The Blessing of Predestination
Ephesians 1:5

Ephesians 1 has been described as an exposition of God’s plan for the ages. It is a hymn of praise that expresses God’s plan for the ages!

These great doctrines of election and predestination should lead us to praise God and not fight one another. They should also lead us to wholeheartedly serve God.

Consider if we were playing a softball game and you were a captain of one of the teams given the responsibility to choose players for your team. Let’s imagine that you picked me first as your first round draft choice for your team. Do you think that will make me lazy?   Or would that motivate me to do my best so that I did not disappoint you?  If I am a person of good character, I would be challenged to play to the best of my ability so that we would win and so that I would not disappoint you for placing confidence in my ability.

Yes, that I am chosen should lead me to work diligently in order to please the One who has chosen me.

What we did not know when we were saved is there was far more to our salvation than we thought.

Let’s first consider what Predestination Is!

The Greek word is poorizo which means “to set the boundaries or to mark off the boundaries of something.”

Our English word horizon is at the root of this word. Horizon speaks of the boundary of your vision. It refers to someone marking off the boundaries of something. It means to mark out beforehand, to determine before, or to foreordain.

If God has marked off the boundaries, what are the boundaries?

Have you ever thanked God for predestinating you? Have you ever experienced the scriptural liberty of thanking God for His choosing of us and predestinating us?

Unfortunately there has been so much controversy about the Father’s choosing and predestinating us, we have not experienced the liberty of praising God for the glory of His grace so demonstrated to us.

Can you thank God for something you do not fully understand but it is as clearly revealed in the Bible as it is we are saved by grace through faith through the shed blood of Christ? Have you been fearful of thanking God the Father for His choosing you from the foundation of the world? Is it out of the ignorance or fear that we so feebly or not at all bless God for choosing us or predestinating us?

This word “predestination” is used in just five passages of Scripture, so let’s look at each of them:

1) Acts 4:28: The Death of Christ was predestinated:

Acts 4:28: For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

In Acts 4:28 the phrase "determined before" is the same word, "predestinated." God determined the boundaries of what would be done to His Son. It was predetermined that His Son would die at Passover, on a cross, nailed by the hands and feet. It was predetermined that He would not be stoned or be thrown off a cliff. What happened to Him had to take place within those parameters.

2) 1 Corinthians 2:7: Christ’s death, which is the wisdom of God, was determined beforehand.  

1 Corinthians 2:7; But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.

The word poorizo is translated "ordained" but it is the same word, ‘predestinated."

The Apostle Paul tells us that the wisdom of God is demonstrated in the Gospel which was “ordained before the world unto our glory.”  The natural mind cannot comprehend it and will not accept the importance and sufficiency of Christ’s mighty death upon the cross for the sins of the world. 

God the Father determined a certain wisdom, which is the Gospel of Christ and Him crucified, and He did it before the ages and He did it for our eternal glory.

3) Romans 8:28-30: The Believer’s conformity to Christ’s image was predestinated:

In Romans 8:28-30, God determined the boundaries of our calling, that is, that we should be conformed to the image of His Son. God chose us so that we would be like Christ.

What is on your horizon? That we should be conformed to the image of His Son!

4) Ephesians 1:5: The Believer’s Adoption was predestined.

Ephesians 1:5: Predestinated unto the adoption of children. The objective or boundary of our predestination is our adoption of children.

Fritz Rienecker says (In Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament): "The election and predestination is God’s absolute act of free love which is grounded totally in Himself and there was nothing apart from Him which gave His will direction."

Adoption speaks of our PRIVILEGED POSITION as an adult child.

5) Ephesians 1:11: The eternal inheritance of the believer is predestinated. Our salvation is all according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His own will.

God marked off the boundaries for us according to his foreknowledge.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God. His choice and predestination of us is a revealed thing yet somewhere along the line this plan becomes a secret thing.

Now let’s consider what Foreknowledge is!

Foreknowledge Defined:

Our election and predestination is according to God’s foreknowledge.  In God’s eternal mind, the foreknowledge of God comes before the election or the predestination!

This word is similar to our word, "prognosis." That is the same term.  

Foreknowledge in the Greek is proginosko. It means a knowledge beforehand. This word appears seven times in the New Testament and we will see every one of these references in a few moments.

What kind of knowledge is this?

Three ways this can be used:

Your case will PROBABLY go this way. Is God’s foreknowledge of us an educated guess? This would imply that God is not omniscient.

It could mean that God knows everything ahead of time. Does this grasp the meaning of the word as it relates to our salvation? No, because God does not foreknow unbelievers.

Matthew 7:23, And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Psalm 1:6, The way of the ungodly shall perish, but the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous.

Amos 3:2, You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

Or, the word “foreknowledge” speaks of God’s intimate knowledge of someone.  This is the best meaning of the word from a Biblical perspective.  It is a knowing that sets its approval and intimate acquaintance upon an object. God actively and favorably regards His elect with an eternal intention to bless.

This affectionate regard for them is due to the infinite grace and power of God the Father.

Whom He did foreknow (in an intimate and personal way), He marked of their boundaries and predestinated them, and He chose them for that destiny. This is how these three terms line up in Scripture.

There are two major views of what foreknowledge means:

Why does God foreknow certain people? There are two common answers to this question:

Some say (more of the Arminian position) that He foreknows certain people because he saw their faith in Christ. In eternity past, He saw who would believe and receive His Son and choose them on that basis.

In other words, this view states that God’s foreknowledge, predestination, and choosing is a consequence of my faith.

This decree of election has its basis in the foreknowledge of God by which he knew from all eternity who would believe.  The problem with this position is that salvation would begin with the faith of the sinner somewhere from eternity past rather than with God who is the giver of the gift of salvation!

A second answer to this question is that God’s foreknowledge is based upon something entirely unknown to us.

And we shall see that the Scripture does not reveal what he saw in us that caused him to foreknow us in an intimate, saving way.

Men like Jonathan Edwards have said: "God did not choose men because he foresaw that they would believe and come to Christ. Faith is the consequence and not the cause (of His foreknowledge.)"

As mentioned earlier, the word “foreknowledge” in the New Testament appears seven times:

The first two references do not refer to God’s foreknowledge but with man’s:

Acts 26:5, the Jews knew Paul from the beginning.

2 Peter 3:17, the believers knew before that false teachers would twist the Scripture.

The following five references relate to God’s foreknowledge:

1) Acts 2:22-24: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.  God foreknew the death of Christ:

God’s foreknowledge relates to Jesus’ death upon the cross.  God delivered His Son to be crucified, slain, and raised up.

2) 1 Peter 1:2: Elect according to the foreknowledge of God…

3)  1 Peter 1:20: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

This verse has more to do than just God knowing beforehand, but an approving intimacy of Christ’s death from before the earth’s founding.

4) Romans 8:28-29: Whom He did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son.

5) Romans 11:2: God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.

Foreknowledge is more than God’s omniscience but it is God’s personal and intimate identifying acquaintance with certain people.

Election is according to predestination which is based on foreknowledge, Romans 8:29

God knows all things actual and all things possible.

On what basis did God elect us? On the basis of his predestination.

On what basis did God predestinate us? On the basis of foreknowledge.

On what basis did God foreknow us? Why did he personally and intimately identify me as one he would predestinate and choose from the foundation of the world?

We don’t know. The Biblical references do not answer that question. Mark the point of mystery right there. The Bible is silent.  So we must rest in that point on the wisdom of God.

Remember the illustration of the Oak Tree from the message, The Blessing of Election?  We are like puny acorns at the end of an immense oak tree!  There is no way you nor I can fully comprehend the depth of God’s wisdom on the matter of salvation!

He chose me! WHY? Because he predestinated me!  Why did he do that?  Because He foreknew me! Why did he do that?

Because “he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will,” and that is the mystery (Ephesians 1:11).

It is according to his good pleasure.  And we must rest in His love and eternal Word. 

Scofield reference notes says it well on this point:

"That foreknowledge determines the election or choice is clear from 1 Peter 1:2. But Scripture no where declares what it is in the divine foreknowledge which determines election or predestination."

Before the kings and judges, before Noah and the flood, before there was a mountain or a tree, before ever God established the firmament above or below, before He even set the lights in the heavens, before the foundation of the world He hath chosen us and predestinated us that we might be conformed into the image of His Son and be adopted us as His children to the praise of the glory of his grace.

There are the whosoever wills and the whosoever will nots. If you don’t come to the Lord is because you will not.

In closing, notice this simple outline of God’s predestination:

1. The Motive of His Predestination of Us, Ephesians 1:4-6

In love having having predestinated us…according to the good pleasure of His will"

The motive is His Love and His Will!

2. The Result of His Predestination of Us, Ephesians 1:5, 6

He ADOPTED US: We are God’s children with all the privileges of adult sons.

“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself…”

He ACCEPTED US:

Ephesians 1:6; To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

The word here is "graced us in the Beloved." The idea is that He has highly favored us by placing us IN HIS SON.

3. The Goal of His Predestination: His GLORY

The ultimate purpose of salvation is the glory of God. It is all about Him, and for “the praise of the glory of his grace” (Ephesians 1:6).  

Yes, God predestinated us so that we can:

WALK for His glory, doing the work of the ministry so that the body of Christ can be edified and built up in love (Ephesians 4:1)

Speak the truth in love and do good works for His glory! (Ephesians 4:15)

Overcome all bitterness, anger and wrath for His own glory! (Ephesians 4:31,32)

He did not predestinate us so that we would fight about it but so that we would praise Him that He foreknew us and predestinated us! He did not predestinate us so that we would tempt him by living reckless lives, getting as close to sin as we can!

He predestinated us in love unto the adoption of children so that we would have a continual attitude of gratitude! (Ephesians 5:20)

He predestinated us in love so that we can have homes that fear God in love (Ephesians 5:22-Ephesians 6:4).

He predestinated us for His GLORY so that whatsoever our hand findeth to do, we can do it with all our might, doing the will of God from the heart (Ephesians 6:5-9).

He predestinated us for His GLORY so that we might be victorious in the mighty conflict we have against Satan and His principalities and powers.