Robert, just quoting scriptures does nothing to prove what you want others to believe ~ you must do better than just quoting scriptures. But, I understand why you do so, you do not have an understanding to share with others to give them any light on the subject.
Ephesians 1:5, "Predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ".
Predestination is God choice to appoint, ordain, or fix some person or event beforehand. It is as simple as determining the destiny, not the destination, of a person beforehand. Yes, the term is in the Bible four times, though unknown by most. In each place “predestination” is used, it is related to children and/or their inheritance.
In the case at hand, God chose before creation to appoint certain sinners to be His children. Robert, it is not our choice that determines if we are a child of God or not; it is His choice. God chose to have sinners for His children, so He predestinated sinners to adoption. It is not your choice to become God’s child any more than orphans choose their adoption!
Adoption is based on predestination, which is based on the good pleasure of God’s own will. According to: ‘In a manner agreeing with, consistent with, or answering to; agreeably to. It was God’s pleasure to elect and predestinate some sinners for all spiritual blessings. It was God’s pleasure to reject and leave other sinners for their just deserts to destruction. The basis of God’s compassion or mercy in ones life is His will alone (
Romans 9:15-16). This doctrine is rather clear when describing becoming God’s child (
John 1:13;
3:8).
v11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
The adverb “also” describes the blessing of heaven in addition to the previous blessings.
The blessing of heaven is in the Lord Jesus Christ as well as all those other legal blessings.
Those who have heaven as their destiny were predestinated to it by a very sovereign God.
Heaven
is not offered to men by the gospel; the elect were predestinated to heaven by God.
God works all things after the counsel of His own will, including the acts of devils and men. There is no event in the universe that He does not fully control and use to His glory. He has not been surprised by any event at anytime by any creature, including Eden. He is able to take the evil acts of men and use them for His own glory (
Isaiah 10:5-15).
I'll come back and consider two verses from Romans 8~in the meantime, you should be able to come to give your understanding of those same scriptures, afterall, this is how such discourses work. If you are so much against this truth, then you should be able to tell us why you are. You obviously do
not have the zeal of Jehu but maybe the same spirit of Shemei~2nd Samuel 16?
See also
Daniel 4:35; Psalms 76:10; Proverbs 16:4; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; 15:18; Deut 29:29.
