Purpose: Predestination Part II

PURPOSE: PREDESTINATION

Philippians 3:1

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

The things that are contained within the boundaries of the faith are the life of Christ and the mind of Christ.

However, the things that form the boundaries of what we are to believe are: Oneness, Faith, Suffering, and the Purpose of God. Everything God intended for us is contained within these boundaries. Therefore, if we are going to walk in the Spirit, it is imperative that we learn the things God has purposed for us to learn. In other words, we must learn the things that form the boundaries of the Faith.

God has determined what we are to know and experience about Him and our salvation. The scriptures declare that we will not know everything about God now; but when He comes we will know, even as we are known.

If we hear anything taught outside the boundaries of the faith, we know that which is being taught is not the will of God for us. For instance, there are doctrines that teach that the saints are not supposed to suffer; however, there are scriptures that declare we are appointed to suffer. Among others, we have: For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake (Philippians 1:29). If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us (II Timothy 2:12).

Another erroneous teaching that has permeated the Body of Christ is: the Faith of God is to be used to gain the material things of the world. Contrary to this popular thought, the scriptures teach that the Faith of God is for things that can only be produced by God; things we cannot see. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). The material things (cars, houses, etc.) that we can see were produced by man and man also formulated a way for us to obtain these things.

Let’s look again at the purpose of God as defined in the following scripture:

Ephesians 3:9-10

9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

God’s intent or purpose is to use the church to reveal to principalities and powers His manifold wisdom. We have been chosen to be partakers of the Church; and God wants to use us to show the devil, his angels and demons in heavenly places His (God) manifold wisdom. God wants to show them that He can take the same creatures that Satan tried to destroy, and conform them into the express image of Jesus Christ; and they will love and serve Him (God).

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose

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Looking at the above scripture ‘line upon line’, we know that all things will work for our good because we love the Lord. All things (whether good or bad) work together for good to them who love God. Jesus said, if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. How can bad things work for our good; and what is the guarantee that they will work for our good?

Some might say, “If I love the Lord by walking in the Spirit to keep His commandments and my reward is bad things are happening to me, how is this working for my good?”

Before I answer that question, I want to say if we are walking outside the boundaries of the faith and bad things are happening to us, those bad things are not working for our good; they work toward our demise. When we continue walking outside the boundaries of the faith, there are some attributes we can put on display that will cause us to cross the line of demarcation. For instance, one of the things that really grieves the Holy Spirit and will cause Him to fight against us is stubbornness. The Bible refers to us as fools when we walk in stubbornness. To be stubborn means to pull away the shoulder or to harden our heart.

All things work together for good to them who love God. What about the people who are born again, but choose to walk in stubbornness? The scriptures declare that he who knows the ways of God, but refuses to walk in them, is a fool. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but wise (Ephesians 5:15). So then, when we are stubborn as it relates to godliness, we are fools. Stubbornness will cause us not to hear God. He may speak through a child to tell us the things that we should not be doing, and stubbornness will cause us not to hear Him. However, were it not for our stubbornness, we would realize that it is God speaking to us. God knows when He has made an impression on you. If your conscience bothers you, then you need to realize that God is talking and hear Him.

Let’s look at the next part of

Romans 8:28, “to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Called means to be invited, assigned or appointed to His purpose, will or desire.

Romans 8:29

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.

Another word used for “for” is “because”; this explains how God would accomplish what He said in the 28th verse.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28);

(Because) whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate. . .

The guarantee that all things will work together for good, is to them who love the Lord. In other words, if you love God, all things are going to work for your good. This answers one of the previous questions: what is the guarantee that it will work for my good? Everything that happens (good or bad) will have a positive influence on your life. To answer the question: How can bad things that are happening to me, work for my good? It is working something that will enable you to walk in your purpose. Wherein, if God did not allow those negative things to happen, the things that need to be working in you, won’t work in you, because you won’t gain the experiential knowledge that would have come with the trial(s).

Ephesians 3:7

Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Paul is saying he was made a minister by the effectual working of grace (God’s influence in the heart that is reflected in the life).

God will create situations and circumstances that are designed to work something in us; to enable us to walk in our real purpose. We won’t be enabled unless we go through something. Furthermore, we won’t know the power in us, if we don’t endure hardness as a good soldier. Unless we are faced with adversity, we will not know the power of God that works in us.

Psalm 119:165

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

We will not be able to work the purpose of God if we are always offended.

God is faithful to allow Satan to create circumstances to try our faith; consider Job. The difference between Job and us, is that we have something on the inside that he did not have; The Comforter. If God decided that He wanted to place the trials of Job on us, if we walk in obedience inside the trial, we will be at peace, because we have God on the inside; for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17). The Comforter brings us peace that passes all understanding. The world doesn’t understand when we are not moved by what we go through.

`When we are confident that all things are working together for our good, nothing God tells us to do will be offensive. We will not know this without the experience; without the trial. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience (James 1:2- 3).

Having the Comforter, we can say, ‘The Lord gives and the Lord takes away’. Great peace do we have and nothing will offend us.

Romans 8:29

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.

Foreknow – Those who God knew before the foundation of the world; before the world was.

Conformed – Changed

All things are working together for our good, because God knew us before we were born; therefore, He predetermined that we would be changed into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. The reason He knows all things are working together for our good, is because He knows what is going to happen in our life. We are on a journey from birth to death, with a destination of either heaven or hell.

Before we were ever created, we were chosen to be in Christ; even before the foundation of the world. God is so great!! He has foresight; and foresight gives Him foreknowledge. He saw our future before we ever came into existence. In His foresight, He saw our whole lives. He intervenes in our life with things designed to draw us to Him. Judas Iscariot is a good example of this; God put him there to walk with Jesus. Even though He walked with Jesus, he did not embrace all that the others embraced. God knew what was in Judas. On the contrary, Jacob was not like Judas; although Jacob was a crooked man (supplanter), he changed when he came in contact with God. God used Judas as a traitor, knowing that even though he would walk with Jesus, he would not change. God predestines us according to our choices.

God knows when we will give ourselves over to Him; and He knows the purpose that He wants to fulfill in us. He will allow trials and tests to come our way to strengthen us for His purpose. Each trial builds character. When our purpose becomes clearer, we will have the character needed to walk in the plan God has for our life.