The topic of predestination has been a controversial subject in Christian circles for many years. Some Christians believe that God chose everyone who would be saved before He even created the world. Others, however, believe that human beings have free will and the ability to choose to come to Christ. While the former may have been the prominent view of the American church at one time, it appears the latter has risen in popularity. According to Ligonier Ministries’ 2022 State of Theology survey, forty-five percent of Evangelicals do not believe “God chose the people he would save before he created the world,” and seventeen percent were unsure if they agreed or disagreed with the statement.[1]
But like I’ve often said before on this blog—we must determine our beliefs from Scripture, not from the culture or our own personal feelings. After all, the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God. It is God’s revelation of Himself and His will to mankind, and it is a far more reliable source of truth than our culture or our feelings.
So, what exactly does the Bible say about predestination? Does God choose who will be saved?
While many people may not exactly like the idea of predestination, it actually is a biblical concept. Paul wrote in his letter to the Roman church,
“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30, ESV
Our God is a sovereign God, and He has predestined everything that has taken place on this earth, including our salvation (Acts 4:27-28)! Our salvation, our justification, and our future glorification were predestined and predetermined before we were born (Galatians 1:15), before the ages began (2 Timothy 1:9), before even the foundation of the world was created (Ephesians 1:4-5). Because God predestined us for salvation, we can be assured that we are not saved by our obedience or good works. Instead, we are saved by the grace and love of God. Jeff Medders writes,
“If you believe in Christ, it’s because God decided to save you long before you saw you needed to be saved. Before you were born, God already loved you.”[2]
There is nothing we can do to earn or contribute to our salvation. Only those who have been predestined and appointed by God can and will believe in Christ and be saved (Acts 13:48).
You might be thinking—wait a minute. Don’t we choose to believe in Jesus? Don’t we choose to repent of our sins? Don’t we choose to become Christians? Surely there’s something we contribute to our salvation! While it might seem like it is our own choice to become Christ followers, we only have that choice and make that choice because God already chose us. Jeff Medders also writes,
“God chose you before you chose him. You freely chose to put your faith in God because God had freely chosen to bring you to faith.”[3]
If you don’t want to take Jeff’s word for it, then take Jesus’ word—
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide,” John 15:16a
We who are Christians are a chosen people, a chosen race, set apart to serve God, to worship God, and to proclaim His excellencies (1 Peter 2:9). God does not call or choose people based on who they are and what kinds of things they do. He calls us based on His sovereign, divine will (Romans 9:11). This is also known as the doctrine of unconditional election. We are elected to salvation not by our merits, but by God’s unconditional love for us, His chosen ones. And those who were not chosen, who were not called, who were not predestined cannot and will not be saved (John 6:44).
Does God choose who will be saved? According to Scripture, He absolutely does. Out of His great grace and mercy, He has chosen to save and redeem you and me and every other Christian who has ever lived. He did not have to do this, but He wanted to do this, because He loves us like His own children and wants us to spend eternity with Him.
But you may be wondering where evangelism fits into all of this. After all, if God has already chosen who will be saved, what is the point of spreading the gospel? While it’s true, that God has already appointed those whom He will save and that there is nothing we contribute to our salvation, we must still respond to His call of salvation to be saved. And to respond to this call of salvation, people must hear the good news of the gospel.
“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” Romans 10:14-15
[1] “Key Findings,” The State of Theology, accessed February 28, 2023, https://thestateoftheology.com.
[2] J.A. Medders, Humble Calvinism (The Good Book Company, 2019), 76.
[3] Ibid., 80.
