Ephesians 1:4-6 say's
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Most people's initial thoughts after reading this are "If He chose some to be predestined then it must mean there are others He did not choose." but this thinking seems to counter what the bible say's in other places though concerning God's will to save all.
John 3:15-18 say's,
15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This passage seems to imply it is up to us as our choice, but especially notice in verse 17 the word "world" - This seems to imply that God's will is for the world to be saved, meaning all people. As we know however from reading passages on eternal judgment there are many who will not make it. This all the more reinforces the fact that it is our choice.
Romans 9:10-12 say's
10 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), 12 it was said to her, The older shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.
Again we see a confusing passage of scripture here. Did God predestine some to be His children and some not? Is God playing favorites? Did God preordain or predestine some to be damned? This doesn't sound like God's loving character so we have to be careful how we interpret this.
Now my conclusion to this....
In Romans 5:6-11 we read,
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
We serve a BIG God. We serve a God who not only spoke the world into it's place, but also with a word flung the stars across the universe just as a painters would splash paint onto a canvas. There are all kinds of wonders that we will never understand.
For one thing God is All-knowing. This means He can not only help you with your homework, but help everyone else too at one time! We don't even hold a sliver of a fraction of the knowledge that is God's. God is All-powerful too. He could be a back up generator to anything for He is the central power cell for the Universe. I promise I'm not evading the topic, merely setting the stage......
Colossians 1:16-17 tells us,
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Okay, so He's ALL-KNOWING and ALL-POWERFUL
Did I mention He's everywhere at one time too? We call this omni-present.
If He is everywhere throughout all the the universe let me ask simply, can God transcend time and be everywhere in the timeline too? Of course He can - He's God!
Predestination becomes simple when we take the limits off our God. Right now as I'm typing God is here. Right now as you are reading God is here. He's in both places at one time because He's not subject to time! Did He create time? Yes, so it and nothing else can ever be His master. Right now as you are reading this God is EXISTING, but He is also PRE-EXISTING and POST-EXISTING at this same time! He's in the past, present, and future all at one time and doesn't have to focus on any one thing anywhere for he's focused on everything! We're the ones who need a calendar - not Him!
So when a person, using their own FREE-WILL chooses Christ it is immediately a done deal. God has preordained you already, because after all He already knows everything you will choose to do in your life including accept or reject Him.
If you have chosen to make Jesus Christ your LORD & SAVIOR, then your name was already written in the Lamb's Book of Life and you are forever His! For God loves you this much that He also preordained the death of His own Son to take your place for your debt of sin.
Predestinationalism is confusing when we try to box it up and use our own finite knowledge to explain it, but when we reflect on how big a God we serve you can see it's simple - especially to Him.
