Predestination:

 


“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?  and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?”
– Romans 10:13-14 –

Calvinism/Reformed Theology is sweeping through churches these days, but it will not sweep through River Westlake Baptist Church, because we understand that Calvinism/Reformed Theology is “ANOTHER GOSPEL.”  God does NOT predestinate approximately 85% of humanity to hell fire with no chance of salvation from their sins.  That is a Satanic belief. 

One of the many Calvinist/Reformed problems is their misunderstanding of the concept of Predestination.

When Paul is speaking to the Ephesians about them being predestinated, nothing Paul is saying is wrong (of course).  The problem arises when Calvinist/Reformed people think that this predestination that Paul speaks of is only for the Ephesians.  Everything Paul spoke to the Ephesians is true, but it also applies not only to the saved Ephesians, but to everybody else also.

Ephesians 1:4-5: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”

Those saved Ephesians WERE chosen and predestined “to be holy and without blame before him in love.”  And they WERE “predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,”  but so was everyone else that has ever lived.

Here is the problem:  Being predestined for something doesn’t mean that it is going to happen.  We are ALL predestined to be reconciled to God.  Every single person ever in history, and every single person living today, was predestined or chosen to be “IN HIM,” and “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”   But that doesn’t mean that we are going to be.  Most people will not “be holy and without blame before him in love.”  Why?  Not because they weren’t predestined, because they were, but because they do not BELIEVE who Jesus is and what He has done for us.  We get saved from our sins by our belief.

We were CREATED by God to be in fellowship with Him.  We were PREDESTINED by God to be in fellowship with Him.  But sin broke that fellowship with God, so now God commands us to be reconciled to Him, though Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

There is a massive misunderstanding about being PREDESTINATED.  Calvinists/Reformed people think the “Predestined” are only THEM; only certain people.  God has chosen and predestined us ALL “to be holy and without blame,” but that doesn’t mean that it is going to happen.  Just because something is “predestinated” doesn’t mean it is going to happen.  We either choose to believe on Jesus or we choose to reject Jesus,  We were all predestined to believe, but many, to their shame, choose not to believe.