Predestination
In our study of the “covenant of redemption” which is set forth in Rom. 8:28‑30, the second action of God listed in verse 29 is “predestinate.” The five actions of God listed in v. 29 and 30 are foreknow, predestinate, called, justified, and glorified. According to Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, the Greek word “proorizo,” which is translated four times into “predestinate,” once “ordained before,” and once “determined before,” means to “mark out or determine beforehand.” Thus, the English word predestinate means to determine the final destiny beforehand. The four times predestinate is used in the scriptures it is used to denote the final destiny of those that God “foreknew” (Rom. 8:29) or “chose before the world began” (Eph. 1:4). It is never used in connection with anyone other than those whom God foreknew or chose!
We will begin our discussion of God’s predestination of the “elect” by considering to what God predestinated them. That is what do the scriptures say is the final destiny of the elect? Rom. 8:29 reads, “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.” Now when the verse says we will be “conformed to the image of His Son” it is not saying we will be “clones” of Christ. When Adam brought forth a son, he was born in Adams image as Gen. 5:3 reads, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.” Now Seth was in the image of Adam but was not a clone of Adam. He possessed the same characteristics, qualities, and nature of Adam (a fallen nature) and thus was in the image of Adam. By nature, we are all in the fallen image of Adam. Part of the final destiny of the elect is to be in the image of Christ. To understand what that image is we need to look at the characteristics, qualities, and nature of Christ that is different from our characteristics, qualities, and nature. In Heb. 7:26 we read, “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners…” In contrast by nature we are unholy, harmful, defiled, and sinners. Also, the scriptures describe God to be “love” (I John 4:8), “a spirit” (John 4:24), and “light” (John 1:4) and this light is defined as eternal life. By nature, we are completely selfish, having not the spirit of God, and absent of eternal life. In addition, the Lord is incorruptible, immortal, powerful, and glorious (I Cor. 15). Again, by contrast our natural being is corruptible, mortal, weak and dishonorable.
In contrast to what we are now, our final destiny will see us conformed to the image of Christ. At that time in body, soul, and spirit we will be holy, harmless, undefiled, righteous, love, spiritual, possessed of eternal life, incorruptible, immortal, powerful and glorious. It is in keeping with God’s predestination that our final destiny will be conformity with the image of His Son.
Next, we read in Eph. 1:4, 5 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will…” Now we are according to birth right in the family of Adam as we are all the offspring of Adam. However, God has declared that those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world will have as a final destiny membership in the family of God. To accomplish this God has predestinated to adopt us into his family by Jesus Christ to himself. Adoption involves taking a person out of one family and placing that person in another family. We will discuss the mechanics of adoption in a later issue. At this point we note that God has predestinated us unto the adoption of children, thus it is our final destiny to be children of God not only in spirit, but also in body.
This brings us to the third thing God has predestinated the elect unto. In Eph. 1:11 we read, “In whom also we (the elect‑VJ) have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” Thus, being the legal heirs of God by spiritual birth, adoption, marriage, and will we have an inheritance from God. In nature, the only lasting inheritance we have is a grave. Yet according to God’s predestination we have an eternal inheritance. According to Rom. 8:16, 17 we read, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint‑heirs with Christ…” Thus, our final destiny is to be a joint‑heir with Jesus Christ. Therefore, we will have by inheritance all that our elder brother has. This is absolutely amazing to consider that we won’t be possessors of just a little corner of the glory world but will be possessors of all that Jesus Christ is a possessor of! In our next issue we will consider those things about God that imminently qualify him as the only one who can predestinate.