Predestination and Free Will

Jesus Christ Died for the Sins of the Entire World

2 Peter 3:9 ESV: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Luke 9:23-26 ESV: “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’”

John 1:29 ESV: “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John 3:16-17 ESV: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes” (believing) “in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

John 4:42 ESV: “They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’”

John 5:24 ESV: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

John 8:12 ESV: “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

Romans 5:6-8 ESV: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 6:10 ESV: “For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.”

1 Timothy 2:6 ESV: “Who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

Hebrews 2:9 ESV: “But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”

1 John 2:2 ESV: “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Summary

Jesus Christ died for the sins of the entire world, not just for the elect. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Coming to faith in Jesus Christ, although it is not of our own doing, requires that we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Christ in obedience to his commands, by his grace, and that we no longer walk in darkness (sin), or else we do not have salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

But Our Salvation is Not of Our Own Doing

The word “believe” or “faith” is the Greek word pisteúō, which means “to be persuaded,” and in this context of faith in Jesus Christ it means “being persuaded by the Lord.” And this fits with these passages of Scripture:

John 6:44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 1:12-13 ESV: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Summary

Coming to faith in Jesus Christ is not of our own doing, not of our own will, but only as drawn to Christ by God the Father and only as divinely persuaded of God. But what does God persuade us to do? He persuades us as to God’s holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to repent of (forsake) our sins, to surrender our lives to him, and to now follow him in obedience to his commands, and to do the works that he prepared in advance that we should walk in them (in practice).

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:23-31; Hebrews 12:1-2]  

Predestination and Free Will

I am reading in Romans 9, and it is too long of a passage of Scripture to quote the entire thing here, so please take time to read the whole chapter, but read it in light of all of the Scripture verses shared above, for you will read it in an entirely different light, if you do.

Romans 9:15-16 ESV: “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”

Romans 9:25-33 ESV: “As indeed he says in Hosea,

Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’

    and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”

“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’

    there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”

And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” And as Isaiah predicted,

“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,

    we would have been like Sodom

    and become like Gomorrah.”

What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;

    and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Summary

Although I confess that I still do not totally grasp all the meaning of what is said in Romans 9, I see that the overall picture here, from beginning to end, is about how the Jews, who were once God’s chosen people, as an entire race, had largely rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah and were still trying to be saved by following the Old Covenant liturgical and ceremonial laws. But they were not true Israel by physical descendance, nor by keeping liturgical laws, but only by faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord, as is required of all who would belong to God and to have eternal life with God.

As a result of the majority of the Jews (the nation of Israel) rejecting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah (the Christ), the Lord then opened the door to the Gentiles (non-Jews) to be saved from their sins and to have eternal life with God. For, prior to Jesus Christ being crucified on that cross for the sins of the entire world, that door was not open to the Gentiles but only to the Jews. (I am not saying that no Gentiles believed in God prior to this, though.) But now the Gentiles, by biblical faith in Jesus Christ, were God’s chosen people, along with all Jews who also believed in Christ as Lord.

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:6; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:22; John 8:18-19,38-47; Jude 1:5; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]

Yet, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:18-20 ESV)

So, what is this saying with regard to predestination and free will? God made known to the people of the world who he is, i.e. his eternal power and divine nature, through his created works. Therefore, the people of this world are without excuse if we suppress that truth about God via ungodliness and unrighteousness, and if we do not honor him as God and give thanks to him, and if we exchange the glory of the immortal God for images resembling the created, and so we worship the created rather than the Creator, by our choice (see Romans 1:18-25).

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

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