So my understanding of Reformed Soteriology is that God predestines individuals for salvation from before the foundation of the world. That is to say that he chose who will be saved before he had even created the world. Is this a fair representation of what Reformed Soteriology says?
If so, my question is how?
I also understand from a Reformed perspective (as opposed to what Arminius proposed) this is based of the sovereignty of God, not based on his foreknowledge. As such, how could God predestine me, before I was created (before anything was created), without knowing that I would exist, because it is not based on his foreknowledge?
(Please don't answer by saying that God sits outside of time, so doesn't need to use his foreknowledge to know I would exist - consider foreknowledge to mean a knowledge of thing within time - if we agree that this is what we mean by foreknowledge?)
I can understand that if God was thinking about creation, he could consider than man would sin, and therefore could predestine Jesus to come and be a propitiating sacrifice for the world. But if he knew exactly what would happen to each individual, because that is how he planned it, rather than what he foresaw, then how is free will even possible? I was born dead, my parents ignored the doctors when they said it was hopeless to consider that I could live. The billions of choices that have culminated in me even existing, if they are truly free, could even God actually do the math? Of course yes, but the other question is would he?
Further, if you say that it is a mystery of God. Do we believe that we are made in God's image, able to understand his ways, or at least his ways with the world?
If I may God knew you before the world was formed. You were part of Him. Just as we all were. "ALL things are from God"
In Job, God asks Job the question: "where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth, declare IF thou hast understanding."
Why would God ask a man such a question? Probably because He wanted Job to consider his origins. God knew Job did not.
But as life was promised prior to the world being formed Tit 1:2 it was promised to you and all the rest of us before we were made man.
Now lets consider that Jesus was made to partake of flesh and blood as His brethren were already here on the earth. How so, were the
humans on the earth His brethren? There is a word translated as God called "Elohim" but that word is the plural of El. So what is a plural of
God have to do with us? That is us, Jesus is credited with the worlds being created THROUGH Him. He was the creative word of God and ALL
of us were there side by side working with Him, as leader, the credit went to Him, and I dare say the rest of us did not care one bit. Similar to
the SA node of the heart credited with the beating of the heart but yet all the cells of the heart are responsible for doing their part to make it happen.
The hardest part for most indoctrinated people is abandoning their organizational statements of faith for the actual truth.
If the Holy Ghost is your teacher then you'll get the truth, ALL of it. Just got to pay attention. And believe what He is showing you.
You will be separated from most things you know. ANd usually what He shows you as truth is about 180 degrees opposite of world
belief as far as statements of faith go.
God had a plan and that plan was to have sons that were the spitting image of him. The first to complete the plan was Jesus.
Check the genealogy in Matt 1:1-17 , do the math and
Jesus of Nazareth the man was number 41, after His spiritual begetting at Jordan
He was known as Jesus Christ (42nd) He never took credit for any work that the people saw and said it was the Father that doeth the works.
But after His resurrection He was "declared to be the
Son of God with Power, according to the Spirit of Holiness,
By the resurrection of the dead." For all power in heaven and Earth was given to Him at that time. We see John say that the things Jesus did (got credit for) after He was resurrected were so plentiful that the books that would be written of those things, the world could not contain them.
Big difference from earthly ministry and after resurrection
So whats the pattern? Jesus a man, then Jesus a spiritually begotten Son of God, then a Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.
Can anybody as a man follow His lead? Sure, because we are born men just as He. We who have the Holy Spirit are born of God, and when
resurrected will have the same authority, if we too are overcomers. Rev 3:21
1 Co 15:22-23 As in Adam(fleshly man) all die, even so in Christ(the spiritual body) shall ALL be made alive, But every man in his own order,
Christ the first fruits, then they which are Christs at His coming..............
The thing is Gods desire to have children like Jesus required us to be dipped into a world of good and evil and our memory wiped.
That has created the perfect environment for all to experience what life would be without God, much less God in charge.
You, like me were born under condemnation. Rom 5:18 God then, when the time had come, sent Jesus into the world to pay the sin price
for the sin of the entire world, even for those who have yet to be born, thus justifying everyone unto life. Rom 5:18
There are versions of the Bible that state "There is an order to this resurrection,
Christ as the first of the harvest then those who are Christs
at His coming...........and it stops the story, but there is more to it than what is said in that one verse.
For Paul makes the claim in Eph 1:10 that when the dispensations of the TIMES have been fulfilled He might gather together
ALL things in Christ.
The ALL things are ALL of mankind.
For the resurrection has an order Jesus Christ as Head of the body first, then those who are Christs at the close of this dispensation-another portion of the body of Christ, then as each dispensation of time passes another portion of the body of Christ is resurrected to life eternal,
this continues until the entire body of Christ is complete. Read Eph 2:15-16 its all there in those two verses. The tow are the Jew and the Gentile
and the One new man is the body of Christ, and as it says the Jew and the Gentile are to be reconciled to God in the one body.
And this also fits 1 Co 15:22-23
Which is every man in his own order according to Gods election of each into the body. He does work all things after the counsel of His will?
Back to us being predestinated. It was a certain group of spirits that God had chosen that were a part of Him to be His sons. Thats quite a few billion as a minimum, might be higher. Long time to go before its finished.
God chose you just as He chose everyone before the world was formed, He then calls you unto the faith by removing your blinders and
softening your heart, thus no man can take credit for his own salvation, there is no I accepted therefore I am, that don't cut it with the Father.
Self righteousness it is. You stand in His righteousness or you fall.
Romans 11 gives a good analogy of how and why all people are undeserving but yet all will be saved.
The long and the short of it is it was Gods plan and He is seeing it through, but the majority of the world will not be able to see it much less
hear or read it for it is still hidden from them for now.
