Day 67

Of God’s Decree

Chapter 3, Paragraph 7.

“The Doctrine of this high mystery of predestination, is to be handled with special prudence, and care; that men attending the will of God revealed in his word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election;...“

Scripture Lookup

1 Thessalonians 1: 4,5.

2 Peter 1:10.

Reflection

Sometimes I fear maybe I’m not chosen

You’ve hardened my heart like Pharaoh

and that would explain why life is so hard for me

-Aaron Tate, “Prove Me Wrong”

Initially, predestination is a hard doctrine to accept. It can be confusing as well. When introduced to the idea, many ask: if God has chosen some to eternal life, do we evangelize? Can the elect do whatever they want, since they are predestined anyway? How do we even know if someone is elect or not?

This confusion about predestination is why it is important to handle this doctrine “with special prudence and care”. So many, when they learn that salvation is all of God, rush to proclaim that over all other doctrines. We see this in so much of the internet today. How many of the discussions and posts on the web about predestination use care and prudence?

After learning about predestination, and realizing that salvation is not a choice made by the individual, you may wonder if you are part of the elect. Can you know if you are elect? Sam Waldron writes, “If we see faith in Christ, sanctification, perseverance in the Christian life in our own cases, they are present in us only because of electing grace….if they are our possession, we may be sure that we are elect.”

Questions to Consider

• How have you handled the doctrine of predestination?