Q. I have been thinking a lot about predestination. What is it? Does it mean God has already determined who will live forever and who will burn in Hell?

A. What a wonderful topic predestination is! Entire Christian denominations have been built, or broken, on man's misinterpretation of Romans 8:29-30.

" For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

John Calvin's father wanted him to study law. If he had listened to his dad we may not have had the predestination problem today.

Calvinism states,

"We call predestination God's eternal decree, by which he determined within himself what he willed to become of each man. For all are not created in equal condition; rather, eternal life is foreordained for some, eternal damnation for others" (Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia).

Now ain't that just wonderful? You could be the saintliest person on earth, yet despite all your goodness you could end up in eternal torment. I, on the other hand, could be the scum of the earth, yet because of God's predestination I could spend eternity in the bliss of paradise. We may as well both live a life of hedonism because it won't make one dit of bifference in the end.

So what does Romans 8:29-30 mean? Let David Brollier tell the story:

"God predestined all mankind to be conformed to the image of his son, but that was his desire, his goal. He knew our sinful nature would preclude that, so he extended his grace to all who would accept the sacrifice of his son for our sins. His goal was that we would be exactly like his son in holiness and purity, but knew that without his power reigning in us it could never happen. So he gave to us not only salvation, but power through the indwelling of his holy spirit."

Note, predestination is not for just certain people, but for all mankind. And it has nothing to do with our salvation, but God's desire that we be conformed to the image of his son, Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:5 tells us God predestined, from the moment he determined to create the earth, that man would populate it, and no other beings but mankind should become his children.

"Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ: 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, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Eph. 1:3-6)

We are also told it was predestined that those who believe and obey the eternal God should be adopted by Jesus Christ himself, through whom we have an inheritance according to God's will ( vs 11).

Predestination has nothing to do with our future having been set out for us, as our future is dependent on our decisions in life.

As John Didymus Pope stated,

"If God predestined just one person to die an eternal death, we would have to throw out John 3:16."

Other Recommended Bible Study Materials:

• Are we all going straight to HELL?
• Was Jesus Black?

Answer Given By: Les Turvey