Predestination G4309 and Summary

Does the term ‘predestination’ as used in the Bible (G4309) support the teaching of the ‘doctrine of predestination’, which is defined as ‘God has predestined some persons to eternal happiness and others to eternal punishment’? 

‘horizo’ (Strong’s G3724) meaning to define, to have boundaries, to determine or appoint.  Our English word ‘horizon’ comes from this.  This word is often translated as ‘determined’.

‘proorizo’ (Strong’s G4309) is a related word, meaning to limit in advance.  It’s this word that’s often translated ‘predestine’.

The Greek word ‘proorizo’ (Strong’s G4309), translated as ‘predestine’ is used six times (all as variations) in the New Testament. 

For consistency, I’ll use the ‘netbible’ translation for these verses:

…to do as much as your power and your plan had decided beforehand (prowrizen) would happen. Acts 4:28

…because those whom he foreknew he also predestined (prowrizen) to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  And those he predestined (prowrizen), he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.  Romans 8:29-30

Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before (prowrizen) the ages for our glory. 1 Cor 2:7

He did this by predestining (proorisav) us to adoption as his  sons  through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will – Eph 1:5

In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined (proorisyentev) according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will. Eph 1:11

While these verses definitely support the understanding that God knows ahead of time (outside of creation) who His children are, even before any of the actions of those children have demonstrated this within the physical reality, none of them support the picture of pre-judgment that the doctrine of predestination presents.  

A problem with selecting verses and forming doctrine from them is that all the other verses are then excluded.  God gave His word as a whole, not as unlinked parts.  You are likely to get a distorted view of God and life by taking only parts of what God is teaching.  Here are some verses that counter the doctrine of predestination (ESV):

Do I actually delight in the death of the wicked, declares the sovereign Lord? Do I not prefer that he turn from (repent) his wicked conduct and live?... For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn (repent), and live.  Ezekiel 18:23, 32

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from (repent) his way and live; turn back (repent), turn back (repent) from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 33:11

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  2 Peter 3:9

…who desires all people to be saved and  to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Tim 2:4

The very fact that God has given His Law, along with blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience, presupposes that man is able to obey it.  There is plenty of evidence that God is compassionate, forgiving, merciful, but also just and fair.  He won’t allow disobedience to go unpunished, and at the same time He is generous with blessing for obedience AND with complete forgiveness.  And there is plenty of evidence and teaching in the Bible that God expects man to exercise choice, and to choose well.  And that he will be held accountable for HIS choice.

God is clearly in control, and most certainly has the supreme authourity to do as He wills, in any way He wills. Yet He doesn’t present Himself as the doctrine of predestination teaches, even though He would have the right to. 

A very frequent way God presents Himself is as our Father.  If we’ve been given the physical world to teach us about spiritual things, then the picture of God as Father is demonstrated by the right relationship between a child and the child’s father. 

The father has a plan and purpose for his child, to discipline, teach and shape him into one like himself.  The father doesn’t choose between his children, assigning some to glory in the family, and assigning others to be disinherited and abandoned, purely on the basis of his own decision.  That’s just not done. 

No loving parent assumes their child is evil and incapable of making any good decisions.  On the contrary, a good parent loves, encourages, forgives, and disciplines (even when that is painful for the parent) their child, while aware of their limitations.    

Now if a child is rebellious or a danger to the family, that’s another story.  As an extreme, it certainly is possible for a righteous and loving parent to disinherit a child who is a menace to the rest of the family.  But this isn’t the rule.  And that situation wouldn’t be brought about by the pre-determined plan of the parent, but as a result of the actions of the child.

If we have such pictures granted to us of a right relationship between physical parent and child, how can we uphold any doctrine that absolutely defies this?  How can we read the description God Himself gives of a loving, compassionate, long-suffering, merciful parent, and then choose to believe something completely opposite, as taught by the doctrine of predestination? Especially something clearly unsubstantiated by God’s own teaching?

Why would we dare formulate and even uphold such a doctrine about God?  One that has no parallel in the physical (righteous) world, or in the words of God? 

Money and Trust

Money represents security for most people.  And it’s true that having money can provide a sense of real security.  It IS a blessing to have enough.  It's determining what is 'enough' that's sometimes hard.  To a very poor person, 'enough' may look quite a bit different than 'enough' would look like to a rich person.

It's tempting to put our trust in money or things that money buys.  If we have what we consider is 'enough' then we can be content, right?  We're safe.  We've protected ourselves.

How we handle our money can show us how we act towards God.  It's like a visible example of our invisible thoughts. 

God invites us to trust Him.  What God requires of us begins and is surrounded at all times by this trust.  It's an invisible trust whose visible evidence is obedience.   This is so in all of life, of course, but often most clearly shown in how we handle our money.

And as we look around us at His creation, we can see how God cares for us.  For example, creation teaches us that each morning day dawns, a new start, a fresh beginning.  The evening quiet and dark give us opportunity to be restored in rest.  Night and sleep are like practice times to trust. (Psalm 3:5, 4:8)

All that was created, all that is 'good' was made in and by and through the light, right?  No creation happened in darkness.  God’s creation runs according to an invisible schedule; it's consistent. We're given the moon and stars, so even by night we have a witness of the light of the day that is past and the day to come.  We're never abandoned, are we?

We read that we are 'children of the light' (1 Thess 5:5, John 12:3).  Jesus calls himself the 'light of the world' and says that we too are to be light to the world (John 8:12 and Matt 5:14-15). 

When we look at the appearance of the light in Genesis 1, we can see that it was a response to God's Word, "Let there be light".  It's like the obedience that comes from trust.  God says...and we do...not out of our own will but out of trust in Him and His will.  This is the state of the process of creation.  For every following day, it was the 'light' part of the day that creation happened in.  This 'light' of trusting obedience is where we are to live as children of the light!   Just as creation was a process, so our becoming complete ‘new creations’ is a process.  God can be trusted to finish the work that He began, to conform us to the likeness of Christ.  This happens IN the state of our willing trust, just as creation happened IN the state of light.

On our own, we have little strength.  Our strength to do God's will comes from Him!  We receive this strength as we yield our will to His.  He doesn't take over; He never forces us to obey. He invites us into this state of creation, only it’s not the earth that’s being formed, shaped and filled, it’s us.   Little by little, with rest (and test) periods, He shapes us from a formless, nonfunctioning state, into a state of being complete!

Visible evidence of this process is in how we handle things we formerly believed were ‘ours’.  As we come to recognize that everything belongs to God, and He has given us the role of caring for it (and each other) we begin to realize that the Creator’s ‘manual’ contains all the instruction we need to complete the role He’s called us to. 

Little by little, we will leave behind that state of sinning over and over again, unable to control ourselves.  He will equip us for how we are to live.  We WILL grow stronger in trust, and in obedience.  He invites us to walk alongside Him, humbly being taught by Him, learning to appreciate all He does, and also learning to show others His love by caring for them too.  Its hard work, but He will equip us for it.

As we let go of the belief that anything is ‘ours’ we also are enabled (again, this is a process) to let go of the need to judge someone who’s hurt us, and in that role as judge, to sentence and take retaliation for the hurt.  That doesn’t mean we excuse the action of the one who has hurt us. It means we don’t retaliate…that we let God, Who sees all, be the judge of that person’s action against us.  We can instead (and again, this is a process) practice mercy towards that person.  How many times have I hurt God by my selfish actions?  He showed me mercy.  If I understand that mercy, then I too will show others the same. 

To act justly means to do what is right in God’s eyes, it’s the greatest commandment, which is to love God and do what He says.  To love mercy means to act compassionately towards others; it’s the second greatest commandment, isn’t it?  To walk humbly with God means to go through life living according to God’s design, not trying to become ruler over our own life, but acknowledging in our thoughts and actions that HE rules!  It’s in walking this way that we are enabled to fulfil the commandments of God.

Just like the creation process, step by step!