Predestination

May 14

There is an on-going debate that is unlikely to be resolved as long as the sun rises each morning and sets each night. It centers upon a very core aspect of the nature of God and the question that arises because of the controversy surrounding that element of who He actually is.

In one word, our quandary can be stated as ‘predestination.’ What do we do with the idea that the God who knows everything beforehand has allowed man a free will to decide his own fate? How can any of us determine any aspect of our life and future if the Lord Himself already knows what it is?

In Ephesians 1:5, 6, Paul says, “God predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will—to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.” There is a lot of assurance and a lot of doubt packed into those few brief words! It is His pleasure that we be His adopted children through Jesus, the One He loves. This opportunity is freely given. How can it be predestined and freely given? A human analogy can be seen in this scenario…

Parents set up a trust fund for a child at a very early age. The child has no knowledge of finances. The child cannot exercise any control at all over the great resource his parents have set aside for his use. The parents know however that one day the monies that have been invested will be used. Although the analogy is not perfect, it does convey the reality that just as parents can establish wealth for a child without knowing how he will spend it, God can predestine our salvation through Christ while allowing us the freedom to reject it.