Explain what the traditional churches understand with regards to the term ‘predestination’.

 

BIBLICAL BRIEFS 101

The word ‘predestination’ means: “To predetermine or foreordain; to appoint beforehand by an unchangeable purpose.” Predestination is a foundation stone of the Protestant dogma. By this, they understand that all people have sinned and that God, therefore, only elects some to receive salvation through His sovereign choice, and then He only gives faith to those people to believe in Him. Only they can be saved, and the rest has no other choice but to perish forever and burn in hell. The primary Scripture that is used in this regard is Rom. 9:11,15 & 18: “But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, … God chooses people according to his own purposes; ‘ I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose’.” This verse is unfortunately completely misused and applied outside the context of the WHOLE Scripture (2Tim. 3:16). It is a complete false teaching and slanders the true nature of God. Jesus’ offer in John. 6:37 is valid for ALL people: “All… who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” In Acts 2:21 Peter proclaims: “But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” With this, the Protestant’s “unconditional election” has to be turned on its head. Along with this – “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34), or as the GNB states, “God treats everyone on the same basis.” The NET translation might be the clearest: “I now truly understand that God does not show favouritism in dealing with people.” There is something like predetermined election, but it has NOTHING to do with salvation. Tit. 2:11 unequivocally states: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men.” Predestination is strictly applicable only to the Bride of Christ. What He told his disciples in John. 15:16 is also applicable (according to John 17:20-21) also true of the broader Bride of Christ: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you … Surely then – “many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14). Also, this election did not overrule our choice, because one of the chosen ones even was called a devil by Jesus (John 6:70)! Being elected for Christ requires first to die to the agenda of the self and to take up the high calling in Christ (Phil. 3:14). Then you are also chosen according to the “foreknowledge” (1Pet. 1:2) of God. The revelation of the Christ is given only by God (Matt. 16:17), and we are “called to his eternal glory in Christ” (1Pet. 5:10). Although we know that this election to Brideship is due to the foreknowledge of God, God requires of us to prophetically investigate, research and seek what it entails (1Pet. 1:10-11). This is the prerequisite for revelation about our choseness! The kingdom of the heavens must be taken by violence and has to be seized (Matt. 11:12)! Furthermore: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7-8). Salvation is available to all, but election is applicable only to those who chooses to pursue their high calling in Christ. These “first fruits” has the ability to unfold God’s agenda by means of their high calling in Christ and through that opens up a spiritual path to others. Each of them is a unique artefact (Ps. 139: 15), a word in God’s poem; the Title of this poem is ‘Jesus’. The fullness of who Jesus is, He has distributed in a multitude of irreplaceable words. Each word reveals an unique facet of Him, the Head. “But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will.” (Acts 4:28). Only the Bride was chosen before the foundation of the earth (Eph. 1:4), but she has to choose and continue to choose to establish the life of Christ within her (John 5:40).

Dr Tom Gouws