I have been leading a Ladies' Bible Study on the Book of Revelation. Tomorrow (8/27/2019) we will study Revelation 17. As I got to verse 14, something jumped out at me. The verse speaks of the 10 kings who have been granted a short time to worship the Antichrist going to war against the Lamb (Jesus Christ). Of course, there is no contest, and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords wins! But the last bit of that verse is what struck me. In the King James Version it reads: "...and they that were with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful." There I was led to look up Ephesians 1:4-6, which beautifully lays out our Sovereign God's Plan of Salvation. Here's the Scripture from Ephesians 1:4-6, again in the King James. 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Here is what I believe the Holy Spirit laid on me as I studied: The doctrine of predestination is one of the most important in Scripture. It really says that God in His sovereignty designed His plan of salvation before the world began. He designed that plan not only by Himself, but for Himself and His glory. In other words, He wants us to be saved to praise and fellowship in a deep personal relationship with Him, our Creator. Notice in verse 5 that God planned that we would become His adopted sons and daughters! He planned all that out before the Creation of the world. But predestination is also a much misunderstood doctrine. Some say that God chose who would be saved and who would not. BUT let’s look at another point: that was not God’s original plan. Look at the verse that says that “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). So God’s plan of salvation in a nutshell is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God planned than anyone who truly receives Jesus as Lord and Savior is saved. God is a Sovereign and Holy God and He cannot look on sin without judgement, but He made the way for anyone who truly gives his/her heart and life to Jesus receives eternal life. So God’s plan does not negate a person’s need to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, but it does open the door for anyone who will to come to Him. And His will from the beginning has been that everyone who has ever lived, lives now, or ever will live to receive Him. But he wants no puppets (unlike the Antichrist and his puppet kings). He wants open, repenting hearts! Three words in Revelation 17:14 stand out here: called, chosen, and faithful. As we’ve just seen, God has called us all to be His children. When we are saved, it’s because we have agreed that He has chosen us and thus we have chosen Him and thus are faithful to Him, no matter what! Called and chosen are God’s part. Faithful is ours. It's all God's magnificent plan, but we have to respond to it in repentance, faith, and confession! Is God's plan of salvation your choice? I pray so!
Of that I have no doubt Gracey. :For Whom He Did Foreknow: He knew I would repent and ask for salvation. :He Also Did Predesitnate To Be Conformed To The Image Of His Son: He set in order the things I would need to be seen by Him with and clothed in the righteousness that would only come from His son. Good study there sister.
Graceblest, I largely agree with you. Some points, if I may... 1. I think there is considerable confusion. SOME want to place "foreknow" as the dvinitive point. But the word only means "to know ahead of time." It has nothing to with causing. I know the government will demand taxes from me but I'm not the cause of it doing so! I know my next door neighbor's dog will bark tonight but I'm not the CAUSE of that. Predestination signifies the CAUSING the something. God CAUSES the sun to rise. Now, to insist foreknow is the primary issue means God is not the reason for it - and the word "predestined" becomes confusing if not impossible. You have it right: God chooses, predestines and foreknows. I admit there is MYSTERY here.... I don't know why everyone doesn't come to faith since God desires such of everyone.... but my questions don't make what God says wrong.... it just makes me a human who doesn't know it all and isn't smarter than God. 2. I agree with you too on the issue of double predestination, the idea that God (somehow) DESIRES most to fry in hell - and either actively causes that or passively allows that. I don't think the Bible SAYS that (a few ECF did, however)... I don't think that jibes with so much of Scripture. But again, I admit the mystery. 3. Lutherans speak of this as pure Gospel, which is as I think you are expressing it. We rarely called it "Predestination" (although there's nothing wrong with that, although it CAN get confused with a certain philosophical school that way); we speak of it as the Doctrine of Election. We see it PURELY as comfort for Christians, and underpinning the monergism that is so key to Lutheran justification (OUR works, will, etc. isn't the cause). I think HORRIBLE things can result when Gospel is turned into Law, when comfort is twisted into terror, when affirming God's love becomes stressing God's hate. This probably doesn't work, but here's how I'VE since this since I was little.... I have 2 living older siblings, but there were two before me that didn't live, one died about 8 weeks before the due date, the other about an hour after emergency C-Section. The problems that happened for those two was repeated perfectly in me, and the docs didn't give me much hope. During the pregnancy, my parents purchased a mimi van and prepared my nursery.... my mother and older sibs sang "Jesus songs" to me (beliiveing I could hear.... and the Holy Spirit could use those words)... my parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, church people prayed for me. They've all told me this. They've all said they loved me. And I wasnt bprn yet. They didn't know I'd be healthy, they didn't know I'd be incredibly handsome and smart.... but they LOVED me. When I was little, I'd ASK my parents and sibs, "Tell me about before I was born." And they did. When I got 12, 13, 14.... and could often be a JERK... my parents would get mad at me and punish me, but I KNEW this had nothing to do with their LOVING me, because they loved me before I was good or bad... their love flowed from THEIR heart, not my deeds. I took great comfort from that... and yes, it often caused me to say how sorry I was. I'd do it again (teen boys are STUPID) but I'd be loved stilll. To ME, that's Election. It doesn't mean they hated Jedidiah or Judah - both of whom died, it means they love ME. God's blessings on your Bible study! - Josiah (doing GREAT after two heart surgeries - one begin 2 minutes after my emergency C-Section when I was 6 weeks premature....the other 5 years later).
I bolded some of your text. Everytime I read "foreknow" I can't help to think that God knew me already before I was born, on a personal level. Eph 1:4 (and some other passages) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world seems to support that thought, because how else can He choose someone who doesn't exists.
The Bible provides plenty of evidence that both supports predestination and, also, supports free will instead. It is one of the most difficult issues in Christianity, no matter how you slice it. J.I. Packer's explanation (above) is well worth considering if anyone wants to know how the two can possibly be harmonized. In the end, many people conclude that we are to live our lives the same way, regardless of which of these views turns out to be the right one.
I actually don't think it's mysterious at all. Time is a creation of God. Therefore He is not bound by it. To God, the past, present, and future are all one.
Lovely bride gets lovelier every day, of course. And well, no tribe. No arrows. But God is still good! Extended family is all well.