One of the biggest plagues in what professes to be modern-day Christianity is that of Calvinism. In a nutshell, which is where the nutjob John Calvin belonged, Calvinism alleges that God predestinated all of us to either heaven or hell before we were even born. In other words, according to Calvinism, our free will choices in this life allegedly have nothing to do with our eternal destinies. This is complete and utter heresy, so I will briefly address this matter at this time.
Whenever this topic arises, there are five different words that appear in scripture that are brought up in relation to the same, and they are as follows:
1. Predestinated or predestinate.
2. Adoption.
3. Earnest.
4. Foreknowledge, foreknow, or foreknew.
5. Election or elect.
It is imperative that we apply the proper biblical definitions to each of these terms or else we are going to come away with wrong doctrine…something of which many churches are presently full. In this post, I am going to address every instance in the Bible where the words "predestinated/predestinate" and "adoption" appear, and I will touch upon the word "earnest" as well. I will CAPITALIZE these words for emphasis each time that they appear within a text as I show what they actually mean, in context, or as I show exactly what Christians have actually been predestinated unto.
The words “predestinated” and “predestinate” appear only four times in the Bible in Eph. 1:5, 11, Rom. 8:29, and 30.
The word “adoption” appears only five times in the Bible in Rom. 8:15, 23, 9:4, Gal. 4:5, and Eph. 1:5.
Seeing how there is only one place in scripture where the words "predestinated" and "adoption" appear in the same verse (Eph. 1:5), I will start there to hopefully show you exactly what predestination is and is not.
We read:
"Having PREDESTINATED us unto the ADOPTION of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will," (Eph. 1:5)
For starters, the "us" who have been "predestinated" are "the saints" or "the faithful in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 1:1). In context, this passage says absolutely nothing about anything that unbelievers were allegedly "predestinated" unto. Furthermore, this passage tells us exactly what "the saints" or "the faithful in Christ Jesus" have been "predestinated" unto, and that is "the adoption of children.”
The underlying Greek word "huiothesia,” which is here translated into English as "adoption,” does not carry the same meaning that our modern-day English word “adoption” carries. Instead, this underlying Greek word literally means “to place as an adult son.”
Christianity in View: Bible Studies - Adoption
christianityinview.com
“The word adoption in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word huiothesia, which means ‘the placing of an adult son’ and refers to the formal act of recognizing the maturity of an adult son. The word is found in five New Testament passages: Rom. 8:15,23: 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5.
The new-born baby is brephos, as in ‘the babe (brephos), lying in a manger...’. The word sometimes refers to the fetus, as in ‘...the babe (brephos) leapt in her womb...’. The believer is also called teknon, a child which is growing up but which is still under parental care. Hence John 1:12, ‘...to them gave he power to become the sons (teknon) of God.’ But the believer is also in union with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is called huios, ‘an adult son’. So, in union with him, we are said to be adult sons also, although we may be brephos or teknon by experience.
To the people living in the predominantly Greek and Roman culture of the 1st Century A.D., the word huiothesia would bring to mind the ceremony of toga virilis, in which a 14-year-old boy went through an investiture ceremony with the adult male members of his family. At this ceremony, speeches of challenge to the youth would be made, and offerings would be made to the gods. Then, the boy would stand in the center of the group and take off the child's garment that he wore. A new adult man's robe, or toga, would be placed on him. This was the toga virilis, the ‘robe of a man.’
At this time, the 14-year-old was given adult privileges and responsibilities. He could conduct business in his own name, could buy and sell property, could marry, could vote in the Assembly, and in many other ways could carry on as an adult citizen. Of course, he was not mature enough or wise enough to exercise all of the privileges he had; and he was not experienced enough to live up to all of the responsibilities. But the seriousness of his position as a citizen was impressed on him; and if he was intelligent and hardworking, he would grow up to be an adult having integrity and character.”
As we just read, the word "adoption," as it is used in the Bible, refers to a Roman coming-of-age ceremony, which would be the equivalent of a Jewish Bar Mitzvah, and Paul perfectly explained this coming-of-age ceremony in Galatians chapter 4.
There, we read:
"Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differs nothing from a servant, though he is lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the ADOPTION of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Gal. 4:1-7)
In Roman culture, if I had a young son who would eventually be my heir, then he would have been "under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father," or until the time of his "adoption," or until the time of his placing as an adult son arrived. In other words, when my son would have reached a certain age, there would have been a coming-of-age ceremony or an "adoption" which would have signified that my son was passing from the classification of a child who "differs nothing from a servant" unto the classification of an adult son. During this ceremony, my son would have been donned with what was called a toga virilis, and the donning of this toga virilis would have conferred important rights and privileges to my son who would have then been deemed to be an adult in society.
Paul used this Roman custom to describe the purpose of "the law" in the life of a believer. "The law" was our "tutor and governor until the time appointed of the father," or until the time came that we were redeemed from "differing nothing from servants" by the blood of Christ, and we received "the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” In fact, Paul referred to this same "Spirit" as "the Spirit of adoption" in his epistle to the Romans.
Turning there, we read:
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of ADOPTION, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the EARNEST expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the ADOPTION, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." (Rom. 8:14-25)
"The spirit of bondage again to fear" pertains directly to "the law," which Paul likened to the bondmaid/bondwoman Hagar in Gal. 4:21-31, and which "genders to bondage" (Gal. 4:24). In other words, "the law" kept people in both "bondage" and "fear" in that it rightly identified what sin was, but offered no deliverance from the same apart from saving faith in Christ.
With such being the case, those who were under "the law" were not only in "bondage" to sin, but they also had a "fearful" expectation of coming judgment. In stark contrast to these, we who have placed our saving faith in Christ have received a totally different "Spirit"…"the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Here is what is interesting, though, and this truth cannot be missed:
Neither our "adoption" nor our "redemption" are yet complete.
No, as Paul himself said, Christians have merely received "the first-fruits of the Spirit,” or what he elsewhere called "the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 1:22, 5:5, Eph. 1:13-14), and we are still "waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Rom. 8:23). Yes, Paul said that this "adoption" or "redemption of our body" is what Christians "hope for" and "with patience wait for it” (Rom. 8:25).
(Continued in my next post)
