Many critics of the bible say that many people never have had a legitimate chance to come to salvation because God has already chosen them to go to Hell, according to their interpretation of Ephesians 1:11-12 and others like it. The Strong's Greek dictionary word for predestined is prooridzo meaning: determined before, preordained, election, foreknowledge. Many people vigorously debate this topic especially the Calvinist out there, but I believe if we look at it in its context with the rest of scripture we can get an accurate picture of what God was saying about the subject. In saying that, no I do not believe that sinners have been predetermined to go to Hell because that would disregard many other scriptures that God has spoken of in direct response against this claim. John 3:16 is the most famous scripture against what people think predestination is saying because it refers to whosoever, which means anyone who accepts and puts their complete trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior will not be denied. Even 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance", speaks of how God is not willing that any should perish(eternally), but he would like to see all come to repentance. Exegesis, the correct way to interpret scripture within scripture context shows us there are too many other scriptures that speak of God's love, goodness, and his long-suffering for humanity so that we should all come to faith through him and his work on the cross. A few other references would be1Cor1:17, 1 Cor 15:1-8, and Ephesians 2:8,9. These all refer to his gift of salvation and the "good news", which meant preaching the gospel, that all men and women can be saved because of the terrible price God paid. Since this is true, it would not make sense that God would send his Son to die for those he already had predetermined to send to Hell. It's like saying I paid for a lavish wedding for my daughter, but then allowed another couple to go in their place because I later found out there marriage would have a few arguments along the road–it doesn't compute. So what do the hard scriptures of predestination mean then?
We understand the God of the bible to be known also as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. That means he never had a beginning and he is already at the end of eternity, past time. Of course, it is hard for us to comprehend. Bottom line, when he made all of creation, he knew who would be saved by his grace and who would reject it. He knew all the hundreds of times it would take you to accept the truth and come to it. With that foreknowledge, he sealed, ordained, justified you and every other Christian to be seated in heavenly places and sealed with the redemption of his blood. He made a way of escape through each temptation and trial. We were predestined because he already knew from the beginning we would make it. Sinners who rejected him on the other hand and went to death with that decision, also had the same opportunities for salvation Christians did, but because of this blatant rejection and his foreknowledge of it, were not sealed by his blood, nor were there any other provisions made for them.
When Christians look at an unsaved person, we understand we don't have the omniscience and foreknowledge of God, so we must treat all sinners alike, that they all have the opportunity to be saved from the place called Hell. Only God knows who will be saved and who won't in the end, but he has given each person the opportunity for salvation because he is not only a great God, but also a just and fair judge. |
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