Predestination

In religious cirlces you will hear the word predestination used from time to time. The people that use it most are the Calvinists. In Calvinism, people believe that everyone who is going to heaven is predestinated by God. They will know if they are the elect, by how righteously they live. This "doctrine" comes from taking a few verses out of the bible (Ephesians 1:11-12) and twisting them out of context. Then they form an entire relious movement out of it. This is totally unscriptural and from Satan. The true meaning of predestination is God's plan for someones life, after getting saved. God has predestinated every believer to live a life according to his will. The only way for a believer to acheive this, is to fully submit to God's will and live in total obiedience to him. Most believers will never do this. The Christian life is hard and people mess up all the time. Most Christians live righteous enough to have a decent life, but that may not be God's plan for their life. If a believer strays to far from God, he may have to chasten them and get them back in line.

Predestination is a very difficult thing for people saved and unsaved to deal with. We all want the life of our own choosing. We want what we want. This is rebellion in God's eyes. He wants what he wants for us. This is where hard feelings toward God can come from. This is what can prevent many people from getting saved. People do not want to submit to God, escpecially if they are lost and having a really good time. Fortunately predestination does not apply to the lost, it only applies to believers. Many believers will get saved and want to live it up, this does not factor into God's predestinated plan for their life. He has to get them back on track with some chastening. Chastening is not fun, but it can get people back living in the will of God. I struggled very much with this and paid a heavy price for my disobiedience.

How does a Christian learn what Gods predestinated plan for their life is. They must dedicate their life to serving the Lord. This does not mean becoming a monk or a nun and joining a monastery. It involves reading the bible daily, praying several times a day, witnessing to others, and getting sin out of their life. The process of removing sin from ones life is called sanctifying. This has to be a priority in all believers lives. For some it will be easy, but for others, it will be a real struggle. Reading the bible is how God communicates with his people. Over time a believer will start gaining truths about God and his plan for their life, through daily bible reading. One of the best ways to find Gods plan for your life is simply asking him. You do this through prayer. You must be dilligent and patient. Don't just ask once and expect an answer, God doesn't work like that. He will make you show your faith and obedience by making you wait on him. This also makes us more reliant on him to take care of our needs. In time God will put it on your heart what he wants you to do. At that point it is up to you to go ahead and do it. Now it may not be something that person wants to do. If they choose to disobey, it will get them out of the will of God and he will chastise them for it. The predestination of God may not always be pretty. Think of all the Christians around the world being beheaded. This was most likely predestinated. Again predestination can keep people from ever getting saved. That is a tough sell. I often think of the apostles and what they were predesinated to do in spreading the gospel. They went through brutal beatings and all kinds of hardships. Only to be brutally murdered in the end. The apostle Paul comes to mind when I think about Christian persecution. He did plenty of it himself and had plenty done back to him.

II Corinthians 11

23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

Not all predestination is like this. In this day and age it is most likely to be more of a blessing that anything. Most Christians living in the west will be predestinated to live a pretty easy life. A life that is blessed by God. All they have to do is live in obedience to God and he will bless them. What a great time to be alive. All any of us have to do is serve God and he has the oppurtunity to fantastically bless our lives. God wants to bless all his children. All we have to do is give him the chance too.

Their are also eternal rewards tied into predestination. If a Christian lives for the will of God there will be rewards waiting for them in heaven. God may even have a predestinated position waiting for them in heaven. There are all kinds of fantastic things associated with God's presdestinated plan for a believers life. God wants all of us to have amazing things. Whatever we may sacrafice in this life for him, he will make sure to pay it back in one way or another. God is good and wants the best for us. He may ask for a lot, but he has even more to give back.

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you are not a Christian, I invite you to get saved now. Tomorrow may be to late. To get saved all you have to do, is admit that you are a sinner and that Jesus Christ died for your sins. The only way to take away sins is with the pure shed blood of Jesus Christ. Good works can not take away sins. If they could, then Jesus Christ died in vain. Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead as payment for all sins. Once you believe that, you are saved forever. You did nothing to earn it and you can do nothing to lose it.

Romans 3

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 5

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Revelation 1

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Titus 3

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;