PREDESTINATION WHAT IS PREDESTINATION?

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1 PREDESTINATION Predestination for most is a difficult doctrine to understand. This is because there are various ways in which people approach the subject. There are four (4) verses in the New Testament that use the word predestinate. These are Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:5 and 11. Because most people feel threatened by this doctrine when they are confronted by it, usually give up the debate fairly quickly because they really do not understand it. WHAT IS PREDESTINATION? Predestination deals with the foreknowledge of God. This means that God knows all about the future from before the beginning of time to the end of time and eternity before any of it happens. How God is able to do this is a mystery to all of us, but we do know that God knows what is going to happen to everyone. God knew everything that we are going to do tomorrow, next week and next year etc before creation took place. God also knows where you and I are going to finish up when we die. This is how Biblical prophecy works. It is God telling us through the written word of God called the Holy Bible, what is going to happen long before an event occurs. This was how the early prophets were able to tell the wise men from the east where our Lord Jesus was going to be born. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel... whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Matthew 2:1-6 and Micah 5:2. There are also a vast number of variations that many people try to apply or include in the doctrine of predestination. This is because the doctrine of predestination is often taught by most purely from their own doctrinal preference and they use it to try to persuade others that their doctrinal position is correct. Many teachers who teach the doctrine of predestination incorrectly create a great deal of error in the doctrine of election and salvation. It is therefore very important that the doctrine of predestination is understood and taught correctly. The reason for all of this error is because many of these teachers do not see the correct base upon which the doctrine of predestination is founded, and that is simply this: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29 God, who is our loving heavenly Father, knowing how sin and death would destroy mankind, decided by His infinite foreknowledge, to have all those whom He foreknew, would come to Him through their God-given liberty of freewill choice, and by way of the cruel cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, be saved and be conformed to the image and likeness of His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the foundational basis of the teaching of the Gospels and the correct foundational basis for the teaching of the doctrine predestination, and that is through the cross of Christ, be saved and conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. The incorrect teaching of predestination comes from placing predestination before foreknowledge. They neglect or forget that God has predestinated us through His foreknowledge, so that salvation can come to us through our God-given freewill choice and not by decree. See John 3:16-17, and John 6: The following scripture confirms the foundation for the doctrine of our salvation that we should be conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3 1

2 HOW DID IT ALL START? It began at the creation when in the beginning, God created man in His own image and likeness. This is verified by the following two verses. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:26-27 To understand what this image and likeness is that we are made after, we need to look into the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. This helps us to understand that the nature of God as well as being all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present, is that God is also totally submissive, even to death; death on a cruel cross. Our Lord Jesus was willing to submit to God our heavenly Father s will and sacrificially give His life for us. Man lost that image and likeness when he rebelled and disobeyed God s command in the Garden of Eden, and that command was for man to continue to maintain that image and likeness by submitting to the will of the Godhead just like our Lord Jesus always has and does. Our Lord Jesus always carried out His Father s will despite His own intense feelings in the flesh. The best example of this is shown to us by the fact that the will of our Lord Jesus concerning His crucifixion in the flesh was different to the will of God. In the Garden of Gethsemane our Lord Jesus prayed saying; Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Luke 22:42 Our Lord Jesus did not want to suffer the cruelty of torture and death by way of a cruel cross. This is the reason that God requires for us to change our mind and submit to His will and is the reason that to be a Christian, we must become partakers of our Lord Jesus godly sacrificial life or grace. This is the only way that we can become one in God our Father as our Lord Jesus also prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. John 17:21-23 When God said, Let us make man in our own image and likeness, Genesis 1:27, there had to be total agreement and submission to one another (as there always and eternally is) from each Person in the Godhead for this to be carried out in the way that it happened. This in turn also required for man to be in total submission to do the will of God for man to have been made in the image and likeness of the image of God. When sin entered the human race through rebellion and disobedience to the will of God, this image and likeness was lost. Therefore God wants to restore the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ in all mankind. This was pre-planned by God before the foundation of the world. According as he hath chosen us in him (that is in the Lord Jesus Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Ephesians 1:4 Even though God had said to Adam in the Garden of Eden, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die, Genesis 2:17, man did not die physically in that day. Why did man not die physically in that day as God had said? This was because before man had disobeyed God, he was immortal. This means that he would never die so long as he continued to obey God s command. In the same day that man rebelled and sinned, man s eternal and immortal earthly existence died and ceased to exist. Man was immediately changed from being immortal into being mortal. This happened as soon as they partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The poison from that tree of the knowledge of good and evil really did work in the way that God had said that it would. Their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked. Genesis 3:7 The process of Adam and Eve dying physically over a period of time after they had sinned can be better understood by knowing what God meant when He said; For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shall surely die. It meant that in the same day that Adam and Eve partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would immediately die to immortality and become mortal and begin the process of a prolonged state of dying physically, which would end in their total physical death. Modern mortals usually call this the aging process. 2

3 This prolonged process of dying allowed man to have God-given time to change his mind concerning his rebellion, sin and disobedience and be reconciled to God again by being conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, just in the same way as it occurs even today. God predetermined this before the foundation of the world. Another reason that Adam and Eve did not physically die in that day was because God wanted to show to all mankind His love, mercy, grace and forgiveness through the sacrifice that God made at that time by providing lambskins for Adam and Eve s clothing. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, (that is the devil), whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8 The sacrifice that God made of lambs to clothe Adam and Eve typified the sacrifice that was yet to come. This was the evidence provided by God our heavenly Father of the intended reconciliation and restoration process. This was to come to us eventually through our Lord Jesus Christ s death and resurrection by having His own immortal holy body broken and His own precious sinless blood shed through death by way of a cruel cross. Our Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God that continually takes away the sin of the world. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29 The purpose of that sacrifice was also showing us how God was going to restore the image and likeness of God in all mankind that was lost. This restoration was to be accomplished by man being conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the creator of the whole world and everything that is in it and is the express image and likeness of the person of God. See Genesis 1:1 to 2:25 and compare with 2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:12-23, 3:10 and Hebrews 1:1-9 The reconciliation and restoration of this image and likeness that man lost at the fall requires that through the work of the Holy Spirit, we change our mind concerning our unbelief by forsaking anything that resists being conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. We become one with our Lord Jesus Christ s sacrificial, submissive and life giving eternal life that He shed for us by way of a cruel cross. This is Christ s life and not our own, therefore a Christian should bear the example that our Lord Jesus gave us as 1 Peter 2:21-24 tells us. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. The finished work of Christ enables this reconciliation and restoration to be accomplished through the unconditional forgiveness of our sin, which is taken away by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way. Furthermore, this reconciliation and restoration will only be complete when this mortal will have put on immortality and the sting of death has been defeated forever. The Apostle Paul has this to say about it: Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 Sin conforms people to the image and likeness of the devil; this is because Sin is of the devil for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8 When we repent, we change our mind from any unbelief that prevents us from being conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. The word repent means to change your mind. Greek, metanois, meta change, nois your mind. 3

4 Sin tries to destroy the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ in us for our Lord Jesus never sinned. The foundation of the doctrine of Predestination and the basis of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is for us to be conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Romans 8:30 Who has God our heavenly Father predestined and called? The answer to this question is all mankind. This means that God our heavenly Father has called everyone to change our minds because He has predetermined that for man to be saved and have eternal life, that he should be conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a whosoever Gospel. See John 3:16-17 I quote: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (Change their minds) God, who is our heavenly Father has no respect of persons. To make salvation available for everyone, predestined salvation to be made available to all mankind through the cruel cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by being conformed to the image and likeness of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Such is the great love and patience of God. See James 5:7. Of course we all know by what the Holy Bible tells us, not everybody wants to or is willing to change their minds and be conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the greatest shame on earth. Our Lord Jesus is the greatest person to ever have lived upon this whole earth. His greatness is both infinite and eternal. There is absolutely no one who can compare with Him. To be conformed to, or to be like our Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest privilege that anyone can ever have. Our Lord Jesus is the express image of God our heavenly Father, and is the creator of the whole world and everything in it. See Hebrews 1:1-3 and Colossians 1: It all began with man committing sin and has ended up with man being reconciled to God. Our Lord Jesus gives us a great example of what He is really like in these verses found in Matthew 11:28-30; Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. This is the God to whom we submit and are partakers of His eternal sacrificial life giving life or grace. How can anybody be like our Lord Jesus then, if they are unwilling to be like Him now? TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT Once it is understood that being conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ is the correct foundation or base for the doctrine of predestination, and the only basis of the Gospels, you may also see the error in the following opinions that are put forward as the basis of the two major different doctrines concerning predestination. God is not the author of confusion, and if the two separate doctrines of predestination cause confusion, you can be sure that God is not the author of it. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:33 At this juncture, it must be explained that the doctrine of predestination has two separate schools of thought. To understand why there is confusion with this doctrine for many people, we need to divide these two schools of thought into two completely separate models. Before we go into the difference between the two different models, here is a break-up of the Greek meanings of the words used in the doctrine of predestination. The Greek word for predestination is proorizo. The pro at the front of the word orizio is familiar to most of us and simply means in front of or prior to. The second part of the word for predestination, which is orizio, comes from the Greek word horizo, meaning horizon, something else that most English speaking people are familiar with. When combining the pro to the horizo, the h is omitted, forming the new word proorizo, which literally means prior to horizon. Thus, the meaning of the word predestination that is accepted by most is to predetermine. Some incorrectly interpret the word 4redestinates to mean, decree, which denies man s Godgiven liberty of freewill choice. This is explained later in this chapter. This means that it was God our heavenly Father s predetermined intention to have a way to remove, resolve and reconcile mankind s problem with sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ before it actually happened; and this plan was for all mankind to be conformed to the image and likeness of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. There was no other plan. 4

5 On the day of judgment, because it was God s purpose to save all mankind through the sacrificial life, death and bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, will leave all men without an excuse, for it is wilful man himself who has by his own God-given liberty of freewill choice, refused to be saved and conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ by the revelation of the abundant love, mercy and grace of God our heavenly Father. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20 At this juncture, it should again be remembered and held in our view, that God our heavenly Father wants all of us to be conformed to the image and likeness of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the purpose and intent of the doctrine of predestination and the teachings of the Gospels. This is what God our heavenly Father predetermined by His foreknowledge before the foundation of the world. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Acts 2:23. To subtract from this purpose or intent by any means, is not teaching the correct version of predestination. The second Greek word that is used in the doctrine of predestination is the word foreknew, and this is where the two separate schools of thought and teachings emerge. It seems strange that the doctrine is called the doctrine of predestination, when the actual separation between the two doctrines occurs mainly from the interpretation of the word foreknew. It would be more precise if the doctrine of predestination were called the doctrine of foreknowledge. As already discussed, you may be well aware that most people agree that God knows in advance what is going to and what will happen. All Bible prophecies are based on this fact. There is little or no debate concerning this part of the doctrine. Most Christian s agree about that. The Greek word for foreknew is proginosko, which literally means, to know before. Doctors often use a derivation of this word when they make a prognosis of a patient s illness. Sometimes they are right, other times they are wrong. This means that God s prognosis of all man s illness is sin, which is the cause of all man s sicknesses, wrongdoings and death, and the only cure for sin is obtained through; 1...Continued belief in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ on a cruel cross, which results in the remission of sins. Because the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23, remission of sins causes sin to become dormant or inactive. 2...The patient has to admit to his sickness of unbelief, rebellion and wrongdoing and accept God s own special medical help of forgiveness and remission of sins. 3...Partake of the only prescribed medicine that God Himself has provided, which is through believing, the forgiveness and cleansing of our sin by our Lord Jesus Christ, who by way of a cruel cross, had his holy immortal body broken and his precious sinless shed blood. It is the same medicine for everyone and is the only cure for sin and the eternal consequences of sin. 4...Continued in belief in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Who died on a cruel cross for the forgiveness of our sin and give us eternal life. It is the interpretation of the meaning of the word proginosko where the two separate schools of thought have their conflict. It is up to us therefore, to determine which version is correct. 888 The first school of thought interprets the word proginosko as meaning FOREORDAINED, which promotes the doctrine of decree for election and salvation. The second school of thought interprets the word proginosko as meaning, FOREKNEW. This is the literal meaning of the word. Thus, we have the reason for the two major different doctrines concerning predestination. 5

6 THE FIRST MODEL, FOREORDINATION. It is this model that causes some people to believe that mankind has not been given God-given liberty of freewill choice and thus promotes the doctrine of salvation by decreed election; so they teach the foreordination by decree interpretation of the word proginosko. They say that you do not have any God-given liberty of freewill choice or say in your willingness to be conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, and this is what determines your eternal destiny. What they say is that it is God Himself who decides who is going to be elected and saved and conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that mankind has no God-given liberty of freewill choice in the matter and has no right to question or argue about it either. This means that the medicine that God has given for the cure of sin is not available for everybody, only to a select chosen few. This is because they say that the medicine given by God for their salvation is made by prescription only for the elect chosen few when in reality anyone can come to our Lord Jesus with the disease of sin and all will be given the same cure. God is not a respecter of persons. For there is no respect of persons with God. Romans 2:11 The fact is that it is God alone who knows beforehand all those who will truly choose to become conformed to the image and likeness of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. On the day of judgment, there will be no argument about those who have become conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. This will be self-evident before everyone. This prejudiced teaching is incorrect because it presents itself in such a way so as to make out that it is solely by decree that God conforms His elect to be conformed to the image and likeness of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. These people are said to be elected and saved by God s own preordained decreed choice. This form of election and salvation is also said to be carried out regardless of the consent or participation of the individual. This denies man s God-given liberty of freewill choice concerning their own election and salvation and thus makes out that God is a respecter of persons. See Acts 10:34 To be conformed to the image of Christ, a Christian must continually abide in the doctrine of Christ. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:9 DETERMINATE COUNCIL Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Acts 2:23 To give an example; when we try to predict or expect that something is likely to happen in the near future, we take counsel by examining all the likely events that may occur and plan an action that we think will bring about the result that we want to achieve. Financial institutions, big business and politicians do a great deal of this kind of planned counsel using their limited amount of foreknowledge. A farmer will take determinate counsel in an endeavour to prevent a plague of insects that he thinks is going to ruin his crops. However, whenever God plans anything according to his foreknowledge, God s accuracy is absolute and therefore God is able to attain absolute accuracy in everything that He plans or determines what He will do. In Galatians 4:4 it says, But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. This means that there was a very special time when God send forth His only begotten Son, and this was done through the predetermined counsel of the Godhead by the foreknowledge of God, and therefore it was not by decree as suggested by the foreordained interpretation of the word determinate. The foreordination by decree doctrine also say s that if man has the liberty of freewill choice, then God is not God because He cannot have His will. The answer to this is that it is God s will for us to have the liberty of freewill choice; otherwise all mankind would automatically follow His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We have already concluded this by the fact that it is not God s will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9. No one can argue that this is not God s will, because the Scripture teaches us that it is so. The fact is that God our heavenly Father is the God of God-given freewill choice. The idea of God-given liberty of freewill choice is dealt with later in this chapter. This means that the foreordination by decree doctrine is saying that you can willingly desire to be conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, truly believe, and be obedient to the will of God all the days of your life, and because they say that God has not foreordained your election and salvation, you will be by their interpretation of the doctrine of predestination, rightfully condemned to eternal hellfire and damnation. 6

7 This is the basis upon which the foreordained definition is founded. To this definition I make these following comments: On one hand, this is a doctrine that leaves people without hope if they think that God by decree, has predestined them not to be able to be conformed to the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ by way of the cross of Christ and God-given liberty of freewill choice. They may earnestly want to be saved. The Holy Bible tells us that God our heavenly Father is a God of hope and that it was His intention that all mankind should be conformed to the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. I quote: Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13 If you cannot know how to be elected and saved or even know if you are going to be elected and saved, what is the point of even trying? It is at this juncture that lots of people give up and refuse to listen to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. To this I say, shame, shame, shame. If God did not want all mankind to be conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, then what did He want? It would be most doubtful that God our heavenly Father would have willed any other purpose. This purpose has definitely been confirmed and expressly shown to us by the fact that God our heavenly Father sent our Lord Jesus to die for us. John 3:16-17 again. Furthermore, to prove that this is the case, Genesis 1:26-27 tells us as we have already discussed, that originally, God created man in the image and likeness of God. When this image and likeness was lost through rebellion and sin, it was God s own predetermined purpose before the foundation of the world, to restore this image and likeness in all mankind through the sacrificial death and bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. God gives us absolute assurance of our election and salvation if we are willing to come to Him on His terms by truly believing in our Lord Jesus Christ. The terms of salvation are complete surrender to our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ proclaims. It is a whosoever Gospel. See John 3:16 On the other hand, the doctrine of election by decree makes some people believe that they are invincible concerning their own election and salvation. This belief can lead to great error, especially with regards to the way some people live and what they believe about continually living in sin. The central position of the election by decree doctrine leaves most of the people who proclaim it, not knowing if they themselves are elected and saved or anyone else who has been elected to be saved, their own personal assurance of election and salvation is always in doubt. This is because they say that it is God alone who knows who He has elected to be saved. In contrast to this belief, the Bible tells us that we if we truly believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, we have absolute assurance of our election and salvation. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Romans 8:16 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:13 It is not God s will that any should perish in hell and eternal damnation. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 If God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, then it would be most doubtful that God would decree election and salvation in such a way that He did not make election and salvation available to everybody. This would be against His own will, and would deny the purpose for which our Lord Jesus Christ died. I quote; And he (our Lord Jesus) is the *propitiation (*means merciful sacrifice) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2; This means that God has made the medicine for salvation available for everyone, and that means you, me and everybody else. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17 7

8 When we get to know the wonderful and exemplary life of our Lord Jesus Christ and want to be conformed to His perfect image and likeness, our change of mind towards God is the primary foundational basis upon which our election and salvation begins. This is supported by the following Bible verses. When Jesus heard it, he said unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Mark 2:17, See also Matthew 9:13 and Luke 5:32 Even though many have tried many other alternative cures for sin and death, our Lord Jesus Christ is the only Doctor who actually cures sin altogether, and we must come to Him to get His cure for sin. The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God, Romans 3:23, and as there is none righteous, no not one; Romans 3:10, this includes everybody. This means that our Lord Jesus has come to call all sinners to repentance, and this includes everybody. This means you and me too. Him (our Lord Jesus) hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5:31 As quoted earlier, God is not willing that any should perish. Through the above verse, God is confirming that this is His intention by granting repentance and the forgiveness of sins to all Israel through the God-given and available gift of repentance. This does not exclude the Gentiles as the following verse from Acts 11:18 states. When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. And this lines up with what God s will is concerning all people upon the earth, God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 again. And this lines up with what God has commanded that men should do. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men everywhere to repent: Acts 17:30 That is, change our mind and believe. This last verse is a command from God. If election and salvation were decreed by foreordination, mankind would always respond like robots to God in just the way God always requires it, for everything would be done by decree according to God s will. Therefore it would not be possible for anyone to disobey the above command of God and everyone everywhere would repent. God would not command something if He did not also make it possible for man to carry it out, confirming that it is God s will that everybody should repent, and that it is God s goodness that has granted the availability of repentance to everybody. See Romans 2:4 On the other hand, if God decreed the above command in such a way that man had no God-given liberty of freewill choice, then everybody in this world would automatically repent, something that we all know that they do not do. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17 This was the primary message and command from our Lord Jesus to everybody then just as it is for us today. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17 God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 God wants everyone to turn to our Lord Jesus Christ for His cure for sin, which cost the life of our Lord Jesus on a cruel cross. It is important and again must be remembered that God has not predestined any persons election and salvation by any other method than that they should be conformed to the image and likeness of God s only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what predestination, election, and salvation is all about. No one can come to God our heavenly Father for election and salvation if they do not want to repent and completely surrender to our Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone must come to God under His terms; and these are the terms, that they will, by His grace through faith, allow themselves through the work of the Holy Spirit, be conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ by their continual belief in the finished work of our Lord Jesus on a cruel cross. See Ephesians 2:8-10 But to say that man has no God-given liberty of freewill choice or ability to choose to be elected and saved by grace through faith is to deny what the Bible is truthfully telling us. This is dealt with a little later on in this chapter. 8

9 THE SECOND MODEL, FOREKNOWLEDGE The second school of thought says that God foreknew beforehand what was going to happen in exact detail, and thus is always able to precisely and accurately predict everything before it actually happens. This is the literal translation of the word proginosko. The second school of thought does not take away the idea of man s God-given liberty of freewill in determining his own election and salvation by his own personal choice, but that God already knows what that choice is going to be, hence Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:11; Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; If anyone is able to persuade a person to choose the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour and be conformed to His image and likeness, and if they endure unto the end, Matthew 24:13, their election and salvation is assured. God has predetermined or predestined it that way. This is what makes the preaching of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ relevant and necessary, for it helps us to persuade others to change their minds and be conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ by believing in the word of our Lord Jesus Christ. You may now be able to see the false position that a lot of people have concerning sin. Some people say that even when they have become Christians, they continue to commit sin all the time. If a person is being conformed to the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the Lord Jesus Christ is in them by the presence of the Holy Spirit, how is it that they say that they are committing sin all the time? Our Lord Jesus never sinned and is not the author of sin. From now on in this chapter, we will be discussing how that God our heavenly Father, through the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, has made a call for the election and salvation of everyone. In this discussion, we will be viewing the following Bible verses in the Biblical and contextual light of the foreordination and the foreknowledge interpretations of scripture. Our Lord Jesus said in John 6:37; All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (The all means all mankind. See 1 Timothy 2:3-4, John 12:32 and 2 Peter 3:9). When the all in this verse is misinterpreted to mean only the elect and this verse is isolated and viewed solely from the foreordination by decree doctrine, it would seem that God our heavenly Father has preordained by decree all those who come to our Lord Jesus. The condition by which all those who come to our Lord Jesus, seems to imply that it is only by God s decreed choice. When this verse is viewed from the foreknowledge perspective of scripture and the contextual balance from other scriptures correctly interprets the all in this verse, it also confirms that the foreordination by decree doctrine is incorrect. Our Lord Jesus said; It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. John 6:45 This means that everyone can by God-given liberty of freewill choice or through their God-given conscience, learn of God and thus come to our Lord Jesus; and those who decide to come to our Lord Jesus, he will in no wise cast out. This does not mean that they are automatically elected and saved; believing in what our Lord Jesus has said to us must be patiently followed and endured. Endurance is an important part of our own personal freewill choice. This is because the resurrection is the ultimate victory of faith and therefore is worth fighting for and enduring. The ultimate prize of enduring faith is eternal life. The apostle Paul said; I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 Another verse that confirms the appropriate learning from God our heavenly Father is Romans 10:17. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. It would be difficult to believe that individual choices are not made when a person hears the word of God. Either they accept or reject it. What is it that you or I do? 9

10 Conversely, our Lord Jesus said these words; I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 This means that in the contextual light and the combination of both these verses, that is John 6:37 and 14:6, nobody comes to our Lord Jesus but by the Father, and conversely, nobody comes to the Father but by the Lord Jesus. Therefore, there is total agreement between both God our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ with reference to mankind s election and salvation; the availability of which comes by way of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and confirmed by our response through the act of our own personal belief in our Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone has had enough light given to them by our Lord Jesus to be elected and saved. This is confirmed by the following verse. That (the Lord Jesus) was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 1:9 Every person in the world has been given enough light to know about God and how to learn of Him. If it does not come through teaching, it comes through our God-given conscience. Thus there is no excuse. See Romans 1:16-32 Another method that the foreordained by decree doctrine uses to try to overcome the idea that man has no God-given liberty of freewill choice is to say that God s grace is irresistible. This means that because they say that it is God alone who decrees individual election and salvation, those whom God has chosen cannot resist God s grace. The Bible does not give any indication that God s grace is irresistible. Acts 7:51 tells us this; You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Hebrews 10:29 also shows us that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of grace and that it can be resisted. Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? If this is the case, then grace is not irresistible and men can through the God-given liberty of freewill choice, choose to wilfully resist it. On the other hand, if God s grace were irresistible, then it would automatically suggest that all mankind would be saved. This is because the Bible teaches, that it is not God s will that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. If all mankind were unable to resist God s saving grace all mankind would automatically be saved, and we all know that this is not what the Bible teaches. If grace was irresistible and bestowed only upon a selected few, then God would be showing respect of persons, something that the Bible says that God does not do. See 2 Chronicles 19:7, Romans 2:11, Ephesians 6:9 and Colossians 3:25 to name a few. Here is another verse that can be misinterpreted by the application of the foreordination by decree doctrinal position; No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44 Some people believe and state that the word draw in this verse means to drag or compel, inferring that man has no Godgiven liberty of freewill choice, and that sinners are, by the interpretation of the foreordination by decree doctrine, compelled to be saved or compelled to be lost. If this is the case, then we need to interpret the following verse in the same light. In John 12:32, our Lord Jesus said; If I be lifted up from the earth, (that is, crucified), will draw (drag or compel in some peoples terms), all men unto me. Was our Lord Jesus crucified? Yes he was. Did our Lord Jesus rise again bodily in the flesh? Yes He did. This means that God our heavenly Father has made known to us the only way in which all men would be drawn (dragged or compelled in some peoples terms), to our Lord Jesus Christ. The same Greek word is used in both verses. If we were to follow the foreordained interpretation of the above verse, then everyone would automatically be elected and saved as everyone has been dragged or compelled to come to our Lord Jesus through His life, His death on a cruel cross and resurrection, and this, as both you and I know, does not fit the complete Biblical context. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 says; For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 10

11 This verse states that it is the will of God to have all men saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Therefore, if the above verse were viewed from the foreordination by decree doctrinal position, then it would seem that everybody is eventually going to be saved, and we all know that this also is not true. As previously stated, it is not God s will that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, and this is the purpose for which our Lord Jesus came to save sinners like me and you so that we can by the presence and work of the Holy Spirit, be conformed to the image and likeness of the only begotten Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the correct basis of the doctrine of predestination and the foundational purpose of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is another affirmation to help finalize the point that being conformed to the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ is the predestined intention of God our Father and the purpose of the written Gospels. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3. How can anyone be like the Lord Jesus then, if they are unwilling to be like Him now? GOD-GIVEN LIBERTY OF FREEWILL CHOICE As stated earlier, the foreordination doctrinal position declares that God has not given fallen or sinful man the liberty of freewill choice to choose to be elected and saved. This creates personal bondage. This is because it is considered by them that freewill choice is of our own works. Because Ephesians 2:8 states For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast, they believe that election and salvation comes to them solely from God s decreed election and choosing and not their own, otherwise they believe that salvation is of their own works. In contrast to this, the foreknowledge doctrinal position declares that God has given sinful or fallen man the freewill ability to choose to be elected and saved as the Bible says, by grace through faith. They do not consider that their God-given freewill choice is the method by which they are being saved, as it was God s idea and purpose in the first place. Therefore their election and salvation is neither of their own selves nor of their own works because it only comes through the finished sacrificial work of our Lord Jesus Christ s life, death and bodily resurrection. See John 6:28-29 Besides all this, when you know that the saving the grace of God is the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, sacrificially given to us to save us from our sin even though we do not deserve it, and faith is the ability and confidence that God gives to us to trust and carry out the word of Christ, it stands to reason that it is not possible to be saved by our own works. This is because both of these Biblical, doctrinal and spiritual elements come to us as a gift from God Himself through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is only by the great love and goodness of God that has through freewill choice, made them available for everyone. It is very important for us to have the correct Biblical definition and understanding of the Biblical meanings of both grace and faith, as they are the doctrinal basis of our election and salvation. As election and salvation was God s own idea and purpose in the first place, election and salvation did not come from man s own freewill choice or effort for it was God himself who originally pre-determined this before the foundation of the world. This meant that election and salvation would come to mankind by their own God-given freewill choosing by being given the ability to submit to God through our belief in Jesus. By being willing to be conformed to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ through our own personal choice, puts us into the place where our Lord Jesus Christ can save us. Here is an example. If you were surrounded and trapped by a bushfire and a rescue helicopter was flown in to pick you up, you would still have the liberty of freewill choice to choose whether or not you would climb aboard and be flown out. The whole world may try to make you think that the danger is over and that you would be safe where you were, or you could take the advice of the Pilot to climb aboard to be flown out. Even though you choose to climb aboard to be taken to safety, (God-given freewill choice), it is the Pilots ability and the power of the helicopter that gets you out of there and actually saves you, not your own effort or choice. Your being saved is only in response to your God-given freewill choice. This is how faith works; faith works in response to our being obedient to our hearing of the word of God. See Romans 10:17 Therefore, there is a co-relationship between our God-given freewill choice and God s response to that choice. 11