PREDESTINED AFTER CHOOSING SALVATION, PART 2.

According to online source1, Calvin believed that because of Irresistible grace, when God extends grace to a person, they have no choice, opportunity or will to reject it . So the person has no choice over the matter, that is, no free-will. Arminius talks about prevenient grace, which is the grace extended to a person before salvation. It is a matter of God opening the doors to heaven and a person choosing for themselves to walk through . If God does not open the door, the person cannot get in, but because the door is open does not mean the person will walk through it. The person here has a free-will , this grace only allows the person to choose God that would otherwise be unable to do so.

According to Dr. Jack W. Hayford “the fact that God knew even before Man was created that he would fall and that salvation would be necessary, gives rise to a philosophical problem to many.”2 That there is no need to confuse the foreknowledge of God with the concept of the predestination (election) of God. God’s foreknowledge describes ‘the facts of which He is aware’. God’s predestination describes ‘the provisions that He makes.’ And that because God knows the outcome of all events does not mean He manipulates Man’s free-will. Man is still able to make free-will choices. That with predestination God sees that a person has put their faith in Jesus Christ, so what God predestined or prepared for them becomes reality. I agree with this definition of foreknowledge and predestination! So God not only knew that Man would sin but that He would be the “Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” (Revelations 5: 12). Salvation was in the mind of God before Man’s creation and in His heart!

In the Bible, Ephesians 1:5 says: “He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.” Here it shows that He predestined (elected) persons so that they might become sons and daughters of God by means of salvation through Jesus, and this according to His will. So His will is to save people and this Scripture can mean everyone who has made the choice to say ‘yes’ to salvation. When this happens, He already knows who will say ‘yes’, even though He gives everyone an opportunity, and so He predestines these people to become His children! In Romans 8:29 it says: “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the first-born among many brothers.” Here again, God is shown as being aware of who would choose salvation or not. And those who chose Him by salvation through His Son Jesus, without manipulating their wills, He has destined or really predestined them to become His children, conforming to the image of Jesus!

NOTES
1 Mike Stein, “Arminianism vs. Calvinism” http:www.spreadinglight.com/theology/armvscal.html (February 10, 2011),2.
2 Jack W Hayford, Grounds for Living, (Tonbridge: Sovereign World, 2001),94.