

The Scriptures speaks of God’s predestination of Israel.

Romans 11:2 “God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew.”

Dt. 7:6 “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God; the Lord thy God hath chosen there to be a special people unto himself, above all people who are upon the face of the earth.”

In the Book of Peter he is writing to the dispersed Jew predestination.

1 Peter 1:2 “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father”. 

1 Peter 1:15 “But, as he who hath called you is holy”.

1 Peter 1:20 “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”.

1 Peter 5:13  “The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you,”.

In each case God chose through His foreknowledge knowing which option man would chose.  God chose Israel or the Jew because He knew there would always be a remnant that would follow His plan to bring man back into a perfect righteous relationship.  God in His foreknowledge knew each person that would choose to become a Christian.  It was our choice because we have “free will”, but God knew what choice we would make and He made the correct plans for those who would chose Him.  Consequently, in His foreknowledge God predestined a purpose for each believer. 

Although God knew what choice Judas would make, it was still Judas’ choice to betray Christ.  Since it was Judas’s choice then he also will reap the reward or consequence for that decision.  We are all responsible for the all important choice that we make about God’s plan for salvation, but then we are also responsible for the choices we make afterward concerning all aspects of our life.

Does God make these choices for us?  No, but He knew what choice we would make even before the earth was created.   Because of God’s foreknowledge of the choices we make, He always knows who will do His will and who is not going to do His will.  When God wants something done to further His plan He always knows who to pick.  Even though maybe many had the choice to do what God wanted, God knows which one will actually do it.  That is how God can keep everything on target and according to His timetable.

Is a Christian predestinated to be a Christian before the foundation of the earth?  If that would be the case then would we not really have “free will”.  God does know which choice you will make and made plans for your purpose before the foundation of the earth.

Tagged As: Add new tag, chosen, Christian, elect, Predestination