Mary Chosen by God

A short study on Predestination

Predestination Under the Law of Moses

Predestination – to determine beforehand; to preordain by an unchangeable purpose. 

Under Law In the Hebrew Scriptures when God had a particular task for a person the Holy Spirit fell on them. They were singled out and filled with the gifts, whether it was to prophecy like Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, ”And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying “Blessed be the God of Israel, for he has visited his people,” or 
like Mary who was chosen by God to bear the Son of God, the archangel Gabriel said to Mary, “Hail, O favoured one, the Lord is with you. . . . “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”. . .  The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” Luke 1: 26-35

John the Baptist baptized Jesus and at his baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon him, they heard God speak, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.” Luke 3: 21-23 Hearing God speak would remind them of how God spoke to the children of Israel on their wilderness journey. Exodus 19: 9. 20: 22.

God had designated (office by appointment) Jesus to be the Messiah. 

In the synagogue at Nazareth Jesus opened the book and read from the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty those who are oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Jesus went on to say “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”Luke 4: 17-30  
The men in the synagogue were filled with anger as Jesus had intimated that he was the Messiah. During his ministry Jesus fulfilled this prophecy when he opened the eyes of blind Bartimaeus, freeing the oppressed mad man at Gerasenes setting him free from the demons that possessed him. Many thousands of people who were healed of their illnesses and diseases, and the dead were raised like Lazarus. 

The Messiah’s Secret.

Jesus did not openly proclaim himself to be the Messiah nor did his disciples; it was often inferred, but never proclaimed. During the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus was preaching in the Temple, during the discussion that followed they discussed whether Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. “Some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Is this the man they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? Yet we know where this man comes from; and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” John 7; 25-27. Jesus did not reveal that he was the Messiah because he foreknew that he had to die on a cross and be raised from the dead.

Matthew records Jesus telling his disciples that they must not tell anyone that he was the Christ. And then he revealed to them that he was going to suffer and die. “Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Matthew 16: 13-23

Jesus chose twelve disciples from his followers.

After he had called brothers Peter and Andrew James and John and Matthew, Jesus later spent all night in prayer choosing the twelve disciples from among the other disciples. Luke 6: 12-16.

Jesus knew Judas was the one who would betray him through the course of events that would take place when the time came for his departure from the world at Jerusalem. Luke 9: 31

Jesus’ message was all inclusive

Jesus taught in the synagogue at Capernaum Jesus said, “For this is the will of the Father that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.” “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.”John 5: 6: 40, 44, 45.

After hearing from Jesus that unless a person ate his flesh and drank his blood they would not have the life of God within them, some of his disciples decided not to continue to follow him.  “But there are some of you that do not believe.”     

For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe.” Jesus asked his disciples, “Do you also wish to go away?” Peter made his choice and replied, “Lord to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life.” John 6: 64, 66 – 68.   

All in the synagogue were taught by Jesus about him being the bread of life.  In the justice of God everyone present had the choice to believe or not.  

On another occasion Jesus said, “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” Luke 12: 8-10   

Jesus gave those disciples who turned away from him every opportunity to accept him.

God knew in his foreknowledge who would respond and those who would turn away.    

It was God's plan to send Jesus to redeem us by his life laid down, God had predetermined that Jesus would come and save us through his death on the cross and resurrection. But even Jesus in his free will could have turned away from what God his Father had called him to do. Jesus could have called legions of angels to repel his suffering and death. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus was tempted not to drink of the cup of his suffering and death. “Father if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22: 42. 

 Jesus died to his own will and as we know died on the cross and was buried in a tomb and God raised him from the dead, his blood being accepted by God as the final offering for the sin of the world.   

Josephus recorded Jesus’ resurrection in his book ‘Antiquities of the Jews' 

Book XVIII Chapter 3: 3’     

3. Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ.   

And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”   

Under Grace the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost.                                                       

The Holy Spirit no longer fell on people as they were chosen by God for a particular task. After Pentecost the Holy Spirit was given to all who repented and believed in Jesus and is still received today.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3: 16.

“Jesus said, “I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”   John 12: 46  

Did Paul teach predestination?

Paul in his letter to the Romans wrote, “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren. And those he predestined he also called; and those who he called he also justified; and those who he justified he also glorified.” Romans 8: 28-30.

In the same letter Paul wrote, “But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is the word of faith which we preach) because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, the same Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For, 'every one who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Romans 10: 8-13

In the foreknowledge of Almighty God He knows all things from beginning to end, but in His justice He will give all the opportunity to receive Jesus as their personal Saviour.

Abraham in his conversation with God over His plan to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah said to God, “Will you thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? . . .  Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Through Abraham’s appeal to God’s justice, Lot and his two daughters were saved from the destruction. Genesis 18: 22-19: 29

Predestination would teach us that our place in God’s kingdom is fixed once we have turned to Christ in true faith. This question of knowingly continuing to sin even though Jesus died for sin, this I feel is where predestination falls down.

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound.” Romans 6: 1

John Wesley “For Wesley, good works were the fruit of one’s salvation, not the way in which that salvation was earned. Faith and good works go hand in hand in Methodist theology a living tree naturally and inevitably bears fruit. Wesleyan theology rejects the doctrine of eternal security, believing that salvation can be rejected. Wesley emphasized that believers must continue to grow in their relationship with Christ, through the process of Sanctification.”  

Christians who teach Predestination say that God acknowledges those who have received Jesus as their Saviour and are secure from being turned away from the kingdom of God even though they later in their life they commit apostasy. 

This conflicts with the writer of the letter to the Hebrews wrote that once a person has received the Holy Spirit and the ministry of the Holy Spirit for themselves and then turns away from him, committing apostasy rejecting faith in Christ, then they are cut off from Christ.

“For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have been one enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the  goodness of the word of God and powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.” Hebrews 6: 4-6 

Strong words from the writer of Hebrews, if a person truly repents, I would like to think that Jesus would have mercy.

Updated two days after publication.This morning while continuing to think about it, I realized that the writer of Hebrews was enforcing the 'Ruling rod of iron' the Apostles were setting up the kingdom in expectation of Jesus' return within their life time. "It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Watch therefore-for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at the cock crow, or in the morning, lest he come suddenly and find you asleep." Mark 13:34-36. They had been told to be about their masters business until he returned. Parables Pounds and Talents Luke 19: 11-27. Matthew 25: 14-30. Jesus hoped to return within their life time Matthew 16: 27, 28. Mark 8: 38. 9: 1. Authority given to disciples to retain or forgive the sins of people. John 20:23. Peter retained the sins of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. Acts 5:1-11. Here in Hebrews verse 4 he wrote 'For it is impossible to restore again to repentance . ." which would suggest sins being retained. (www.messiahs-secret-revealed.co.uk for more study on the Messiah's Secret)

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians

“Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in his love to be his sons through Jesus Christ . . .  In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the council of his will; we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1: 3-12.

John Calvin wrote, “When Paul declares that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world he certainly shows that no regard is had to our own worth; for it is just as if he had said, Since in the whole seed of Adam our heavenly Father found nothing worthy of his election, he turned his eye upon his own Anointed, that he might select as members of his body those whom he was to assume (true without proof) into the fellowship of life.”

Calvin  continues, “By saying the Christians of Ephesus were elected before the foundation of the world, he takes away the reference to worth. For what ground of distinction was there between persons who as yet existed not, and persons who were afterwards like them to exist in Adam? But if they were elected in Christ, it follows not only that each was elected on some extrinsic (not contained or included within) ground, but that some were placed on a different footing from others. . . . Whatever virtue appears in men is the result of election.” ‘Calvin Institutes’ page 496
I cannot see how, ‘Whatever virtue appears in men is the result of election” before the foundation of the world could in any way add to our salvation in Christ. Jesus did a complete work of salvation in his death and resurrection.

Adam’s sin is still inherited today, it continues to be passed down the generations. John the Apostle wrote, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”1 John 1: 8. 3: 4-9.

Paul wrote, “For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3: 23.

As I see it there is good in everybody as well as bad, under law a good tree bore good fruit and a bad tree bad fruit, the nature of a person could not and cannot be changed with or without the law.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5: 8. Our nature is transformed by the Holy Spirit’s action upon our turning to Jesus in repentance and faith. ‘Come into my heart Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for thee.”

John Calvin wrote, “Because we know not who belongs to the number of the predestined, or does not belong, our desire ought to be that all may be saved; and hence every person we meet, we will desire to be with us a partaker of peace. But our peace will rest upon the sons of peace.”

John Calvin acknowledges God’s justice in desiring that all should be saved, but then he made it conditional by inferring selection by predestination when he wrote “But our peace will rest on the sons of peace." Page 512

The Church, Christ’s body was in the mind and heart of God before the foundation of the earth. Jesus would have all to abide in him in love and faith. “Many that are first will be the last and the last first.” Mark 10: 31.

“A lady died and went to heaven, on her arrival she looked around for the people she knew. However, to her surprise there were people there who she did not expect. And I would think the same would apply to the other place too.”