And we know that all
things work together
for good to those who
love God, to those
who are the called
according to His purpose.
For whom He foreknew,
He also predestined
to be conformed to
the image of His Son,
that He might be the
firstborn among
many brethren.
Moreover whom He
predestined, these He
also called;
whom He called He
justified,
these He also
glorified.
Romans 8:28–30
Romans
8:28; a verse so well known and quoted by many Christians, especially when
things in this life go bad, and it is true all things work together for good,
but not to all, only to those who love God. We quote this verse and use it as
proof that God saves us because He loves us; this is far from the truth. If
this were true then we need not preach, forgiveness and we certainly do not
need to examine this doctrine of predestination and election. Why is this not
true? Because it is untrue by making the cross unnecessary and the redemption
by the death of Jesus Christ unnecessary because God loves us and forgives us
because a sinless man died to pay the debt that a once sinless man
became sinful and passed that sinfulness to all his progeny. God sees us and
forgives us by looking at the cross; the death of His Son Jesus Christ who
became a curse for us and by His death became Savior. The justice of God
demanded death, and death came, therefore all men are doomed to die. For God to
not keep to His justice would make God an unjust God. Anything that belittles
or in some way obliterates this will obliterate and make to nothing the
holiness of God, and all false views do just that, the make God and His love
untrue and diminishes to nothing the work on the cross by Jesus Christ. God did
not save any out of pity, or out of some sympathetic feeling, no, He saves us
by Divine Decree and that Decree was set forth before the foundation of the
world. It is only by the mercy of God, and the work of dying on the cross by
Himself, the Son, the very Wisdom of God, propitiation as He was saves. Whom
God saves then is at the core of this study. Is it all? If so then why would
Jesus die? Why, not just save everyone? Christians called the elect: why? Why
were Christians foreordained before the foundation of the world when they were
not even alive, created, or did good or bad? God even states by Paul that He
justified those He called and glorified those He called before the foundation
of the world. Paul makes clear in verse 29 that those God foreknew, and this
before the foundation of the world, are those whom God saves. The choosing by
God was before all things: “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His grace, by which He made
us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:4–6).
Scripture speaks of this doctrine from the Old Testament to the New
Testament, it is everywhere, and no theologian, no person can deny this fact:
Scriptures speaks of predestination and election. This doctrine speaks to the
Sovereignty of God. Therefore, God’s Sovereignty is at the heart of this
question on this doctrine. There is much debate, many theories, and much
confusion. Pastors, ignore, to address this doctrine with those who attend
Church. It has become easy to speak of God in soft words, and in loving terms,
and making God so loved, that He would not save some and not others. Yet, this
is not what the Bible teaches. As pointed out above, God did not save you out
of sympathy, out of some regret, some feeling of pity for His creation. God
saved you out of His mercy through His Son and not out of any other reason. The
first thing that we must remember: God is not a Being as we are, He is a
different sort of Being: we are finite and He is Infinite. How can the finite
know anything about the Infinite, if the Infinite did not reveal something
about himself? He can not! To say anything different is to find fault with God
and this is what this means when we accuse God, or those who teach about
predestination and the elect, and the Sovereignty of God; they resist the will
of God as plainly taught in His Word. This is what we will examine. We do not
want to speak ill of God, or to hold anything against the will of God: we want
the truth: don’t you? First premise: But indeed, O man, how are you to reply
against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made
me like this?’ “does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same
lump t make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting
to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make know the
riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had prepared before hand
for glory” (Romans 9:20-23). We are required to walk according to His
requirements and walk according to the Spirit and not sinful flesh: therefore,
we must address this much debated and confused doctrine so that we can grow in
our spiritual life, not just hearing good sounding words that titillate our
ears and excite our emotions, no, we grow in wonder and love that God in His
mercy through the sending of Hs Son to die to pay His justice for sin, and this
complete known, determined before all time. Praise God! God saves and He saved
you, and this not of yourself, rather by the will of God. Therefore, in
humbleness we serve Him in all we do and say.
No one calls for justice,
Nor does
any plead
For truth. They trust in empty
Words and
speak lies;
They conceive evil and bring
Iniquity.
Isaiah 59:4
Humbly bow before our God and Savior
Richard L. Crumb
