Featured Predestination

You are correct.
Those who hate the teaching of grace seek to avoid the biblical usage of the word whom he did foreknow.
It is not mere prescience.
from A.W.Pink;
The fact is that “foreknowledge” is never used in Scripture in connection with events or actions; instead, it always has reference to persons . It is persons God is said to “foreknow,” not the actions of those persons. In proof of this we shall now quote each passage where this expression is found.

The first occurrence is in Acts 2:23. There we read, “Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” If careful attention is paid to the wording of this verse it will be seen that the apostle was not there speaking of God’s foreknowledge of the act of the crucifixion, but of the Personcrucified: “Him (Christ) being delivered by,” etc.

The second occurrence is in Romans 8;29,30. “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. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called,” etc.

Weigh well the pronoun that is used here. It is not what He did foreknow, but whom He did. It is not the surrendering of their wills nor the believing of their hearts but the persons themselves, which is here in view. “God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew” ( Rom. 11:2).

Once more the plain reference is to persons, and to persons only.

The last mention is in 1 Pet. 1:2: “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” Who are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father? The previous verse tells us: the reference is to the “strangers scattered” i.e. the Diaspora, the Dispersion, the believing Jews. Thus, here too the reference is to persons, and not to their foreseen acts.

 

The first occurrence is in Acts 2:23. There we read, “Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain

If careful attention is paid to the wording of this verse it will be seen that the apostle was not there speaking of God’s foreknowledge of the act of the crucifixion,

but of the Personcrucified: “Him (Christ) being delivered by,” etc.

 

Barry, while this question was addressed to my friend Dave, I want to share my answer.

Called:
(not an exhaustive list supported by the scripture listed)
called[G2822] [to be] an apostle
the called[G2822] of Jesus Christ
called[G2822] [to be] saints

Lexicon :: Strong's G2822 - klētos
divinely selected and appointed

[Rom 1:1, 6-7 KJV] 1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called[G2822] [to be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, ... 6 Among whom are ye also the called[G2822] of Jesus Christ: 7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called[G2822] [to be] saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

[1Co 1:2 KJV] 2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called[G2822] [to be] saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

 

The elect are chosen "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father," Peter says.

By "foreknowledge," Peter is not simply referring to God's intellect and omniscience, or to His knowledge of future events, including His awareness that certain people will believe. William Perkins writes, "We are not elected... either for our faith, or according to our faith, but to our faith; that is, elected that we might believe.

" Peter is speaking here of 'decretal' foreknowledge, of God's determination of whom He would graciously save from just condemnation.

God's foreknowledge is inseperable from His sovereign plan and purposes (Acts 2:23), including His predestination of sinners to be conformed to Christ. As Romans 8:29a says, "...".

God's election is neither impersonal nor capricious..... Amos 3:2....Matt.7:23 Of course, He knows all about impenitent unbelievers:He knows them exhaustively, but He does not know them affectionately.

God's election of His people is His seal that He loves them.... God's foreknowledge means that He is so passionately and intimately in love with His people that He offers His own Son to go on Calvary for them.

Thus, God the Father elects His people on the basis of His eternal, overwhelming, sovereign affection for them. Why did He love them? Because He chose to do so. Sovereign, unchangeable love is the ultimate joy and reality of the universe...

God's foreknowledge means that God has always been in love with His people. He has loved the elect from all eternity... Henry Law says, "Eternal love devised the plan; eternal wisdom drew the model; eternal grace comes down to build it."

God's love is voluntary, discriminatory, and gracious.... God chose us because He has always foreknown us, meaning He has always loved us."

taken from Living for God's Glory by Dr. Joel Beeke pages 62-64

 

Called by the Gospel of our salvation to eternal life and into the fellowship of God's dear saints, His children.

Spiritually, yes ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 )...
But not outwardly, because I still sin.

For that to happen, I must receive my glorified body.

I don't see the problem, Barry.

According to Ephesians 1:5, I was predestinated to that adoption.
The adoption is as a child of God:

" having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"

So, are we, as believers, the children of God before or after we believe, if we were chosen "in Him" from before the foundation of the world ( Ephesians 1:4 )?
Are we His children before or after we believe, if He loved us when we were dead in trespasses and sins ( Ephesians 2:1-6 )?
Are we His children before or after we believe, if He chose us and caused us to approach Him ( Psalms 65:4 )?
Are we His children before or after we believe, if He has reserved a kingdom for us from the foundation of the world ( Matthew 25:34 )?

Are we His children before or after we believe, if we cannot come to Him unless it is given to us by the Father to do so ( John 6:64-65 )?

Amen!
See?
You're starting to see it.

" praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." ( Acts of the Apostles 2:47 ).
The Lord adds people to the body of Christ.

Because I brought in my understanding of other passages, which tell me that one has to be elect ( or chosen to salvation / ordained to eternal life ) in order to believe on Christ.
Therefore, if God has people in a city, it's because He chose them and then later on caused them to approach Him ( Psalms 65:4 ).

 

Barry, what I did was believe the words on the page when Jesus said,

" At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and [he] to whomsoever the Son will reveal [him]." ( Matthew 11:25-27 ).

No man knows Jesus Christ except the Father, and no man knows the Father Except the Son...
Now get this:

...and whosoever the Son will reveal the Father to.
God the Father has to be revealed by Jesus Christ to men.

But only certain men have that privilege.
That's what makes it of grace, and not of works.

For God to reveal His Son in somebody ( Galatians 1:16 ), take a miracle of His grace.
So, depending upon which "side" of God's grace one is on, it's either "gnosticism" or a miraculous and gracious revealing of one's need for a Saviour by a God that has mercy upon whom He will have mercy on ( Exodus 33:19, Romans 9:14-18 ).

One either hates Jesus Christ and sees no need to approach Him for forgiveness of sins because they love their sin, this world and its ways, or one sees their need of a Saviour and comes to Him in repentance.
There are two perspective's, Barry, not just one.

Man's perspective sees us hearing the word of God and believing on Christ.
God's perspective is, He caused us to "listen" to it ( Acts of the Apostles 16:14 ).
That's why this statement is so significant...


"He that hath ears to hear, let Him hear".

 

Barry, I'm bringing in my understanding of parts of the passage from other declarative statements in His word.
For example:

" And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." ( Acts of the Apostles 13:48 ). <---How many believed here? As many as were ordained to eternal life...no less and no more. First one is ordained to eternal life, then one believes on Christ.

" But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." ( John 6:64-65 ). <--- This tells me that no man can come to Christ ( believe on Him ), except it were given to that man by the Father to do so. First one is given by the father to the Son, then they believe on Christ.

To be elect is to be chosen.
To come to Christ is to believe on Him.
To be one of His sheep is to be one of the elect ( chosen in Christ from the foundation of the world ).


That is how the "whosoever believeth" are described in God's word.

 

Let us be gracious, my brother.

Some who "hate" it simply haven't "seen" it yet.

 

Amen.
Psalms 139.

David confessed that God knew him while he was in his mother's womb.
He also confessed that God had chosen him and caused him to approach ( Psalms 65 ).

Paul confessed that God knew him:
" But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called [me] by his grace,
16 to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:" ( Galatians 1:15-16 ).

As did Jeremiah:

" Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." ( Jeremiah 1:4-5 ).

Amen again.
Romans 8:23.

The way I see it, the adoption has two phases:

1) We are made aware of our sinful state and "called" by the power of the Holy Spirit and the word of God ( James 1:18 ), and we then believe on Christ and trust in Him.
When we believed the Gospel of our salvation, that moment was when we were made aware of our adoption, but we were already His children...
We experienced God's work, the change of heart, and were made aware of the redemption of our souls that happened at the cross on our behalf.

" Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
4 but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." ( Galatians 4:3-7 ).

So, because we are His sons, we as believers have experienced the first phase of our being adopted by God...
The indwelling of His Spirit, the "earnest" of our inheritance ( Ephesians 1:14 ).


2) We then experience the redemption of our bodies at the first resurrection ( Romans 8:23 ).

Wow?

 

What is the meaning of called? Is this referring to God's drawing? I don't think so. Called is a term akin to named. I believe it was to do with us being written in the book of life before the foundations of the earth. I believe it means appointed.

But you're right, if it means drawn, it seems to say only some are drawn. But I don't think it means that.

 

Again being a child of God is ' being born again ' not ' The adoption ' . unless you are walking around like Jesus now, which makes you unique to say the least .

 

No we don't add ourselves . But we freely believe so as to be saved then God adds us to the body .

 

Quite clearly in the same chapter which mentions predestination it clearly says when we recieve the adoption.
23And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
when do you recieve the above? its not while your on this earth is it ?

 

Come out of him!

 

Thank you . So are we saying that it is to service ?

 

I'm saying that the bible clearly says we receive the Adoption later. For now we have received the Spirit of the adoption . Things different are not the same .

 

conversion. (Eph. 1:5, 11; Rom. 8:23, 29-30)

. Election is to service, calling and purpose, not to salvation. (Isa. 42:1; Acts 9:15; Rom. 11:28)

Adoption is the future redemption of the body, not conversion. (Rom. 8:23, 15-17; Gal. 4:1-6)

Sinners become sons of God through the new birth, not through adoption. (John 1:12-13)

There are 2 callings: Gospel and vocational, not inward or outward or effectual or ineffectual, etc… (2 Thess. 2:14; Eph. 4:1; Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 5:20)

. Christ’s life, not his death is what saves. (Rom. 5:10; 1 Cor. 15:17)

. Sinner is saved by regeneration, not atonement. (Tit. 3:5)

Glorification is what’s limited, not atonement. (Rom. 3:23; 8:17-30)

 

Yes He who has ears ( hands up who has ears )
16¶For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
rom 10
8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14¶How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18¶But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
19¶But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
20¶But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
21¶But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.