Page 7 - Inside Report - 4Q 2016

Predestination

Unconditional election (also called “unconditional grace” or

“predestination”) teaches that before the world was created, God
predestinated some people to be saved (the elect) and the rest to

continue in their sins and, therefore, be damned, consigned to

the eternally burning ires of hell. Human choice, it asserts, plays
no role in salvation. A key passage used to support this view is

found in the apostle Paul’s writings—

Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to
the image of His Son, that He might be the irstborn among

many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also

called; whom He called, these He also justiied; and whom He
justiied, these He also gloriied (Romans 8:29, 30).

Certainly, Bible passages can be used to support the concept The Contemporary English Version translates Romans 8:29
that God knows all things past, present, and future.“All things are more precisely, stating that God “has always known who his chosen

naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son,

(Hebrews 4:13).Bible prophecy afirms that God knows the future, so that his Son would be the irst of many children.”While everyone
but future events do not happen because God “foreknew” them; is called to salvation, not everyone responds. But to those who

rather, they are known by God because they will take place.
choose to come to Christ, these are transformed into His likeness.

Moreover, because God knows something will happen does One reason Calvin argued in favor of predestination was
not mean He wills it to happen.
to make sure God receives all the glory. He believed that if you

Did God predestinate that only some would be saved? Paul have any part to play in your salvation—even your own choice to

writes elsewhere that God “desires all men to be saved and to accept Jesus—then you would deserve some credit. Therefore, he
come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). If only some concluded, you really do not have a choice. God’s sovereignty, he

are predestined to be saved, why would Jesus offer salvation to taught, does not permit human free will.

all? Christ said, in the closing chapter of the Bible, “Whoever It’s an interesting theory, but it is not biblical.
desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17, I like to think of God’s foreknowledge as something like a

emphasis added).
helicopter pilot lying above a mountain with a one-way tunnel dug

through it. Since the mountain is composed of
solid granite, the engineers decided to blast only

one lane through the rock, placing a stop light at
either end so that vehicles would take turns going

through the narrow tunnel. But on a particular day,

one of the stop lights was broken.
When the pilot looked down, he irst saw a

big eighteen-wheeler entering one end at sixty

miles per hour. Then he noticed a little red sports
car zipping into the tunnel from the other end.

The helicopter pilot knew what was about to

happen; however, his knowledge did not make
the inevitable accident occur; he simply had

foreknowledge of a coming collision because of

his perspective.
God has an all-knowing perspective. He

knows whether you are going to be saved or lost,

but this knowledge does not take away your
free choice. We know this because of the many

Scripture passages that demonstrate our freedom
to choose. Joshua told Israel to “choose for

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Inside Report 4Q 2016