Isaiah - Verse By Verse

Walking through Ephesians - Day 11

versebyverse | October 25, 2007 22:01

Thought:  To me, predestination is easy to understand if we view it from "God's side" (unlimited power) instead of from "our side" (finite minds and very little power at all).

Question:  What is God's central purpose of will?

Scripture:  Ephesians 1:11 (NIV):  "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,"

Compare this with verses 4 and 5:  "for he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will."  These are very similar.  But here in verse 11 we see another aspect:  that God The Father cuases His Masterplan to fit the purposes He has willed to happen.  Everything "conforms" to His purpose.  Now God would not be God if He couldn't do that.  He powerfully reigns in all events, and as Proverbs 16:4 states, "The Lord works out everything for His own ends; even the wicked for a day of disaster."  The wicked are used by God.  He may not have created the evil that rules in the hearts of the wicked, but He created their lives.  And because He is The Source of all things, He controls all things.  He is not unable to control that which He creates.  So, you are saying, why doesn't God control, or even eliminate, evil?  I feel God freely allows evil to exist, to move about and to ripen in certain situations, so that true choices for good may be authentically made.  You cannot  decide to choose good if no evil, (not a suppressed, limited evil, but a full-blown evil), exists as an option.  When the fullness of this ripening of evil is completed, THEN God will destroy evil.  We see this in Revelation.  Thus since God is fully in control, He has indeed set a Masterplan into motion.  Predestination of souls is no objectional problem when we understand it from God's side.  It merely means God knows all things in advance.  So, those who would choose Him are known by Him and thus destined beforehand as "chosen ones."  And they are not choice by merit, only by their heart's desire to select God.  God loves those who want Him, choose Him, decide for Him--not against Him.  These are His beloved, adopted sons.  And, to me, the central purpose of His will is to expand love out from Himself into His creatures by causing them, through choice, to love Him in return, to choose Him over evil.

Prayer:  Dear God, I know I can relax in Your care and trust You.  You will "work out everything" so that all happenings push us to Your pre-determined goal:  the victory of good over evil.  Amen. 

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