His Glory Blog

And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those whom he predestined, these he also called, and those whom he called, these he also justified, and those whom he justified, these he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)

The infinitude of God leaves our finite minds searching for answers to questions that might never be answered. The desire of many people to understand things completely leads to frustration, ultimately leading to a division that is displeasing to God. Many concepts found in scripture are meant to be left a mystery, revealed over time through searching for more of God. Knowing God is like growing in relationship with a dear friend. Over time we ask questions and listen to what our friend reveals, resulting in a deeper and deeper connection. One of the many concepts that end up in confusion is predestination. That is the concept that God chooses who will go to Heaven, thus negating free will. Many use this as a free pass to run wild and blame God for His decision. They act on a decision that they completely misunderstand and the deceiver is happy to watch God’s chosen run away in ignorance to the will of their Heavenly Father. Let’s unpack the concept of predestination in a new light so we can grow in the understanding of God’s heart for His creation.

          First let us look at what chosen or called means. Based on the verses above God calls us according to His purpose and also called those who are predestined. How are we called you ask? With the good news of Jesus Christ, the Gospel. The hard truth for hard hearts is this: if you have heard the name of Jesus, seen a Bible in someone’s hand, been invited to church, seen a Bible verse on your social media feed, or had someone say they would pray for you…. You have been called by the good news of Jesus Christ. The free will is found in the ugly truth that is world is falling apart in the darkness of rejecting God’s light. People think that Christians just magically wake up one day and they are saved and sin free, requiring no effort. This misunderstanding plays into the scheme of the devil. God calls all creation to Himself, creation has to make the decision on answer the call. If your cell phone rings and you decide not to answer, you cannot blame the person who called you for the connection you rejected.

          Imagine a lecturer teaching a class of 200 people in an auditorium. At the end of the presentation the presenter asks everyone to stay after for a ‘meet and greet’ for a personal question and answer session. The Teacher wants to connect individually with everyone in the room and personally assure that they know what he presented. Only a few people decide to stay and connect while the rest have no interest in the presenter personally. They instead leave and disperse into the parking lot where a rain storm is pouring down. They run top their car and then blame the presenter they are wet. All this time the teacher is standing among the few who chose to stay, building relationships and adding deeper understanding. The presenter is standing among his chosen, isn’t he? He chose everyone in the room but lovingly allowed them the free will to run through the rain and get wet. The moral here is that non-believers cannot blame God for their lack of interest and their rejection of His loving calling. Their soaked clothes are their decision, not God’s.

          When you hear the topic of predestination come up, know that everyone in the conversation is chosen and called to Christ likeness. The fact the conversation is happening proves that. The ultimate decision is based in free will, the free will of the called. The will of God is clear. Answer the phone, the God on the other end loves you and is hoping you will come home.

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love, having predestined us to adoption through Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will… (Ephesians 1:3-5)