In love he predestined us …
Summary: Knowledge is a concept that presumes something can be known. Imagination is the tool God gave us to fill in the gaps where knowledge is not possible. In between is a place where people argue over the meaning of words.
Perhaps it was fate that brought us together. God, appearing aloof and seemingly distant, longed for his creation to love him. I, the created, lost, and wandering, needed and wanted to know my Creator. Our meeting felt foreordained.
My God, after all, is omniscient, all-knowing, and all-seeing. He exists outside of time and space (Genesis 1:1). All of creation is his to do with as he pleases. Creation is like a grandfather clock that he built with his own hands, wound up, and started in motion. The ultimate clockmaker, he knows how many “ticks” and “tocks” the clock is capable of. He knows the beginning of the clock and the end. He knows every working part and every part that does not work.
I am a tiny cog in the clockwork of creation. The Creator knows each one of us cogs like he knows the back of his hand. He knows us in the moment, and he knows us within the larger framework of time, outside the moment.
As a small cog in the inner workings of an infinitely large clock, it is hard for me to imagine what the Creator knows. Certainly, such things are beyond my ability to know. Imagination is the only tool I have to even attempt to grasp such a concept.
What does a word like “destiny” even mean to such a being as the Creator? The scope and breadth of his vision are staggering. Time has no meaning to him (Psalm 90:4). Existence as I know it is all within the confines of the clock casing built to hold all the parts.
Is it any wonder that someone who has met the Creator personally would choose to use a word like proorizō? The English equivalent, “predestined,” sounds a bit redundant. It is like saying “irregardless” instead of “regardless.” In the same way, ”predestined” sounds like saying “destined” twice. Yet Paul may have himself been caught up by God outside of the clock (2 Corinthians 12:2). Once a man sees the whole workings of God’s creation, how could you not think that every piece was designed to be the way it is?
So I, the small cog, must allow Paul his use of the word “predestined.” It is not my place to criticize someone hand-picked by Jesus to bring the Gospel to us Gentiles. But, remembering I am only a small cog, I also must approach Paul’s writings with caution and humility. It is not my place, nor is it any other cog’s place, to tell others how the word “predestined” must be understood.
Some people choose to believe that there is no free will. I (using my free will!) choose to believe that God’s infinite knowledge and vision span all of history. Those who live in a world without free will live in a tiny box of their own making. The rest of us enjoy the wonder of God’s creation, every “tick” and every “tock” of his magnificent cosmic clock.
Application: Enjoy the moment God has given you.
Food for Thought: Ponder for a moment the difference between believing that you have no control over anything that happens in your life and believing that every moment of your life presents a critical choice. How do these two different views affect a person’s decisions and thinking?
If I have no control and every decision and movement is predetermined, then I am simply a robot doing what was programmed. Therefore, since there is no choice or free will, nothing really matters. I don’t have to think about consequences, because everything has been predetermined anyway. But if I do have choice and a free will, then I can make the decision to obey my Master and love Him and others. All of a sudden there is purpose and prayer behind everything I do.
Brother Rich,
“Purpose and prayer” sound like a wonderful way to live! Thank you!
02-05-2023, The difference between believing that you have no control over anything that happens in your life and believing that every moment of your life presents a critical choice.
How do these two different views affect a person’s decisions and thinking?
Those who live believing they have no control over events in their life, always have an excuse for their misconduct and all consequences for ones actions is unfair. This will lead to people having no sense of responsibility and total chaos. We see this everyday in cities where defund the police and catch and release policies for criminal acts are becoming a way of life. John 16: 2-3, The time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.
Knowing every moment of our life presents a critical choice is what leads to our salvation and growth as we seek a righteous walk with God. The Holy Spirit convicts all of sin, righteousness and judgement to come. John 16:8, When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.
God’s desire is that all would be saved and come to repentance. He offers salvation to everyone. yet we know that not everyone will be saved.
Titus 2:11,1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9
Ron,
Well said! I can see the advantage to always having an excuse 🙂 but it does take away the sense of responsibility that keeps us on track.
I remember my time in Alaska fondly. The North Country is unforgiving and people who don’t take care of themselves die or suffer greatly. Down here in the “Lower 48” there is a sense that someone will always be there to catch you if you fall. It is disincentivizing.