PREDESTINATION

Yesterday I wrote that Calvinists always seem to read any teaching in Scripture about God's "sovereignty" as "utter determinism". 

"Sovereignty", though, is not their only misunderstanding. I believe they also miss what Paul means by predestination.

Sometimes I hear Calvinists say, "You can't avoid talk of predestination - it's right there in the Bible."

And it is.

So it is very important to understand what Paul means when he speaks of it. 

It's a word Paul uses only 5 times.

In Romans 8:29 & 30

Ephesians 1:5 & 11

And 1 Corinthians 2:7

People get tripped up over their assumptions regarding "predestination", but if you look closely, Paul is simply saying that Jesus' life and death and resurrection - and the inclusion of the Gentiles in God's salvation plan - was always God's plan, even before the world was created. This is what was predestined. 

I believe that 1 Timothy 1:9b-10 is an example of Paul repeating this basic teaching - without using the term "predestination":

"This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

God had a plan in place from the beginning. A very expensive plan. 

It was the work of Christ that was predetermined. Not who would go to heaven and who would perish.