Any discussion or question dealing with predestination must first acknowledge and recognize the predestined role of Yeshua the Christ, the Logos of God. His claims are not in vain or for no reason when he declares, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)
The Alpha and the Omega
The scope and origin of Christ’s role for millennia was masked behind the mystery of God, intended to protect his sovereign will to lead many sons and daughters to glory (1 Corinthians 2:6-8).
Colossians 1:15-20,25b-28
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
25b . . . to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
We’re not hesitant to accept that he is the Logos of God through whom all things were created; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him . . . (Fourth Gospel(1) 1:1-3a). From the beginning he was given authority over all flesh according to God’s will and purpose.
Fourth Gospel 17:1-3
1 . . . “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
What we must delve into further is the nature of the work of God in Christ established before the foundations of the world were set in place.
Ephesians 1:3-10
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
In this revelation to Paul we see that our calling and Christ’s role in it were established before the foundations of the world were set in place. Yeshua was predestined for this role. He is the gift of God’s grace for those called to be the recipients of his righteousness which leads to eternal life (Romans 5:15). As the firstfruits of salvation, we were predestined for sonship according to the abundant grace to be poured out on all humanity in the Beloved. Though our calling was predestined, our acceptance and commitment to the gift in Christ was left to free will (Romans 5:17).
This wondrous grace which God has lavished upon all through Christ was not his response to an unanticipated rebellion of our first parents. Instead, we see that redemption through blood and the forgiveness of sin were established in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, our time, humanity’s time; to unite all things in heaven and on earth to him. That reality is what we’re experiencing in this moment as we hope in the glory of our Lord to stand before God’s throne in praise and thanksgiving.
Hidden and Made Known
Though this gift in Christ was hidden for ages, it was always God’s plan to reveal his manifold wisdom to rulers and authorities in heavenly places. Yeshua the Christ was always God’s only means of leading his sons and daughters from dust to glory (1 Corinthians 15:45-50). Nowhere in theology or in scripture is humanity equipped or offered this role on their own. Our role was a simple one, and clearly laid out in the first command: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)
In his grace and mercy, God does, however, reveal this mystery in the person of Yeshua the Christ. Revealed first to the firstfruits of salvation (2 Thessalonians 2:1,13-14), Christ chose those whom God called unto himself (Ephesians 4:1-6; 1 Pet 5:10; Jude 1). They became the manifestation of that mystery; servants of the living God. Though they are the first God has revealed himself to, they are not the only (Fourth Gospel 17:20-23).
Cleary we can see God’s sovereign will at work, even before the world was formed, to provide a gift sufficient to more then offset him subjecting the world to futility (Romans 8:20-21) and humanity to disobedience (Romans 11:32). Yet this was done in hope, and that hope is Yeshua, the firstborn of those constrained to the death of judgment (Revelation 20:14-15).
Many of these notes are taken from my recent book – The Rapture Question: An Unfiltered View
Two Views on Predestined Salvation
Having seen that Christ and his role for redemption were established before the world was formed, we can now turn our attention to the implications and application this has for those God calls.
As with most things theological, there are multiple viewpoints to consider when attempting to answer this question. The two viewpoints I’ll touch on here are the Reformed and Arminian. Each has something to contribute to the discussion.
The Reformed view is that God’s grace is decisive in bringing about personal salvation; he chooses, you don’t. Predestination is unconditional.(2) I would summarize the Reformed view of predestined salvation as – sovereignty at the expense of free will. The Arminians hold to the idea that God chooses to extend his grace and we choose to respond. Predestination is conditional on an individual’s exercise of faith. It’s relational in all its contexts, not one-sided. I characterize this as – sovereignty with the union of wills.
Like Piper, I conclude that there is room for both viewpoints. Piper addresses the key difference between the two views by focusing on a vital question and its answer as revealed in scripture.
What does God will more than saving all? The answer the Aminians give is that human self-determination and the possible resulting love relationship with God are more valuable than saving all people by sovereign, efficacious grace. The answer the Reformed give is that the greater value is the manifestation of the full range of God’s glory in wrath and mercy (Rom. 9:22-23) and the humbling of man so that he enjoys giving all credit to God for his salvation (1 Cor. 1:29).(3)
It cannot be denied that there are clear expressions of God’s sovereignty:
- As Creator of the physical/natural universe
- By its nature, all creation requires redemption
- God intended a redeemer in Yeshua the Christ before the world was formed
- Christ is the only bridge from the physical/natural to the spiritual and divine
- God will complete all he has set his hand to do
By the same token, the importance of relationships is likewise essential to the work of God in Christ:
- Covenants are by nature the product of relationship and based on choice and free will (Deuteronomy 30:19).
- The knowledge of God revealed to us in the person of Yeshua is a shared, rather than one-way experience, as evidenced by the gift of God’s Holy Spirit.
- The incarnation of the Son of God alone is an expression and gift of grace which is unwarranted if sovereignty is supreme over relationship. God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness, his grace and mercy abound in Christ our Lord. None of this would be necessary if sovereignty is all that matters.
Interested in the details of those called, chosen, and faithful in Christ? Discover more.
I’ve concluded that these two views are not mutually exclusive, but reflect an interdependency often overlooked. It is through free-will and self-determination that God will achieve the full range of his glory. Both are essential aspects of the overriding will of God to bring many sons and daughters from dust to glory. As the Reformers observed, the humbling of humanity is an equally essential part of this process. God established that humility by creating us incomplete, imperfect, and mortal. It’s the extreme expression of man’s self-determination, his pride and arrogance, that distances himself from God. Yet God provides a way in Christ for all to surrender to the obedience of faith.
Secondly, the Reformers reliance on Romans 9:22-23 suggests they see God has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, as the final state of God’s judgment. The destruction of the vessels of wrath being referred to here includes the disobedient and unbelieving in Israel. Yet Romans 10 and 11 clearly shows there is something awaiting them beyond their destruction should they not remain in unbelief. Elsewhere, God has promised he will take every step toward reconciliation and to lead them to repentance and belief (Joel 2). Clearly this will not occur until Christ returns to establish his kingdom on earth (Jeremiah 3:12-18; 23:3-6; Ezekiel 37:20-28; Isaiah 60; 61; 62). An important conclusion one is forced to accept as a result of Christ’s future covenant with disobedient Israel is that today is not the only day of salvation.
To learn more about God’s future work to redeem all Israel through
the Lord our Righteousness. Discover more.
Does Foreknowledge equal Predestination?
An underlying presupposition which must be addressed is regarding God’s foreknowledge as it relates to predestination; does the one necessitate the other? Many believe that God’s foreknowledge (of whom he will call for example) ensures the certainty of their receiving salvation. Yet even Christ claimed that many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14)
Dr. Michael Heiser, in his groundbreaking work on the Unseen Realm, addresses this complex issue and resolves it with clear examples directly from scripture.(4) He makes clear from scripture what logic dictates; that divine foreknowledge doesn’t necessitate divine predestination. God’s foreknowledge of what will happen doesn’t remove the other party’s free will or self-determination to arrive at that foreknown event.
Conclusions
I’m of the mind that both the Arminian and the Reformed views concerning predestined salvation are part of a process to achieve a unified goal; the goal of God to bring many sons and daughters from dust to glory, and the desire of humanity to complete their image and likeness of God through Christ our Lord.
Humanity was never created to achieve the complete divine likeness on their own. Only through the intercession of God’s Holy Spirit, now available to all through Christ our Lord, was humanity to continue its development from the physical/natural realm with a hope and promise of attaining the spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:45-50). Only through Yeshua the Christ do we move from perishable to imperishable, and to finally partake of the tree of life (Fourth Gospel 14:6).
1 Peter 1:3-9
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Presuppositions
At the close of each article, the relevant presuppositions that support it will be cited. This enables the reader to gain a clearer and deeper understanding of the context. To learn more about presuppositions, see the About page.
- God is proactive and purposeful in all that he does (Matthew 13:34-35; Ephesians 1:3-14; Hebrews 1; 1 Peter 1:18-21)
- God’s redemptive work on humanity’s behalf is to save them from the second death, not the first death. (Genesis 2:16-17; Fourth Gospel 3:16-21; 5:24; 6:40; 17:1-3; Romans 5; 6; 1 Corinthians 15:19; Hebrews 9:25-28; Revelation 20:6)
- Israel, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, entered into a covenant with God and unknowingly prepared the way for the world’s redemption (Genesis 17:4-8; Exodus 29:44-46; Romans 9:25-10:4)
- God has not rejected Israel completely (the twelve tribes, the descendants of Jacob) (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 11)
- God will complete his work with Israel for their reconciliation, restoration to the promised land, and ultimately their redemption through the new covenant (Isaiah 43; 54; 65; Joel 2; Amos 4:12-13; Romans 11)
- God has set aside a faithful remnant from the descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel, some of which he will call in the last days prior to the appearance of Christ (Romans 11:1-8 ; Revelation 7:1-8)
- Faith, which is a gift of God, is the basis of the hope of salvation for all those committed to the Lord. (Romans 11; 1 Peter 1; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Jude 3)
Footnotes:
- Due to the dispute over the authorship of the Fourth Gospel, traditionally attributed to John, I will refer to this book as the Fourth Gospel. I have concluded on the side of such authors like J. Phillips (ISBN13: 978-0-9702687-3-0) who has shown conclusively John could not be the sole author and instead attribute primary authorship to Lazarus – the disciple whom Christ loved.
- Does God Desire All to Be Saved?, John Piper; Crossway (2013); pg 15, footnote-5.
- Ibid; pg 39
- The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, Dr. Michael S. Heiser; Lexham Press (2013) – Evil and Foreknowledge, pg 63-66
The Unfiltered Gospel 