September Q&A: Has God Predestined Who Will Be Saved?

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Few biblical words produce more immediate theological tension than predestination. For some, the word provides great comfort. It assures them that salvation rests securely within the eternal purpose of God. For others, it raises troubling questions. Before the world began, did God choose certain individuals to be saved and leave everyone else without any genuine opportunity for salvation? If so, do our choices really matter?

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The Bible unquestionably teaches predestination. Paul wrote that those whom God foreknew, “He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). He told the Ephesians that God “predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself” (Eph. 1:5). The question, therefore, is not whether predestination is biblical. The question is what the Bible means by it.

 

The word predestine means to determine or decide something beforehand. Long before we existed, God had already formed His eternal purpose for our redemption. He chose Jesus Christ as our Redeemer, determined that salvation would be found in Him, and prepared an eternal inheritance for His people.

 

But whom has God chosen to receive that salvation?

 

One view teaches that God unconditionally selected particular individuals for salvation before they were born. His choice was not based upon whether they would believe, obey, or respond to His grace. Those whom God selected will be brought to faith and saved, while those not selected will remain in their sins.

 

Another view teaches that God’s election of individuals is conditional. God eternally determined to save those whom He foreknew would freely respond to His grace through faith. According to this view, salvation remains entirely a gift of grace, but that grace can be either received or rejected.

 

This disagreement raises important questions about the character of God. Does allowing people to accept or reject His grace diminish God’s sovereignty? Would making faith a condition turn salvation into something we earn? How can God’s foreknowledge coexist with genuine human freedom? Is election corporate, individual, or somehow both?

 

This Sunday evening, we will open the Scriptures and consider the question, “Has God Predestined Who Will Be Saved?” We will examine what predestination means, compare the unconditional and conditional views of election, and consider how predestination relates to God’s sovereignty, grace, justice, and desire for all people to be saved.

 

Written by Craig Ressler