Predestined

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (Eph 1:3-6 KJV).

God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ. He did this by choosing us before the foundation of the world. Not only did He choose us, but He also predestined us to be adopted as children by Jesus Christ to Himself.

It should be noted that His choosing of us was not based on anything we did. God did not look ahead in His omniscience and think, “Oh, that one will believe, therefore I will predestinate him.” There are those seeking to claw back some human ability who use Romans 8:29 as a proof text for this thought. It reads, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Rom 8:29 KJV). They say that foreknowing is God looking ahead.

Matthew Henry comments: Not, whom he did foreknow to be holy those he predestinated to be so. The counsels and decrees of God do not truckle to the frail and fickle will of men; no, God's foreknowledge of the saints is the same with that everlasting love wherewith he is said to have loved them, Jer 31:3.

Clearly, the idea that God looked ahead to predestinate believers goes against the principle of grace. He adopted us according to the good pleasure of His will to the praise of the glory of His grace. It wouldn’t be grace if we contributed to this transaction. Grace is unmerited favor; otherwise, it is not grace.

Do you realize, dear believer, that God’s election and predestination have made you accepted in Christ (v.6)? In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Eph 1:7 KJV). 

Beloved, look on election and predestination as something to praise. Without God first loving us before the foundation of the world and then predestinating us to adoption, we would be as those whom Jesus said, And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Mat 7:23 KJV).

Let us give God the glory due His name! Amen.