Predestined?

May 28

Romans 8:29-30 is probably one of the most confusing verses in the entirety of holy writ, for it flies in the face of the assertion that man has been given a free will.

It says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

It implies that man has little say in the matter of his own salvation for he is either destined to be born again or he is not. It seems here that the initiative is all God’s. Man is simply the responder who accepts the gift that is bestowed upon him by the God who has called him to salvation.

To believe that, however is to negate many other verses that suggest, if they do not directly state, that man indeed has a will of his own that is very much in effect in how he will view the matters of time and eternity. Here are a few of those verses:


John 8:24 - I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: if you believe not that I am; yes, you shall die in your sins.

Proverbs 16:9 - A man's heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.

Ephesians 2:2 - In time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, according to the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience:

Romans 13:2 - Whoever resists the power of God, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Luke 13:3 - I tell you, except you repent, you shall all perish.

Joshua 24:15 - And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

John 8:32 - And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 7:17 - If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

Obviously, the term ‘free will’ is not mentioned in any of these passages of scripture but each of them certainly implies that individuals come to a place of decision where they have a profound responsibility to decide to believe in the One True and Living God—or to accept the consequence of the choice to disbelieve.

If each individual has a choice in the matter of acceptance or rejection of the Word, if each individual has the freedom to decide whether he will embrace the message of the Gospel or deny it, then the sole responsibility for his eternal destiny is in his own hands.

That in no way negates, however, the foreknowledge of the God who is omniscient as well as being omnipotent and omnipresent. Although He knows a man’s choice, He does not require that a man decide in favor of belief in Christ.

Certainly there is much evidence that the Holy One reaches out to unbelievers in His endeavor to lovingly draw them to faith in the “ONE NAME GIVEN UNDER HEAVEN WHEREBY MEN MIGHT BE SAVED,” Acts 4:12, but He does not compel anyone to receive His “unspeakable GIFT,” II Corinthians 9:15.

May we then be compelled by the love that took Christ to the cross to receive the precious treasure that He holds out to us—so we may be among those He foreknew would be believers.