One of the most controversial statements in the New Testament is found in Ephesians 1:5 where it says:
“ he[b] predestined us”
It’s controversial because if God has determined from eternity what will happen to us, then where does that leave free will. It seems that everything has already been decided. If, God “chose us …before the foundation of the world”, in other words, from eternity, then where does that leave our ability to choose, or not choose him?
Now, the most obvious and immediate response to those questions would be “but why would you not want to choose God and salvation” and of the course the answer is “I wouldn’t.” So, the issue tends to be less to do with the lost of freedom for believers, sometimes referred to as “the elect” or God’s chosen people to choose to refuse God. Indeed, the idea of God choosing a people for himself is not novel to Paul or historically controversial. Rather, the bigger question is where this leaves people who are not saved. Does this mean that they are not chosen, not predestined? Indeed, would we go further and say that they are in fact predestined, chosen to be condemned? The idea of overt double predestination is one that has really been raised tentatively and cautiously, and yet the implication that God does not choose some for salvation is obvious.
The question of why God chooses some and not others isn’t really answered in terms of anything concerning us as people, beyond that
- It is God’s grace in choosing us, so it is not something to boast about
- Predestination and election (the act of choosing) are for God’s glory.
Indeed, I find it helpful to state repeatedly, that Paul’s reason in including the term is not to encourage either philosophical speculation or theological debate. Rather, it is to encourage and help believers pastorally. That’s why it is best to stick with what Scripture tells us. So, I think that there are three key pastoral reasons for Paul to talk about predestination.
- It reminds us that it is all about God
When Copernicus realised that The Earth revolved around The Sun and not The Sun around the Earh, it was revolutionary. It was controversial because it took away one reason for human pride but it was also crucial in helping us to better understand why the world works the way it does. Similarly, we need a revolution in our theological thinking. Too often, especially when you look at our worship songs and read our Christian books, you can get the impression that it is all about us. We think that everything revolves around us. Predestination reminds us that everything revolves around God.
So, if I try to fit in God’s sovereignty with my free will, where my freedom is the starting and central point of reference, then I will come unstuck. Instead, I need to start wit the truth that God is sovereign, eternal, all powerful, all knowing, infinite, holy and good. From there I can start to make sense of the freedom I do have, what it is and how that fits with God’s sovereignty.
This reminds us that God fulfils his purpose “for the praise of his glory” (1:12) and redeems us so that
“through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,”[1]
The take home for us is that first and foremost, God saves us to be worshippers.
2 It reminds us that we are helpless and cannot save ourselves
The New Testament equivalent of “what came first, the chicken or the egg” is “What comes first, faith or regeneration”, where regeneration means receiving new life. Again, if we start from the perspective of free will, then we will want it to be faith first, so that we choose Christ. Yet, Ephesians 2:1 reminds us that not only were we far off, away from Christ but we were dead in our sin. Dead people don’t have faith. Indeed, faith is itself something that needs to be given to us (2:8).
So, the imagery in Ephesians is of God acting first, taking the initiative through the Holy Spirit and giving us new life, which means that he gives us not only the ability to have faith but the very faith itself. So, when we believe, as a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in us, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:13). Now, I don’t think we are meant to over separate the order of salvation chronologically, all of this is happening pretty much at the same time for us, even more so for God in eternity. We hear the word, the Holy Spirit applies the word to bring our spiritually dead persons to life again, in so doing, the Spirit comes in to our lives to indwell and fill us. Think of the way in which resuscitation works, it is as the air is breathed into you that you start breathing again (just like receiving by faith) and the air that is breathed into you fills your lungs.
Paul says that the reason that the Gospel is all about grace is to stop any of us from boasting, taking pride in ourselves and comparing ourselves to others (Ephesians 2:8). So the doctrine of predestination should encourage in me both a humble gratitude towards God and a grace filled, merciful compassion towards others.
3 It reminds us that the God who is love chooses to love us
We should not and must not read Paul’s statements about predestination and election in isolation without context. That way leads to a cold and harsh doctrine. Rather, we need to pick up on two crucial phrases. First, notice that when we say that God chose us, it was “for adoption.” Secondly, it is “in love” that he predestines. This may not be spotted immediately as the words “in love” are often included with the previous verse and so may be associated with what comes before. However, I believe that the flow works better with 2in love” pointing forward to God’s choice to predestine.
The point is this. God loved me, even though I could not and would not love him back. He loved me first, when I was both helpless and an enemy. I have a God who chooses to love me with eternal, incredible love. If the God is love, who loved me even when I was an enemy, loving me first, then this gives me incredible assurance. God is not going to give up on me or walk out on me. God’s love is forever. I am held secure in his hand.
[1] Ephesians 3:10.
Faithroots 