Predestination Revisited
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles
Paul wrote to the Ephesian brethren regarding our being predestined: “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself” (Ephesians 1:4-5).
Folks in the religious world are extremely confused regarding the topic of predestination. They think that if folks are not a member of those predestined for eternal life, they are just out of luck, eternally damned, and there is nothing they can do about it.
It’s interesting to note however, that those predestined, are a particular group or class of people that God chose before the foundation of the world and not individuals.
If we want to be a part of the “chosen” ones, it is our responsibility to be a part of that class of obedient believers (note the phrase in Ephesians 1:4, “chose us in Him [Christ]”).
The story is told of a school teacher who, on the first day of class, told his students that some would pass and some would fail the course they were about to take. He then described the criteria necessary for one to be in the group who would pass.
At the end of the school year, just as the teacher had said, some passed and some failed the course.
Now, let us ask ourselves this question, “Since the teacher had predestined the outcome before he began, does it mean that he caused each individual to either pass or fail and there was nothing they could do about it?”
Certainly not! It was the choice of each individual student to be either in the group who failed the course, or in the group who passed the course.
Likewise, God predetermined before He made the world, that He would “choose” those who “chose” to be in a right relationship with Christ — “in Christ” — and now it is up to us to “choose” to be in that class of people.
Will we choose to be “in Christ” by obeying the gospel of Christ (Romans 6:17), or will we choose to remain outside of Christ in a lost condition?
The “choice” is ours (Joshua 24:14-15).
Related Articles:
- Ephesians 1:4 — Predestination
- The Biblical Doctrine of Predestination, Foreordination, and Election
- 1 Timothy 2:4 — Salvation through Knowledge
- Was Judas “Predestined” to Betray Christ?
- Calvinism and the Great Commission
Related Audio:
- The Debate That Almost Was – Mac Deaver