You can see the problems with this doctrine. If God chose before the creation of the world whom He would reject and if there's nothing the rejected ones can do about it, the opposite side of that same coin is that if God chose before the creation of the world whom He would save then there's nothing the chosen ones can do to avoid salvation. In that case, why did Christ suffer and die? If it was fate that certain people were going to be gifted with salvation no matter what, how does the cross enter the equation? For that matter, how does the idea of judgment enter the equation? If we can't help being who we are, why would God hold us responsible for our sins?
Did God know who was going to accept or reject Him? Yes, because He knows all things. But He didn't make that choice for us. Does He have a specific calling on the life of every person whom He knew would accept Him? Yes, because men like the Apostle Paul and the prophet Jeremiah speak of God knowing them before they were born and calling them to do a specific work for His kingdom. Naturally God has made plans ahead of time for those whom He knew would want to serve Him. He has a job for each of us who have come to Him through Christ. But just as we had the free will to sin and fall from grace, we also have the free will to accept the offer of salvation. God doesn't decide for us; we decide for ourselves.
As we conclude this portion of the first chapter of Ephesians today, we will see that what has been predestined is not our salvation or our condemnation, but the beautiful inheritance that God has set aside for those who belong to Him through Christ. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment---to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ." (Ephesians 1:7-10) I'm going to try to paraphrase Paul's words like this, "We have redemption through the blood of Christ. God formed this plan of grace before the world began because it pleased Him to offer us salvation." The plan of salvation was predestined. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ was predestined. Nothing in heaven or on the earth or in hell had the power to change the plan of Almighty God to bring redemption to mankind. Nothing can keep us from receiving this great gift except ourselves. We can see as far back as the Old Testament that it has always been up to man whether to accept or reject redemption, for Joshua said to the nation of Israel, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)
"In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:11-12) In verse 11 Paul uses the word "proorizo" again, and because in context he is speaking in Chapter 1 of our adoption as the children of God and about our great inheritance, we need to recognize that one of the root words of "proorizo" is "horizo" from which we get our English word "horizon". The Greek word which has so often been translated as "predestined" can also mean "to set a boundary". You will recall from the Old Testament that God promised portions of the Promised Land to each tribe of Israel; this was their inheritance, their lot. A lot will naturally have boundaries, usually set by a surveyor, so we could call the boundary lines the "proorizo". To put verses 11 and 12 into simple terms, Paul is saying, "We who are Jews and were the first to believe on the name of Christ were the first to become the sons and daughters of God. Our inheritance (our lot, our calling in life, God's purpose for us) is that we will bring praise and glory to God's name through the redemption we have received by believing on His Son."
But the Gentiles are also becoming the sons and daughters of God through Christ, so the Gentiles have the same glorious inheritance as the Jewish Christians. "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation." (Ephesians 1:13a) The salvation of the Ephesians happened like this: they heard the gospel and they believed it. God didn't check His "predestination list" and say, "Oops, not all of these folks are on My list. Some of those who have heard and believed the message weren't chosen by Me before the world was created. I can't grant them salvation." No, the Ephesians had the free will to believe or reject the message they heard, and God, who made the plan of salvation by His own free will and because it pleased Him to do so, accepted every one who believed.
As proof that they have been accepted, Paul says, "When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession---to the praise of His glory." (13b-14) In some versions of the Bible the word "deposit" is translated "earnest", with Paul saying God has given us "the earnest of His Spirit". When we make an offer on a piece of real estate and our offer is accepted, we put down what is called "earnest money". This is a deposit that proves we intend to pay the remainder of the amount due on the property. It shows that we are serious and committed. God made an offer on us through His Son. When we accept His offer we become pledged to Him; we belong to Him; we are His "property" so to speak. To those of us who accepted His offer He has given the Holy Spirit (the "earnest money") which proves His intention to fulfill every promise He has ever made regarding our redemption and our glorious inheritance. This deposit shows us that God is committed to us.
I hope our two-part look at the subject of predestination has settled any doubts anyone may have had regarding God's free offer of salvation. He never marked you off His list or rejected you before the world began. To sum up the things God predestined, we learned that His plan of salvation was predestined. The life, death, and resurrection of Christ were predestined. The adoption of all who would accept the gospel was predestined. The inheritance promised to those who have accepted the gospel was predestined. But the choice is yours. God wants to adopt you as a son or daughter and lavish on you all the blessings that belong to the children of the King. This is a gift He longs to bestow on you. If you haven't already accepted this gift, there's no better time than today.
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