Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
Predestination: Do We Choose God, or Does God Choose Us?
Most Christian churches don't seem to teach about predestination. It is one of those things that the majority of churches teach that is not really scriptural. They like to believe that anyone can choose God and it is up to them to be saved. The truth of God's Word is that God first chooses us.
Ephesians 1:4 (NASB)
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
There is no doubt what this is saying. Jesus (God) before He even created the earth, had already planned out everything! Every person who would ever be born was planned. Every person who would be saved was also already chosen.
But, but, but... That's fate!
No, it is not fate. I think it might help to explain it in layman's terms just how it all happens, then start over and back it all up by verses after. This way you get an image in your mind of how it happens and when you see the verses you can then accept that image is being backed up by God's Word.
The Bible tells us man is not naturally good. We are naturally enslaved by a sinful nature. We naturally desire things of the flesh. Paul even says we are not even able to love God while we are in that state. God knows this. So in order for us to be saved, God must first change our spirit to one that desires God.
However, God also gave us free will. God cannot give us a new spirit that desires God and nothing else, because that would take free will out of it. So God does not take away the desire to sin, he just gives us a desire to want God as well. When God changes our spirit, we then have the free will to choose to serve God, or to continue serving the world of flesh.
What we must remember is that God is not a limited God. God is all knowing! God has always known He would create this universe and make the earth and form life on earth. God has always known every person who would ever be born on this planet and every single minute decision each and every person would make throughout their entire lives. In fact, God knows every choice we would make if he interfered in our lives in any way at any point of time. This also means that God already knows who will serve Him if he changed their spirit and who would not.
So God, already knowing who would accept Him and who would not, chooses to change the ones who will serve Him and God chooses not to waste His time changing those who will not accept Him!
Some will think that is not fair because that means God isn't even giving them a chance to be saved then. All those millions of people who will burn in hell will do so because God chose not to give them a chance!
The reason this thought process is wrong is because it is solely based upon the possibility that God could be wrong about someone. Since God is a perfect God, and all knowing God, it is absolutely impossible for God to be wrong about anyone!
When God chooses to save someone, it is because God knows for 100% certainty that person is going to serve Him and every person that God chooses not to save, is because God knows for 100% certain that person will never accept Him.
Isn't that still fate?
No. Fate would be if God did something to force us to make a decision. God never forces us to choose Him or not choose Him. God does not control anyone. He just already knows what we will do.
Many Christians have a very difficult time separating foreknowledge from fate. Just because God knows what you will do, does not mean we are forced by fate to do it. It just means that he already knows what we will do.
Think of watching a child play near something that is hot enough to cause pain, but not do any real damage. You are letting that child do what it wants and waiting for it to touch that item that is hot. When he finally does, you know very well the child's reaction will be to yank its hand back from the sudden pain. There is zero chance the child will hold that item and laugh. As soon as it feels pain, it will yank its hand back. You can be 100% certain of it.
You know positively that child will yank its hand back in pain. Yet you did nothing to force it to yank its hand back. That child was not controlled by fate, but you still knew what it would do. The only difference with God is that He is not limited to whether we would pull our hands back in pain or not. God knows whether the child will even touch the hot item or not. God knows when it will touch it, how far back it will pull back its hand, how long the child will cry, and every little possibility you can even imagine! That's what God does with us.
God knows who will accept Him because He knows "everything" and is never wrong! But God doesn't force us to accept Him or turn away from Him. Being all knowing is not actually connected to fate.
Now let's back it all up...
Mankind is not even able to love God in our sinful state.
Romans 8:7-8 (NASB)
7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
So we cannot subject ourselves to God when we are a slave to sin. So how does God change that?
Ezekiel 11:19 (NASB)
19 And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
In trying to be fully honest here, Ezekiel is actually talking about God changing the hearts of His people in the old testament. However, scripture often is meant for multiple purposes and this is one I believe is not just showing what God does for His people then, but what He does for everyone now as well.
Since we know Paul says that man is not even able to turn to God in his natural way, it only stands to reason that God would need to change us before we could accept Jesus. Ezekiel just gives us a peek at how God changes us. Which means that God must choose whom He will save.
John 6:65 (NASB)
65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
Ephesians 1:4 (NASB)
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
God chose each one of us before the foundation of the world, but one needs to ask, how does he choose us?
1 Peter 1:2 (NASB)
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
God chooses who will be saved through foreknowledge! Because God is all knowing, God knows who will accept and who will not.
This teaching flies in the face of what many are taught. There is no doubt about that. The question is not about who is teaching it or what church is teaching it, the question is whether the Bible backs it up, and as you see, the Bible does indeed back up the fact that God chooses us.
Now will you find verses saying that we choose God? That is very likely, and they would not be wrong. We do still choose God. Just not until after God has already chosen us and changed our spirit so it can even be possible for us to choose Him!
In believing that God chose us first, there is no contradictions with other verses in the Bible. However, if you refuse to believe predestination is real and want to believe that it is solely up to us to choose God, then you have the problem of John 6:65 and Ephesians 1:4 being in direct contradiction with what you believe. As I continue to say, there can be no contradictions in God's truth!
However hard it is to accept, what I am teaching here does not create any contradictions, and it is supported by scripture. That is how you know it is the truth!
Ephesians 1:4 (NASB)
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
There is no doubt what this is saying. Jesus (God) before He even created the earth, had already planned out everything! Every person who would ever be born was planned. Every person who would be saved was also already chosen.
But, but, but... That's fate!
No, it is not fate. I think it might help to explain it in layman's terms just how it all happens, then start over and back it all up by verses after. This way you get an image in your mind of how it happens and when you see the verses you can then accept that image is being backed up by God's Word.
The Bible tells us man is not naturally good. We are naturally enslaved by a sinful nature. We naturally desire things of the flesh. Paul even says we are not even able to love God while we are in that state. God knows this. So in order for us to be saved, God must first change our spirit to one that desires God.
However, God also gave us free will. God cannot give us a new spirit that desires God and nothing else, because that would take free will out of it. So God does not take away the desire to sin, he just gives us a desire to want God as well. When God changes our spirit, we then have the free will to choose to serve God, or to continue serving the world of flesh.
What we must remember is that God is not a limited God. God is all knowing! God has always known He would create this universe and make the earth and form life on earth. God has always known every person who would ever be born on this planet and every single minute decision each and every person would make throughout their entire lives. In fact, God knows every choice we would make if he interfered in our lives in any way at any point of time. This also means that God already knows who will serve Him if he changed their spirit and who would not.
So God, already knowing who would accept Him and who would not, chooses to change the ones who will serve Him and God chooses not to waste His time changing those who will not accept Him!
Some will think that is not fair because that means God isn't even giving them a chance to be saved then. All those millions of people who will burn in hell will do so because God chose not to give them a chance!
The reason this thought process is wrong is because it is solely based upon the possibility that God could be wrong about someone. Since God is a perfect God, and all knowing God, it is absolutely impossible for God to be wrong about anyone!
When God chooses to save someone, it is because God knows for 100% certainty that person is going to serve Him and every person that God chooses not to save, is because God knows for 100% certain that person will never accept Him.
Isn't that still fate?
No. Fate would be if God did something to force us to make a decision. God never forces us to choose Him or not choose Him. God does not control anyone. He just already knows what we will do.
Many Christians have a very difficult time separating foreknowledge from fate. Just because God knows what you will do, does not mean we are forced by fate to do it. It just means that he already knows what we will do.
Think of watching a child play near something that is hot enough to cause pain, but not do any real damage. You are letting that child do what it wants and waiting for it to touch that item that is hot. When he finally does, you know very well the child's reaction will be to yank its hand back from the sudden pain. There is zero chance the child will hold that item and laugh. As soon as it feels pain, it will yank its hand back. You can be 100% certain of it.
You know positively that child will yank its hand back in pain. Yet you did nothing to force it to yank its hand back. That child was not controlled by fate, but you still knew what it would do. The only difference with God is that He is not limited to whether we would pull our hands back in pain or not. God knows whether the child will even touch the hot item or not. God knows when it will touch it, how far back it will pull back its hand, how long the child will cry, and every little possibility you can even imagine! That's what God does with us.
God knows who will accept Him because He knows "everything" and is never wrong! But God doesn't force us to accept Him or turn away from Him. Being all knowing is not actually connected to fate.
Now let's back it all up...
Mankind is not even able to love God in our sinful state.
Romans 8:7-8 (NASB)
7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
So we cannot subject ourselves to God when we are a slave to sin. So how does God change that?
Ezekiel 11:19 (NASB)
19 And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
In trying to be fully honest here, Ezekiel is actually talking about God changing the hearts of His people in the old testament. However, scripture often is meant for multiple purposes and this is one I believe is not just showing what God does for His people then, but what He does for everyone now as well.
Since we know Paul says that man is not even able to turn to God in his natural way, it only stands to reason that God would need to change us before we could accept Jesus. Ezekiel just gives us a peek at how God changes us. Which means that God must choose whom He will save.
John 6:65 (NASB)
65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
Ephesians 1:4 (NASB)
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
God chose each one of us before the foundation of the world, but one needs to ask, how does he choose us?
1 Peter 1:2 (NASB)
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
God chooses who will be saved through foreknowledge! Because God is all knowing, God knows who will accept and who will not.
This teaching flies in the face of what many are taught. There is no doubt about that. The question is not about who is teaching it or what church is teaching it, the question is whether the Bible backs it up, and as you see, the Bible does indeed back up the fact that God chooses us.
Now will you find verses saying that we choose God? That is very likely, and they would not be wrong. We do still choose God. Just not until after God has already chosen us and changed our spirit so it can even be possible for us to choose Him!
In believing that God chose us first, there is no contradictions with other verses in the Bible. However, if you refuse to believe predestination is real and want to believe that it is solely up to us to choose God, then you have the problem of John 6:65 and Ephesians 1:4 being in direct contradiction with what you believe. As I continue to say, there can be no contradictions in God's truth!
However hard it is to accept, what I am teaching here does not create any contradictions, and it is supported by scripture. That is how you know it is the truth!