“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Ephesians 1:4-6, NIV).

Picture a younger version of yourself on a school playground. One of the older kids is choosing participants for his team. You hear the names of your friends being called and you wonder if you will be chosen to play. Soon, your anxiety is relieved as you hear your name announced. You have been chosen, and to your surprise, so has everyone else. Now it’s up to you. Will you participate?

The above scenario is meant to get us thinking about this idea of predestination, that God has chosen us in Christ. So many people struggle with the notion that they could ever be good enough to be chosen by God. The simple fact is that we are not good enough, but that God has chosen us anyway. That is what grace is, that God looks at us, not based on our own goodness, but on the merits of Jesus and his demonstration of love for us on the cross.

Yes, you are chosen by God, just like the example from the playground. Still, it is up to you as to whether you want to participate in God’s goodness and grace. I can hardly imagine a scenario where anyone would choose to walk away from the forgiveness that God offers through Jesus, but it happens. May we desire to live lives worthy of our calling, for we are chosen.

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Ephesians 1:4-6, NIV).

The above passage, written by the Apostle Paul, was meant to provide comfort and a strong sense of spiritual security to the young Church in Ephesus. It is meant to do the same for us today. Paul states that we were chosen, even before the world began, to be righteous in the sight of God. This is certainly a righteousness not of own making but rather a gift of God’s grace expressed through the cross of Jesus. Paul further states that we are adopted as sons and daughters, members of God’s holy family.

In Part 1 of my look at predestination, I examined the doctrine of double predestination, the idea that God has chosen some individuals to be saved and others to be condemned. I argued that this is a false doctrine and damaging to the faith of salvation-concerned Christians. Still, I don’t want to dismiss one view of predestination without providing an alternative way of thinking about this topic. So, following is my attempt at providing an analogy that will hopefully help us think about this difficult doctrine.

Picture a younger version of yourself on a school playground. One of the older kids is choosing participants for his team. You hear the names of your friends being called and you wonder if you will be chosen to play. Soon, your anxiety is relieved as you hear your name announced. You have been chosen, and to your surprise, so has everyone else. Now it’s up to you. Will you participate?

In my next post, we’ll break down this simple analogy. In the meantime, know that you are in fact chosen by God. Until next time, live in God’s grace and peace as a true child of the King.

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:11-12, NIV).

With any of the big words of the faith, there is often disagreement among the various denominations and individual theologians. Such is the case with the doctrine of predestination. As I share my particular viewpoint on this issue, my prayer is that the diversity of our thoughts and ideas would only add to the richness of our understanding.

Predestination is the idea that God wills or ordains that certain people will come to faith in Christ and therefore be saved. The logical conclusion, then, is that God chooses other people who will be condemned. This is often referred to as double predestination. In my opinion, this view is lacking in Scriptural support and can be quite dangerous to the faith of Christians.

Scripture is quite clear that God “…wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Jesus himself remarked concerning the hard-hearted Pharisees, “ ‘…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing’ ” (Matthew 23:37, NIV). From these and so many other passages we come to understand that the ultimate desire of God is for all individuals to attain salvation through faith in Christ.

(To Be Continued)

“…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24, NIV).

“Justification” is another big word in the Christian faith. It is a judicial term meaning that someone who has done something wrong is suddenly declared innocent. In Christian theology the term “justified” means that we, as guilty sinners, are proclaimed righteous before a God who is perfect and just.

Justification can be discussed in a couple of different ways. We can say that universally Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross bought forgiveness for all people. In this regard, every sin of every person has been paid for by the shed blood of Christ. This truth, however, does not mean that all people are eventually saved. Only through faith in what Jesus has done does a person lay hold of this precious gift of God’s grace.

Simply put, Jesus died to remove the soul-staining sin of each of us. Still, this gift must be received by faith. May God lead each of us to believe this truth and so receive the gift he freely offers.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” (John 1:1,14, NIV).

“Incarnation” is one of the big words of the Christian faith. It simply means that God, in Jesus Christ, took on human flesh and lived among us. This is a precious mystery, that we would witness both God and man, divinity and humanity, simultaneously in the Christ, a mystery that means everything concerning God’s redemptive act and our subsequent salvation.

Like any of the big theological words, however, there is danger in misrepresenting the doctrine of the Incarnation. This is not some mere mathematical formula, cold and calculated. Rather, the Incarnation is one of the sweetest truths of the Christian faith. It is God’s unconditional love wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger. It is God’s mercy and grace put on display on the cruel device of a cross. It is God’s power bursting forth from a vacated tomb. The Incarnation of Jesus is the realization that the Creator cares for his creation so much that he chose to become one of them.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1, NIV).

Today is Independence Day in the United States of America. This is the day we recall the many freedoms we have in our country. We are truly blessed to live in such a great land. We celebrate with family and friends, enjoying the finest of food grilled over hot coals, lively parades, and festive fireworks.

Still, the Fourth of July would not be complete without some meaningful reflection concerning the source of our freedom. We remember the many brave men and women who currently serve in the military and those who have served our country in the past to ensure that we can live freely. Many of these individuals paid the ultimate price, giving their very lives to purchase and maintain our freedom.

Scripture speaks of another type of freedom that is just as much worth celebrating as our nation’s Independence Day. Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, his blood-shed payment for our sins, we are declared free. Our victory is over death, our transgressions, even the Devil himself.

The Apostle Paul was one of the first individuals to share this liberating truth. He visited and wrote letters to many of the churches in the region of Asia Minor. One of these churches was located at a place called Galatia.

For the Galatian Christians, their spiritual freedom was under attack. A group known as the Judaizers had followed-up on Paul’s message of the good news Gospel of Christ with a message of their own, convincing new Gentile converts that, in order to be true Christians, they had to follow a list of rules and rituals. Paul’s stern reminder to the Galatian people was that they were sons and daughters, adopted by God, not slaves under the Law. They were in no way to return to the bonds of legal indebtedness, but were to live in the freedom of a relationship with their graceful God.

Like the Galatians, we, too, possess a certain level of freedom as Christ-followers. And, although we should watch that this freedom does not become a license for sin, returning us to a state of spiritual slavery, we are free to love God and serve others.

Thank God today for the many freedoms we have as Americans. More importantly, remember to thank God for the freedom we have in Christ. We are citizens of a great country. We are adopted sons and daughters of a great God. Let’s celebrate!

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8, NIV).

I love the image of God strolling through the Garden of Eden. And I hate the idea that Adam and Eve felt like they needed to hide from God. As the Creator admired all that he had made, creation’s crowning achievement hid behind the trees. This picture could have been so much more complete if only the couple had chosen to walk alongside God rather than to run from God. Still, it is so telling of our sinful human condition.

One of the descendants of Adam and Eve was Enoch. While very little is written about him, we are told that “Enoch walked faithfully with God…” (Genesis 5:24, NIV). The same is said of Noah, another descendant of Adam and Eve. Whether the phrase “walked faithfully” is taken literally or more figuratively, the idea is that each of these men had a close relationship with God.

My desire is to walk faithfully with God, to know him even as I am known by him, to move in-step with him, and at times, to be carried by him. But, so often I take other wayward and faithless paths.

Still, God is faithful. In Jesus, he came once again to walk with us. The path he walked led to the cross, where he died to save us. And I am eternally grateful.