"For whom He did foreknow He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son"
Romans 8v29
Here we have the most astonishing sweep of revealed scripture in a few verses. In verses 29 - 30 he moves from eternity to eternity and describes everything in between in connection with human salvation. This is one of the most important statements in the letter, if not in the Bible. It is little wonder it has been the subject of satanic confusion and attack resulting in large scale controversy and division in the realm of Christian thinking. He is talking here about the PLAN OF THE AGES from the beginning right through to the end. Within the scope of these verses he uses the past tense to describe what is yet future, thus indicating the certainty of these things. There are FIVE STEPS TO GLORY and the main player is God. FOREKNOWLEDGE; PREDESTINATION; CALLING; JUSTIFICATION;GLORIFICATION. We will look at each of these in turn, but before we do, we need to clear away some of the dross surrounding these high and holy truths.
Biblical revelation nowhere says that God predestines everything; if this were true, God would be the author and origin of all sin, of all human folly, and all the consequences resulting from sin. What the Bible teaches is stated in Ephesians 1v11, a similar phrase to what he has said in verse 28 concerning the lives of believers, "Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will." He directs all events towards His pre-determined goal and that goal is stated as follows; "to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren". If we know the plan, we also understand the way He took towards it. His plan is to glorify His Son by saving and glorifying sinful human beings and moulding them into the image of His Son . To this end, He sovereignly rules in all events of time; He alters and changes, He constrains and restrains, everything in accordance with that stated plan. God is moving this world to that glorious end ; He acts and brings everything into line with that purpose, and nothing, and none-one, will prevent it.
There is no suggestion that God predetermines everyone's eternal destiny. Although we are dealing with the complexity of the revealed mind of God, it is clear to me that He does not choose some for heaven and some for hell. Some may find individual verses that would lead you to that conclusion, but on the balance of probabilities it simply cannot be. Everywhere in the Bible where the subject of election or pre-destination is raised, there is always a balancing factor between Divine sovereignty and human responsibility. For example: in Ephesians 1v3 - the Divine side with Ephesians 1v13 - the human side (these verses are part of the same sentence in the original language); John 6v37 ; Acts 4v23; Philippians 2v12-13 and many, many more. God made us all with the power of choice, He sovereignly gave us a will and that is just how it works. Man's free will, the power to choose, is God given and this is true in the realm of salvation and every other realm. The host of Bible verses teaching "whosoever will", or something like that, is virtually endless in the New Testament. God does not pre-determine anyone's eternal destiny, they choose themselves.
In Matthew 23 Jesus said compassionately over the city of Jerusalem "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem......how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings and ye would not." Again in John 5v40 He says "You will not come to Me that you might have life." He did not say you cannot come to Me, He said you WILL NOT come to Me that you might have life. Again Jesus said when speaking of the lake of fire He said "Everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Matthew 25v41 He did not say it was prepared for human beings, although in following the devil and his angels many will go there. In Romans 9v21-23 Paul speaks of "vessels of mercy which He had afore prepared unto glory"; but in the same context he does not say that the vessels of wrath were before prepared to destruction, instead the meaning is clearly, they prepared themselves. We need to take on board these important distinctions in the writings of the Holy Spirit.
The suggestion that God has pre-determined everyone's eternal destiny may also be a slur on God's
character, because scripture clearly states that GOD IS NO RESPECTOR OF PERSONS; Ephesians 6v9; Colossians 3v25; 1st Peter 1v17; Romans 2v11. These scriptures and other evidences of the character of God in the sacred writings clearly indicate the same truth. If God chose some for heaven and some for hell, clearly this fundamental feature of His character would not be true. The question is not whether God has the right to choose whom He will, or to do with His creatures what He will; the question is whether He does, and in the sweep of revealed scripture He clearly does not.
He reveals every aspect of His character, both His judgement and His mercy equally to all. To say otherwise is possibly to slander God. What he does is declare His character to all and accepts what they choose, since He knows all things before they even happen. The epistle to Romans makes it clear that there is no excuse for any man on God's earth, because they all have had a clear revelation of God whether in creation, or conscience, or commandment, or even in the Person of His Son. Those who honour His Son, God will glorify; those who dishonour the Divine revelation, God will banish them. God accepts whatever men choose as their own destiny. This I believe to be the true meaning of all relevant scriptures taken together.
Next 5 STEPS TO GLORY
No comments:
Post a Comment