The Book of Ephesians Pt. 6 God's Glorious Omniscience and Foreknowledge!

Predestination: The beauty of God's perfect will.

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

Paul used some really important words that have generated controversies and schisms in the past. However, if we can understand what God means in relation to words like "predestination", foreknowledge", "election" or "chosen", then I think we will all praise God for His marvelous, mighty works. 

some things in the Bible are challenging to understand because they are perfectly inspired Divine truths communicated within the limitations of human language. I will do my best to help us see what God says so we might clearly understand what the words actually mean. 

We are only going to get through the first part of verse 5 in this post.  

The verb "predestinated" literally means to predetermine to do something or to decide before hand. A word that is very close to "predestinated" is the word "foreordained." 

Romans 8:28-30  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29) 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. 30) Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

This text from Paul's letter to the church at Rome brings several of these ideas together in a way that helps us understand the meaning of the word "predestinated." God is going to work out all things for good to all born again believers who love God and are in the body of believers chosen to stand before God. His choosing process was accomplished in eternity past. 

Predestination of a believer begins with God's foreknowledge. Do not lose sight of this truth. God's foreknowledge governs His process of predestination, election and choosing. 

The word "foreknowledge" literally means to have knowledge beforehand. The Greek word is "proginōskō" and you can see this in our word "prognosis." The word "prognosis" means to know beforehand what the outcome will be for a given situation. 

The word "foreknowledge" truly shows the infinite vastness of God. He peered through all the annals of time right up to the end of human history when He uncreates the old heaven and earth, in order to make a new heaven, new earth, new Jerusalem under His universal rule. God saw each one of us from our first breath to our last breath. He saw all the opportunities we had to hear the gospel and to respond with repentant faith in Christ. 

From the perspective of eternity past, God looked through all of human history and time to witness the very moment that we turned to Christ for salvation and were regenerated by His Holy Spirit. 

Thus, God knowing this beforehand about us, is the moment that He chose us to be "in Him" before He created anything. He knew that we would of our own free will, hear the gospel preached and turn to Christ with repentant faith.  God foreknew that we would choose Him and therefore, He made our calling and election sure in eternity past because He already knew if we would accept Christ Jesus or reject Him. 

The will of God is clear. He wants all people to be saved!

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. 

Peter addressed some false teachers who openly mocked the reality that Jesus was coming again as King and Judge. They accused God of not keeping His promises. What did the Spirit of God tell Peter to write in answer to these accusations? God is not failing to keep His promise. 

Rather, His express will is that all should come to repentance and this is why Jesus has not returned yet. He is patiently waiting for souls to hear the word and repent as they turn to Jesus Christ. 

1 Timothy 2:3-4  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

God wants all men to be saved. Paul also made this very clear to us in writing to young pastor, Timothy. His will is for all men to be saved. It also means that Jesus expects us to grow in our faith by reading, meditating and studying the scriptures.  Ongoing transformation and evidence of spiritual life with a growing faith is our calling in Christ. 

However, it is a fact that all men will not be saved. Why? Because God will allow each person to make up their own mind whether they accept Jesus' atoning work or reject Him. God is omnipotent so He could certainly make all men bow to Him by the sheer force of His power. However, that is like a parent making a rebellious child comply as long as they live at home. When the child is old enough to leave, they do so and live in rebellion against God.

Predestination, election, choosing and foreknowledge are all taught in the Bible. 

Remember, predestination, election and being chosen by God are all based upon His foreknowledge. This is such an important truth to remember because generations of Christians have clashed with each other over what I believe are simple misunderstandings of what God is saying to us.

God has an open invitation to "Whosoever" will put their trust in Christ. 

Equally well taught in the Bible is an open invitation from God to all mankind to believe the gospel of Christ. God says "whosoever will" may come by faith in Christ and be born again. 

Matthew 10:32-33  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33)  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

John 3:14-18  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

Jesus put this in simple terms for us by using the word "whosoever" which is a term of broad inclusion that means the offer of salvation is made to the whole human population. Whosoever believes on Him (confess) will be acknowledged in heaven but all who deny Him will be denied in heaven. 

In John's gospel, Jesus said "whosoever" believes on Him shall receive eternal life but those who refuse to believe is condemned and will perish by being consigned to Hell. 

The relevant thing to ask is not a question like "Are you a Calvinist?" or "Are you Armenian?" or whatever other viewpoint people may adhere to. The only question that matters is the answer to this one. "What did God actually say?" Remember, we are staking our life and future upon what God said, not upon what various men have speculated over the last few centuries. 

We will stand before the Bema seat of Jesus Christ and give an account of our stewardship and faithfulness with regard to His Word (1 Corinthians 3:10-17; Romans 14:10-12). Jesus is not going to ask you or me if we followed a certain author's writings. We will be judged by our faithfulness to what God says in His Word. 

Is God so vast He can peer through time and account for every persons decision to accept or reject His saving provision?

Psalm 139:1-4 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2) Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3) Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4) For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 

King David tells us that Jehovah knows our hearts and us. He knows our thoughts from a great distance. He knows the words on our tongue before we speak them. 

Psalm 147:4  He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names

God is so infinite that He alone can count the total number of stars in the universe and He gives them all names! The understanding of God is infinite!

1 John 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

I pray that the Spirit of God will help each one of us understand these infinite truths concerning the greatness and vast scope of our salvation. May He grant peace into our hearts and help us to rest in these truth. 

May we praise Him for His infinite grace, His perfect foreknowledge and His eternal good purposes in saving us!

Bob