I know this post is going to be very controversial from the moment it hits the progressiveu page, but it has been something that has been on my heart a lot lately. I was afraid to post anything on the subject of predestination (the idea that God chooses those who will come to know Him as personal Lord and Savior) because I was frightened that it would cause people to think that God is hateful and selective. Upon further thought, I realized that if the Holy Spirit is the One who draws people to Himself, then I have no fear of sharing what I believe to be the truth of God's character. It may be hard to swallow, but here it is....
Genuine faith in Christ is based on the initiation of the Holy Spirit. This is clearly evident in the life of Paul who was struck blind by the Holy Spirit on the way to Damascus. His original intent for this journey was to put many Christians in prison and persecute them. God, of course had other plans. The Lord spoke to him saying, "Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?" From there, the rest is history (no pun intended), He began preaching the Gospel to the very people he had intended to put to death.
This may seem hateful for God to choose those who come to know Him, but then who are we to judge the character of God? It says in the Bible that "for the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (2 Corinthians 1:18). God's wisdom is far greater than any man can know and "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."
I for one am glad that genuine faith comes only from the Holy Spirit because if it were up to me, I am certain I would lose my salvation. But the Bible says that it is the Holy Spirit who saves and the Father who holds our salvation in His arms. Once we have become genuinly saved, there is nothing that can take us from the Father's hands or from His perfect love. Genuine faith lasts for eternity because it is a freely given gift from the Holy Spirit.
I certainly do not understand the character of God, but I know that as I read His Words I come to know him better. My original fear of posting this blog melts away...because the fear of posting it totally contradicts what I am trying to say. No matter how mad people get about this post and no matter how many nasty comments I receive about it, I know that God remains faithful and sovereign. He will open the hearts of those who need to hear and reveal Himself to those who He has chosen before the foundation of the world. Who am I to believe that I am the one who can bring others to know Christ? That is not my job; my job is to share Christ with others because He is willing to use me and then I allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest. The reason I share? (And I beg you not to think I am cramming this down people's throats because I am not!) Because I want others to know of His love. I have no way of knowing whether the Holy Spirit will choose to move in your own heart, so I want to tell you about the greatest love story ever told! I wouldn't share unless I was absolutly sure that God is real and that God is love!
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Tsk, tsk. Lot's of posts.
Well, at least they're good posts.
I have two problems with predestination. One is the one you pointed out. God chooses who accepts him and, therefore, who gets to heaven. Weren't you one of the people who said that god wouldn't reveal himself because that would remove free will. The fact is that if god creates people who he knows will go to hell, then yes, that is hateful. He is creating people who will, no matter what they do, suffer for an eternity.
The second is that predestination does, in fact, counter free will. It is a contradiction of genesis. Man was created with free will. If everything is predetermined, then there is not, in fact, free will.
"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything."
Friedrich Nietzsche
I think God draws all of us to Him. Just some people decide to listen and believe, while others don't. It's all part of the free will thing.
EXCellent post. And a power-filled witness. Something all who seek the Lord should examine. Great job.
The Holy Spirit does some pretty amazing things when we allow Him to work through us, doesn't He? Praise Him!
"If imperfections are what make us beautiful, then I must be a total babe!"
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/missionsminded-maiden
Well my problem with election, is that I don't think there is a doctirine of exclusion, it just doesn't fit the character of God. But, the Bible does talk about how God "elected" people to be saved. The way I see it is that God made the decision for as a whole. When he created the Heavans and the Earth he realized that some people would be saved and others would not. I think this is how elected people, by simply creating the Earth.
Good post though. I'm definitely not certain that what I wrote above is true. I've had to struggle with the concept my self. At my Christian College, Cedarville University, there are many people who argue about this. This is not an easy subject.
Believe me, this is a topic that I have tossed and turned in my head for so long. It certainly is a tough issue to discuss, and I once heard this quote about predestination that should alleviate any dispute that surrounds the matter. "As far as predestination is concerned. God may know who is predestined before the foundation of this world, but we certainly do not so why don't we go win everyone for Jesus?" I thought that made perfect sense, but I do believe in the authority of God's Word no matter how it may seem to my often finite mind.
This must be a small, small world because I have a huge past with Cedarville University. Not only did my mom, dad, aunts, and uncles go there but my uncle is the head of the department of communications there. Professor Chuck Elliott ring a bell at all? How crazy! I love Cedarville, and I would have attended there had God opened the door financially but the tuition was way too far out of range for our family. God is still working things together for good though.
Feel free to send my a private message and if you have a facebook, perhaps we can talk on there too! Thanks for dropping by!
"If imperfections are what make us beautiful, then I must be a total babe!"
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/missionsminded-maiden
Wow. awesome post, you said it perfectly. I guess some of the controversy arises out of the actual interpretation of the word predestination. I know there are those that believe predestination means that there are a select (few?) group of people that will go to heaven, which is taking the idea of predestination a bit too far. I personally believe that God is (as my dad puts it) knocking at our hearts but its our decision whether or not to let Him in. I obviously believe that God is all-knowing which is really overwhelming to think about.
in regards to your post about Paul, while i do agree that it seems weird that God chooses people, at the same time i'd have to ask What was it that brought you to Christ in the first place? probably the same things that brought Paul to Christ, well minus the whole being blinded by God thing.
Great post!