Is our future really fixed through predestination? Looking at predestination from man’s point-of-view we say man has no choice. However, God’s perspective of predestination is totally different.
Isolate the word ‘predestination’ from its context and you present God as a tyrannical dictator. That is a screw-up of the truth, similar to what Satan inferred in the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3:4.
Our Future According to God’s Word
According to the Word of God our past, present and future are all wrapped up in predestination. Many believe that means we have no choice. Wrong! Here is what God’s Word says.
‘God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us, Ephesians 1:4,5.
Your future is firmly determined on the choices you make in this life. Predestination merely means that God knows how you will end up for He knows the end from the beginning, Isaiah 46:10.
That is a concept that needs to be carefully unwrapped.
God Dwells in Now
The fundamental fact is that God dwells in the ‘Now’. There is no yesterday, today and tomorrow, for God dwells beyond time. ‘Do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like thousand years, and a thousand years like one day, 1Peter 3:8. It is hard for us to grasp this concept, for we live in the flow of time. We have difficulty imaging ourselves sitting only in the ‘Now’ for all eternity.
No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God, 1Corinthians 2:10,11. We can only believe by faith, Hebrews 11:6. However, there are ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him’, Isaiah 64:7, 1 Corinthians 2:9.
God has already lived our tomorrows. It’s as if there are two parallel universes. One is the natural world we live in and the other is the spiritual world, with God inhabiting both. When Jesus Christ went to Calvary, God had already been there, for Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, Revelation 13:8. Our future is decided by whether or not we believe this.
Our Future is Sure
Our past haunts us, today is a challenge and our tomorrows are totally unknown. However, God knows all things so nothing surprises God. Everyone’s future is set in stone depending on what choices we make in this life. For those who accept Christ as their Saviour, their names were written in the Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world, Revelation 13:8. For the unblessed, their future is also set in stone – to eternal damnation.
Future Unchartered
Our journey is uncharted from our perspective, for we have no knowledge of when and where the next storm or fiery trial will blow. We are tossed around by the winds of fortune, or misfortune, in a world that is full of chaos. The only anchor we have in the storm is a firm and unshakeable faith in God.
Predestined simply means that God sees all and knew us before we were conceived in our mother’s womb, Jeremiah 1:5. God has a plan for all those who are prepared to commit their life to His loving care. The Lord is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9.
Free Will
Does our free will then conflict with the sovereignty of God? If God is Sovereign over all and has ordained what will happen, how can we have a free will to do as we choose?
God is Sovereign and in that Sovereignty and His Love He has given us a free will, just He gave the angels in heaven a free will. Beginning with Lucifer, who could worship God or arrogantly defy Him, Isaiah 14:12-16, Ezekiel 28:12-16.
Created to Worship
Man was created to worship the Creator and live in a covenantal relationship with God. The God Almighty, the Great I Am that I Am, Exodus 3:14, gave man a free will that he could choose to worship his Creator in freedom.
We can accept God’s gift of salvation, or spurn it. That is the purpose of the gift of free will. Otherwise, we would be no better than robots who have no free-will, no matter how smart man tries to make them.
Is Our Future Really Fixed?
If God knows our end from the beginning, does that mean our future is really fixed? Is there any purpose to me exerting my free will?
To see predestination in earthly terms, think of an ocean liner setting sail to a predetermined destination. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit call all to come, John 3:15. The vast majority of people don’t want to heed the call, as they think it means giving up control to a higher authority. They are free to choose a different eternal destination. As it was in the Days of Noah the vast majority will refuse to get on board the ship.
The Bible puts it this way. Enter through the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it, Matthew 7:13,14.
Having freely chosen to board the ship, the passengers have full confidence that the Captain is not only experienced but will safely navigate his way to the destination. That leaves the passengers free to enjoy all the facilities available on the liner.
The Unblessed Quit
Some accept the invitation but choose to get off at the first chance they have. Something more ‘exciting’ beckons from shore, or they find the rigors of the journey too difficult. These people weren’t fully committed to the journey and the promise of distant delights.
The committed passengers never interfere with the running of the ship or tell the Captain what to do. They have faith that the Captain will take them safely through every storm. Not only that, the Captain not only remains faithful to all His promises, He is well able to fulfill them. The passengers are free to enjoy the journey in anticipation of the delights of the destination.
I am so glad God is Sovereign and in that sovereignty has predestined how things will end. Not only that, He has a plan and a purpose for our life as His Spirit guides and enables us.
If we accept His invitation our future is definitely fixed. There are ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him’, Isaiah 64:7, 1 Corinthians 2:9.
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