En Tois Epouranios #26

By Michael S. Mecikalski

In The Heaven Far Above All Heavens #26

Please review article #25 in this series and read I Pet.1:18-25.

Another “belief” as to what Scriptural predestination is has been entertained by thousands thru-out history; this idea is one that was brought to popularity on the world stage by a man named John Calvin (1509-64 A.D.). The Calvinistic viewpoint states that you are either predestinated by God Almighty to be a saved believer or you are predestinated to be lost. Although this belief does not have every creature created and born as eventually being saved, it does have inherently within it the idea that ultimately there is no choice in the matter. Glory to God if you are predestinated to salvation, plumb out of luck if you are not! Certainly this creed leaves a huge “out” for mankind to be responsible, at the very least, to the Creator, for how can anybody be responsible to the Lord if they are predestinated not to be?!! Scripturally sound? I know that this “position” is not.

An interesting question… Did the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ have a choice? Did He willingly choose to save us through shedding His Precious Blood or did He have to because He was predesti- nated to do so?

During the Acts period the Holy Spirit thru the Apostle Peter in I Pet. 1:18-20 stated “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot; Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” Even though Peter addresses the futile way of life of Israel thru the traditions of their forefathers, nobody, Jew or Gentile, makes it out of the grave or past the body of this death without faith in the Precious Shed Blood of Christ (Eph.1:7).

After the Acts period the Holy Spirit thru the Apostle Paul in Eph.1:4&5 stated “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 sons (should never be translated children here), by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.” Do we have choice & responsibility as to our predestination?

continued to be sure. . .