PREDESTINATION

PREDESTINATION

This is a word you don't hear used much lately, but once it was used a lot by a certain group of believers. They were known as "Calvinists" and were followers of John Calvin, who first made this term popular. He had formulated a doctrine based on an understanding that certain people were destined to be "saved", while others were destined to be "damned". His followers used an acrostic TULIP to explain their doctrine. The T stood for Total depravity, the U for Unconditional security, The L for Limited atonement, the I for Irresistible grace, and the P for the Perseverance of the saints. This doctrine is directly opposed to several scriptures that come to mind, such as (1 John 2:2), (1 Tim 2:2-4), and (2 Peter 3:9).

To understand predestination, we must first understand the "foreknowledge" of God. Read (Rom 8:29-30) in the NKJV "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first of many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined , those He also called; whom He called, those He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." This is a very important scripture, along with (1 Peter 1:1-2), and (Eph 1:3-5), where we can easily see that because God knows everything, He knew even before we were born who would come into His family, and who would not. Read (Rev 13:8) and you will see that the names of those who choose to follow Jesus, the Lamb of God, had their names written in a book in heaven even before the world was created! Talk about the foreknowledge of God! Our finite minds cannot begin to comprehend this truth! And yet mere man with our limited ability to understand spiritual things, come up with all kinds of theories that have been presented to the church over the years as true doctrines.

All humans from Adam through to us in the twenty first century, have all been given a free will, with which to make choices. Our choices may be good choices, or bad choices, but we are responsible for them all! God didn't want a race of "robots" that He could program to love and obey Him, or always make right choices, so He gave us a free will. He also gave us His Holy Spirit to indwell us to help us make the right choices, if we will only trust Him to direct us!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer