BACK TO MENU

PREDESTINATION

Romans 9:19-29

In the history of the Christian church, few doctrines have been so hotly debated as the doctrine of predestination. Throughout the centuries theologians and lay people have argued over whether this doctrine could possibly be true:

It has been called the damnable doctrine of predestination.
Others have called it the sweetest truth in all of God's Word.
Whole books have been written to prove that it is not true.
Other books say that if God is God, predestination must be true.

We all face some difficult questions:
If predestination is true, what happens to free will?
Are we just puppets on a string, doing what God ordained in eternity past?
Does God predestine some people to go to heaven?
If so, does he also predestine others to go to hell?
Why bother with evangelism since whoever is going to be saved will be saved eventually?
For that matter, if God predestines some people to hell, how can they be guilty of sin since they are only doing what God predestined them to do?

I must admittedly, these are difficult questions. I don't expect to answer all them in the course of just one lesson. However, I do want to assert one fact at the very beginning: The Bible does teach predestination. It's a biblical word, used several times in the New Testament. No one can get around that fact.

Romans 8:29 says: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Ephesians 1:5 says; "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"

Ephesians 1:11 adds; "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"

Predestination is a biblical concept, therefore we must face this doctrine honestly whether we like it or not. It's in the Bible, therefore we must seek to understand it and then to ask what difference it makes.

Let's begin with a simple definition. Predestination means that God freely chooses some people to be the special objects of his grace and thus to receive eternal salvation. The word predestination is composed to two parts: "Pre" meaning "before" and "destination" meaning "point of final arrival."

To predestine something is to determine beforehand where it will end up. If I take a package to the post office, I don't tell the people, "Send this wherever you like." They wouldn't know what to do with it. I write on the front, "Millerton" I have predestined my package to travel from Crossville to Millerton. By writing the address, I have predetermined its final arrival point and I have thereby excluded all other possible destinations.

Seen in that light, we can say that predestination means that God chooses those will be saved and determines in advance that their final destination will be heaven.

Predestination and Freewill
Now as soon I write those words someone is sure to ask about predestination and freewill. I have wrestled greatly with this issue over the years. There is no single statement that can fully bring together the different strands regarding God's sovereignty and human responsibility. But let me give you something I hope will help you understand:
God is in charge of:
what happens
when it happens
how it happens
why it happens
And even what happens after it happens

This is true of:
all events
in every place
from the beginning of time.
He does this for
our good
and his glory.

He is not the author of sin, yet evil serves his purposes.
He does not violate our free will, yet free will serves his purposes.
We're not supposed to understand all this.
We're simply supposed to believe it.

How, then, should we approach a passage such as Romans 9:18-29 with its heavy emphasis on God's sovereignty in our salvation? Charles Simeon, the great British preacher from the early 1800s. lived at a time when the Calvinist-Arminian controversy was particularly bitter, and he warned his congregation of the dangers of forsaking Scripture in favor of a theological system. He said the following:

"When I come to a text which speaks of election, I delight myself in the doctrine of election. When the apostles exhort me to repentance and obedience, and indicate my freedom of choice and action, I give myself up to that side of the question"

It is possible that some people may simply not like what Paul says in Romans 9. If so, there isn't much I can do about it. You'll have to take it up with the apostle himself. It really doesn't matter if we like it or not. It is what it is.

So, does the Bible really teach predestination? Does it destroy free will? Does it turn us into puppets on a string? How can we reconcile God's sovereignty with the dignity of human choice?

I. Three Answers
As we examine these verses, it helps to remember that Paul is wrestling with the difficult problem of Jewish unbelief. Why have so many Jews rejected Christ if he is indeed the Jewish Messiah? This was no simple theological issue to the Apostle Paul. His heart was broken by the reality that so many of his friends and loved one were going to hell.

Let's look into this text and discover together God's answers concerning the difficult question of predestination.

Answer # 1: God has the right to do as he wills.
One of you will say: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" "Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God. Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" (Rom. 9:19-21).

These verses sound harsh to modern ears tuned to talk of personal freedom. We live in a "Do your own thing" time in which the highest human value is to seek your own happiness. Our heroes are those men and women who have put personal happiness above every other consideration in life.

If you don't believe that, when was the last time you heard someone say they were getting a divorce because they weren't happy in their marriage? You hear it all the time. Personal happiness is our national excuse for doing whatever feels good to us at the moment.

Against all such me-centered thinking stands Paul's unanswered question, "But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?" There is no answer because the question answers itself: No one can talk back to God.

The illustration from the world of pottery-making is clear enough. The potter sits at his wheel watching the lump of clay as it spins in front of him. With one tiny touch, he creates an indentation; with another slight touch he produces an intricate swirl. By the barest changing of pressure, the potter radically alters the shape of the clay. What emerges may be an object of dazzling beauty, such as a Ming vase. Or it may be a rather ordinary, unremarkable coffee cup. Both come from the same clay. One is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars; the other is worth 25 cents. What made the difference? The potter's hands.

Don't overlook the main point. The coffee cup can't say to the potter, "I wanted to be a Ming vase." It doesn't work like that. From one lump the potter has the right to shape the clay any way he likes. The same is true for us. We're not all the same. In fact, God makes each one of us unique from everyone else in the world. Some have more intelligence, others less. Some are born into one race, others into another. Some are tall, others short. Some have musical skill; others can repair diesel engines. Some love to fly kites, others prefer to knit sweaters. Some will become leaders, others will live mostly in the shadows. That's the way life is. And that's not just the result of sin in the world. You're different because God made you that way. No one can talk back to God and say, "You blew it." Number one, he didn't blow it. And number two, even if you think he did, he's not taking any complaints from you or me.

Answer # 2: God delays his punishment to some in order to show his mercy to others.
"What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory," (Rom. 9:22-23).

These verses teach us that although God is always just, he doesn't always treat everyone in precisely the same way. That almost sounds un-American because we are used to hearing that all men are created equal. That's true in one sense and not true in another. It's true that we are all created in God's image which gives us dignity and worth. We're "equal" in that we are all significant to God.

But these verses specify two different groups within the human race. One group is called the "objects of wrath." They are said to be "prepared for destruction." The other is called the "objects of his mercy." They are "prepared in advance for glory."

The contrast here between "vessels of wrath" and "vessels of mercy" should be closely examined. The "vessels of wrath" are described generally as "fitted to destruction," that is, fitted by themselves, through their own sin. On the other hand, the "vessels of mercy" are described very significantly as those which "He had afore prepared," that is, God through His grace and mercy prepared them. Men fit themselves for hell; but it is God that fits men for heaven.

There is a great mystery here. However, these verses make it abundantly clear that not everyone is going to heaven. Some people are simply "prepared" for destruction. They live in such a way that their only possible destination is hell. It's easy to think of examples: Hitler comes to mind. Or we might think of someone like Saddam Hussein.

But Paul's thought isn't limited to those we consider gross sinners. It really includes all of us. Left to myself, I deserve to go to hell. Left to yourself, you deserve hell. No one deserves heaven. If you go there, you go as a gift because someone else paid the price of admission for you. You aren't good enough to get in on your own. Mercy means receiving something you don't deserve. Paul's point is that if God were just and not merciful, we'd all go to hell together. But since God is just and merciful, he delays his judgment on sinners in order to show mercy on those he is calling to salvation. He gives everyone more time to be saved.

Charles Spurgeon applied this great truth to himself: "I believe the doctrine of election, because I am quite sure that if God had not chosen me I should never have chosen him; and I am sure he chose me before I was born, or else he never would have chosen me afterwards; and he must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why he should have looked upon me with special love. So I am forced to accept that doctrine."

But does this doctrine not destroy all incentive to evangelism? I understand that some worry that if we accept the Bible's teaching on election we will never evangelize. Should we not also be worried that if we reject the Bible's teaching on election we will never be humbled enough to make Christianity look like anything worth having?   A biblical doctrine of election highlights our poverty and Christ's riches, our weakness and Christ's strength, our need and God's supply.

Answer # 3: God determined to show mercy to both Jews and Gentiles.
"Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha." (Rom. 9:24-29).

At first glance, you may say, "What's the point of all these Old Testament quotes?" They speak to one of the primary objections against predestination. Many people think that predestination means that only a few people will be saved. Nothing could be further from the truth. God has determined to open the doors of heaven to the whole wide world. Anyone who believes in Jesus can be saved.

These verses teach us that God opened the door of salvation to everyone! Hosea prophesied of a day when God would say to those who were not his people (that is, the Gentiles), "You are now my people." God has opened the door of salvation to the world. Anyone who wants to can walk right in.

But don't miss the greater point. God is so determined to populate heaven that he has invited the whole world to join him there. Anyone who wants to can go to heaven. In his great mercy, God has opened the door and included the whole world in his invitation. All he is waiting for is your RSVP.

Three Conclusions About Predestination
Let me wrap this up with three conclusions about the doctrine of predestination.

1. This doctrine is true because it is biblical.
Romans 9:19-29 doesn't use the word, but it does contain the doctrine. Some people are vessels of wrath; others are vessels of mercy. Some are chosen; others are not. God shows justice to all, saving mercy to some. The fact that we don't fully understand this doesn't change the truth. We would do better to simply say, "The Bible says it, I don't understand it, but I still believe it."

2. This doctrine humbles us because it exalts God as the author of our salvation.
In the final analysis, this is why some people fight so strongly against predestination. They don't like any doctrine that gives all the glory of God and none to us. But that's precisely why predestination must be true. It teaches us that salvation is of the Lord. It is a work of God from first till last. It starts with him and ends with him. If predestination is true, it means that we can never claim any credit for our salvation. We don't even get credit for seeking the Lord because he sought us before we sought him.

3. This doctrine preserves human freedom because each person must still personally respond to Jesus Christ.
Someone may say, "Why should I bother responding? If I'm predestined, God will save me when he's ready." Not so fast, Bubba. The Bible says that God saves those who place their faith in Jesus Christ. No one is saved without faith in Christ. God has the first move, but the next move is up to you.

Henry Ward Beecher used to say that the elect were the "Whosoever wills" and the non-elect were the "Whosoever won'ts." If you are wondering whether God has predestined you to salvation, just answer this question: Have you ever placed your faith in Jesus Christ—and in him alone—for your salvation?

If the answer is yes, then I've got good news, you're predestined for heaven. But what if the answer is no. Or what if you're not sure? One reason God has delayed his punishment is to give you more time to be saved. The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish but wants all people to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Think about that. God wants you in heaven. He even paid the price of admission—the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ. If you go to hell, it won't be God's fault. He's done everything necessary to make sure you go to heaven. Don't worry about predestination. Make sure you know Jesus. That's the issue that determines your eternal destiny.

Every Decision Is a Free Choice
That leads me to give you my personal understanding of predestination and free will. I confess that I struggled with this whole question for many years, Eventually I came to an understanding that has freed me from the necessity to argue anymore. It basically consists of two points. First, from our human standpoint, we are completely free. When you wake up in the morning, you have a choice to get out of bed or to stay in bed. You can put on a red dress or a blue one.

When you get in your car, you are free to drive to work or you can drive to the golf course if you like. Every decision you make is a free choice. By that I simply mean that you do not feel constrained by some divine power that forces you to eat at Wendy's instead of McDonalds.

That leads to the second point: God sees and knows everything you do. He hears everything you say. He will someday judge you for all of it. Nothing escapes him. Everything is transparent before his eyes. Yes, you have free will but you are 100% responsible for every choice you make—that includes the choices you make in the words you say and the thoughts you think.

Salvation is of the Lord
Let's apply this truth of freewill and predestination to your salvation. Did you freely chose to come to Christ. Yes, you say. Did you feel pressured or coerced by God? No, not at all. Was is it a free choice to accept Christ? Yes, absolutely. Now that you are out on a limb I want to saw it off behind you. Now I asked you a very simple question: As you look back now, are you conscious that Someone was drawing you to Jesus? I'll bet your answer is yes. That Someone is the Holy Spirit who draws unbelievers to Christ (see John 16:8-11).

What does it mean? When you came to Christ, you made a decision of your will. You chose him. Predestination simply means, God chose you first and if he didn't choose you first, you would never have chosen him. To say it another way, God so arranged the circumstances that when the moment was right, you literally had no other choice but to freely choose Jesus. You may not be aware of it at the time, but in looking back, you can see the invisible hand of God drawing you to Christ.

So it is for all of us. Salvation is of the Lord. It is a work of God from beginning to end. Our choice is a free choice, but it is made possible only by God's Spirit enabling us to believe and be saved. Someone has illustrated the truth this way. Think of the gate of heaven, and above it is a large sign, "Whosoever will may come." As you pass through the gate, you look back and from the inside the sign reads, "Chosen before the foundation of the world."

Or to say it yet another way: "He doesn't make you go against your will, he just makes you willing to go." God will not force anyone to believe. But that is only part of the story. When the moment comes, God so arranges the circumstances that you are irresistibly drawn to Jesus Christ. He gives you a new heart and a new desire, and from that new desire you freely choose the Lord.

Run to the Cross
Here is the good news for sinners. No one has to go to Hell. If you go there, it won't be because you were predestined for Hell. It will be because you are sinner deserving of God's judgment. Earlier I said that no one can be saved unless God calls him. That thought may trouble you, but it shouldn't. How do you know if God is calling you? If you have the slightest desire, then God is calling you. If you want to be saved, then God is calling you. It truly is as simple as that.

If God is calling you, then come running to the cross of Christ. Cast yourself upon God's mercy. Hold fast to the bloody Cross as your only hope. If you want to be saved, you can be saved and you will be saved. That is the promise of God to you. No one will ever be lost who turned to Christ for salvation. No one will be in hell who truly wanted to go to heaven by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.

"Whosoever will may come" is still the gospel message. When we finally get to heaven, we will look back and discover that we were indeed "chosen before the foundation of the world."

Over 245 years ago Joseph Hart wrote one of the grandest gospel hymns ever composed: Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy. It's set to a musical style that is sometimes called Sacred Harp music. Every verse contains wonderful truth, but none is greater than this one:

          Come, Ye Sinners

Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream
All the fitness he requireth,
Is to feel your need of him.
This is the gospel invitation:
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all.

And the chorus is the sinner's answer:
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

If you are still without Christ, may he make you restless in your heart until you find your rest in him. If you are a believer, may you find comfort and joy in believing both now and in the days to come.