Predestined Unto Life
Chapter 3: Of God's Eternal Decrees
5. Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen, in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith, or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving him thereunto; and all to the praise of his glorious grace
To recap, we have discussed how God is sovereign, meaning that He rules unopposed over all things, and events. The scriptures make it clear to us that God determines the outcome of all things from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). Now, in light of this, how do we consider those people who are saved? Does God set the work of redemption into motion and then say “I sure hope some people listen to this and believe.”? Are those the words of One who is in control of all thing? No, not at all! Uncertainty, hopefulness, waiting with bated breath—that is the sort of thing we creatures who neither know the future nor determine the future experience. To say that God is in control of all things but that the wily free will of humans is ever out of His reach is to say that there is at least one aspect in which God is not sovereign.
Along with this, the Christian is obligated, if they indeed claim to submit themselves to God and to His Word, that the scriptures teach this truth. One of the most upfront examples is when Jesus says to Nicodemus “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John. 3:3). Jesus further goes on to explain this born again as being a birth by water and the Spirit (John 3:5), in which He is referring to the Old Testament promises of God to clean and change the hearts of His people and to put His Holy Spirit within them (Ezekiel. 36:26,27; Joel 2:28). To see the Kingdom of Heaven means to believe that Jesus is the promised Savior (John 3: 5,14,15), and none of this can be done unless the Spirit of God is poured out on a person.
Later on in John’s gospel Jesus says something similar to those who were complaining about Him: “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:43). That is, no one is able to approach Christ in faith unless the Father initially draws them to Christ. Now, some might try to say that the force of the word “draw” is to “coax” or “beckon,” but given the way in which scripture speaks on this subject in other places, we cannot be satisfied with that answer. God does not beckon, or “woo” a person to Christ; He draws them like a person would draw a bucket of water out of a well.
Consider the book of Ephesians which declares that God chose the Christians before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). What had anyone done before they were created? Nothing whatsoever! Also, in Romans Paul says that the Christian was an enemy of God which He saved, reconciling themselves to Himself through the death of His Son: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Rom. 5:10).
Now, sometimes people will insist that God looked down the corridor of time to see whether a person would believe in Jesus, and then He predestines them to salvation. Is this correct? It seems to be an attempt to preserve the undeniable sovereignty of God in election as proclaimed in the scriptures, while at the same time insisting that man has the free will to choose or reject God.
To say that God “looks down the corridors of time” is to make several mistakes concerning who God is. First, it places God in time and it makes God dependent on some other source for knowledge. It takes away God’s eternality, and it turns Him into a predictor rather than the Alpha and Omega who determines the outcome of all things from the beginning! What’s worse is that such a view makes God dependent on the will of human beings: if He must see if they will choose Him, then He is not sovereign over them.
But Salvation belongs to the LORD! And thanks be that it does, for since it is dependent on God’s sovereign choice (Rom. 9:16), then what indeed can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:35-39)? The doctrine of election and predestination is a precious gem for the church, and should be treated as such. It is not something to throw around casually, nor something to be discarded. It must be treasures and treated with care: it is a doctrine for the comfort of Christians who can rest in God’s sovereignty, knowing that nothing in all of creation can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus. However it is also the great motivator of the church towards zeal and diligence in pursuing Christ, knowing that “no one who waits on the Lord will be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3).
Along with this, the Christian is obligated, if they indeed claim to submit themselves to God and to His Word, that the scriptures teach this truth. One of the most upfront examples is when Jesus says to Nicodemus “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John. 3:3). Jesus further goes on to explain this born again as being a birth by water and the Spirit (John 3:5), in which He is referring to the Old Testament promises of God to clean and change the hearts of His people and to put His Holy Spirit within them (Ezekiel. 36:26,27; Joel 2:28). To see the Kingdom of Heaven means to believe that Jesus is the promised Savior (John 3: 5,14,15), and none of this can be done unless the Spirit of God is poured out on a person.
Later on in John’s gospel Jesus says something similar to those who were complaining about Him: “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:43). That is, no one is able to approach Christ in faith unless the Father initially draws them to Christ. Now, some might try to say that the force of the word “draw” is to “coax” or “beckon,” but given the way in which scripture speaks on this subject in other places, we cannot be satisfied with that answer. God does not beckon, or “woo” a person to Christ; He draws them like a person would draw a bucket of water out of a well.
Consider the book of Ephesians which declares that God chose the Christians before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). What had anyone done before they were created? Nothing whatsoever! Also, in Romans Paul says that the Christian was an enemy of God which He saved, reconciling themselves to Himself through the death of His Son: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Rom. 5:10).
Now, sometimes people will insist that God looked down the corridor of time to see whether a person would believe in Jesus, and then He predestines them to salvation. Is this correct? It seems to be an attempt to preserve the undeniable sovereignty of God in election as proclaimed in the scriptures, while at the same time insisting that man has the free will to choose or reject God.
To say that God “looks down the corridors of time” is to make several mistakes concerning who God is. First, it places God in time and it makes God dependent on some other source for knowledge. It takes away God’s eternality, and it turns Him into a predictor rather than the Alpha and Omega who determines the outcome of all things from the beginning! What’s worse is that such a view makes God dependent on the will of human beings: if He must see if they will choose Him, then He is not sovereign over them.
But Salvation belongs to the LORD! And thanks be that it does, for since it is dependent on God’s sovereign choice (Rom. 9:16), then what indeed can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:35-39)? The doctrine of election and predestination is a precious gem for the church, and should be treated as such. It is not something to throw around casually, nor something to be discarded. It must be treasures and treated with care: it is a doctrine for the comfort of Christians who can rest in God’s sovereignty, knowing that nothing in all of creation can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus. However it is also the great motivator of the church towards zeal and diligence in pursuing Christ, knowing that “no one who waits on the Lord will be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3).