Bob Hill
TOL Subscriber
Now, in regards to predestination, we find that predestination means to determine beforehand.
The BGD Greek Lexicon gives this definition (edited) decide upon beforehand, predestine, of God predestine someone. When we put our trust for our salvation into Christ and the fact that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again, then, the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ.
Because we are put into Christ by the Holy Spirit, we are put into a predestined program.
God had already predestined the body of Christ to be holy and blameless before Him in love.
Eph 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 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, 5 having predestined us to adoption as Sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
He also predestined us to be conformed to His Son’s image in Rom 8:29: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
This predestination is for our security once we trust Christ as our Savior.
Most important, His counsel makes our salvation very secure, because God performs everything that must be done for our benefit once we’re saved according to Eph 1:11,12: In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”
The “all things” in verse 11, that is the body of Christ according to Eph 1:23: “which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all [according to the Greek, who fills the all things] in all.”
Therefore, we experience the security of predestination.
Although it could be one of the most disliked doctrines, it is really one of our greatest spiritual blessings. Predestination is not what some try to make it. God doesn’t make everything happen as they say.
Instead of pursuing the idea any further, I want to emphasize again that predestination pertains to our security, not our salvation. Our inheritance is predestined. God takes great pleasure in doing this for us. We become a new creation, we receive a new name, we have a new identity in Christ, and our inheritance is predestined.
How spectacular, that God did all of these things for us.
That’s why I see predestination as a triumph to His praise. Eph 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Paul rejoices in this spiritual blessing. Just think, we’re secure in Christ because it is God’s pleasure to make us secure. We should exult in this blessing too, because this grace of predestination is poured out on us. It is our grace, we are accepted because we are in Christ.
Our response to this wonderful spiritual blessing of security should be like Paul’s response in Eph 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all the generations, of the age of the ages. Amen.
In Christ,
Bob Hill
The BGD Greek Lexicon gives this definition (edited) decide upon beforehand, predestine, of God predestine someone. When we put our trust for our salvation into Christ and the fact that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again, then, the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ.
Because we are put into Christ by the Holy Spirit, we are put into a predestined program.
God had already predestined the body of Christ to be holy and blameless before Him in love.
Eph 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 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, 5 having predestined us to adoption as Sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
He also predestined us to be conformed to His Son’s image in Rom 8:29: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
This predestination is for our security once we trust Christ as our Savior.
Most important, His counsel makes our salvation very secure, because God performs everything that must be done for our benefit once we’re saved according to Eph 1:11,12: In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”
The “all things” in verse 11, that is the body of Christ according to Eph 1:23: “which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all [according to the Greek, who fills the all things] in all.”
Therefore, we experience the security of predestination.
Although it could be one of the most disliked doctrines, it is really one of our greatest spiritual blessings. Predestination is not what some try to make it. God doesn’t make everything happen as they say.
Instead of pursuing the idea any further, I want to emphasize again that predestination pertains to our security, not our salvation. Our inheritance is predestined. God takes great pleasure in doing this for us. We become a new creation, we receive a new name, we have a new identity in Christ, and our inheritance is predestined.
How spectacular, that God did all of these things for us.
That’s why I see predestination as a triumph to His praise. Eph 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Paul rejoices in this spiritual blessing. Just think, we’re secure in Christ because it is God’s pleasure to make us secure. We should exult in this blessing too, because this grace of predestination is poured out on us. It is our grace, we are accepted because we are in Christ.
Our response to this wonderful spiritual blessing of security should be like Paul’s response in Eph 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all the generations, of the age of the ages. Amen.
In Christ,
Bob Hill
