How did God choose and predestine us to be saved?

ViaCrucis

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If I accept the theory of predestination, can I consider it is a GRACE of God to to choose me, give me faith, strengthen my heart to believe in Jesus Christ and be saved?

Should I consider it a Grace of God that He had determined to bestow on me before creation?

How could it not be grace?

Jesus Christ died for you. Two thousand years ago, when He hung on that cross, it was for you.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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Lukaris

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I believe predestination with God is that God is always ( Exodus 3:14 ) & we exist only in time. We still have the capability to know right from wrong ( for ex.) see Ezekiel 18:4-9, Ezekiel 33:12-20, Psalms 15 etc.). I believe the predestination a Christian has is an assurance of salvation
by grace ( Ephesians 2:8-10) in which our commitment is required ( Hebrews 2:1-3).

As far as the non Christian, we cannot know particularly who will be saved or unsaved since we are not justified by works. We should also realize that God clearly values good works with a pure heart ( see the Beatitudes Matthew 5:1-12, we are not to judge ( Matthew 7:1-12), that God will judge ( see Romans 2:11-16 within the overall context of Romans 2). God will determine the good from the bad in all of us ( see Daniel 12:1-4, John 5:22-30).


It is our part to pray for all ( see 1 Timothy 2:1-6, Matthew 6:9-13 etc.).
 
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Clare73

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I believe predestination with God is that God is always ( Exodus 3:14 ) & we exist only in time. We still have the capability to know right from wrong ( for ex.) see Ezekiel 18:4-9, Ezekiel 33:12-20, Psalms 15 etc.). I believe
the predestination a Christian has is an assurance of salvation
by grace ( Ephesians 2:8-10) in which our commitment is required ( Hebrews 2:1-3).
Predestination is to rebirth, salvation and perseverance of unregenerate (John 3:3-8), condemned (Romans 5:18) ones.
As far as the non Christian, we cannot know particularly who will be saved or unsaved since we are not justified by works. We should also realize that God clearly values good works with a pure heart ( see the Beatitudes Matthew 5:1-12, we are not to judge ( Matthew 7:1-12), that God will judge ( see Romans 2:11-16 within the overall context of Romans 2). God will determine the good from the bad in all of us ( see Daniel 12:1-4, John 5:22-30).


It is our part to pray for all ( see Timothy 2:1-6, Matthew 6:9-13 etc.).
 
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BBAS 64

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If I accept the theory of predestination, can I consider it is a GRACE of God to to choose me, give me faith, strengthen my heart to believe in Jesus Christ and be saved?

Should I consider it a Grace of God that He had determined to bestow on me before creation?

Good Day, LayHong

Not strength of heart but an new heart yes it was a gracious work of of God He had a purpose and intention in doing that work.

He is the ( primary sufficient )cause of your ability to both believe and repent they are both commands.
The effect is that you both repent and believe just as He intended.

Eze 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Salvation is of the Lord.

In Him,

Bill
 
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TedT

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If I accept the theory of predestination, can I consider it is a GRACE of God to to choose me, give me faith, strengthen my heart to believe in Jesus Christ and be saved?

Should I consider it a Grace of God that He had determined to bestow on me before creation?

I believe that GOD created everyone in HIS image, ie, able to become a proper Bride for HIM, with a free will and an equal ability and opportunity to choose to put their faith, their upraven hope, in HIM as GOD and Saviour OR to put their faith, their unproven hope, in HIM being a lair and therefore a false god...

Our FAITH is our own, not predestined! By choosing our own eternal FATE by faith when we chose our eternal relationship with HIM, HE then predestined us to salvation by election so when some chose to be sinful in HIS sight, He gave them predetermined LIVES to end in the heavenly marriage properly redeemed and sanctified.

The reprobate also self determined their eternal fates by their free will and live predetermined lives for the edification of the sinful sheep gone astray...

In short, predestination is GOD's affirmation of, not the cause of, our free will choice by faith accepting or rejecting YHWH as our GOD. Faith, pro or con, then predestination.
 
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Mark Quayle

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God is first cause, so logically, yes. All causes besides him are logically descended effects of prior causes.

"All things were made by him and without him was nothing made that was made."

This does not imply the monstrous things people think it does. God caused that there be sin, but he is not the author of sin. Satan is. Nor is God to blame for the sin of his creatures —they are fully to blame.

Every argument I have heard against this depends on human notions, and human sloughing of words to mean one thing but have the sound of another use.
 
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BBAS 64

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I think we must first be humble in front of God, then it is easier for the Holy Spirit to touch us and change us.
Good Day, LHLC

I think God must humble us, and that is the work and change that only He alone can accomplish.

The heart of the king is in the hand of God he turns it where ever He chooses.


In Him,

Bill
 
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Clare73

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There is no where in The Bible where it states God has predestine people to Eternal Life.
Ro 8:29: those he predestined. . .he also glorified (eternal life).
 
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Samson2021

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I chose you, you did NOT choose me.
No man can come to the Son except the Father draw him. Is it our free will that allows God to draw us? Or is it according to His
predetermined timing that He draws each man.

1 Co 15:22-23 Only God has the order and fulfills it according to His schedule.
 
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Samson2021

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The answer to the original question can be seen in what God did to Adam and his rib.
The only thing in all the creation that was suitable to be the help mate for Adam was something from within Adam,
his rib, a thing close to his heart, and incapable of self sustaining life unless changed into a new human body.

Spiritually, the same can be said of the children of God. They were a part of Him, dear to Him, and destined by Him to become His children
with ALL the characteristics of Him. And since they were chosen to become His children, nothing in all the created or spiritual realm could
suffice except something from within Himself. US. We, however; as humans, are not capable of sustained life, the rib, by design, as the fall was
right at the beginning of mankind. And God sentenced all to die at Adams disobedience.
We, once changed by the new Spiritual life given to us through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, are in a gestational phase of becoming
what He is as He matures us. He is the Author and FINISHER of our faith and perfected faith brings the full stature of the measure of Christ
which brings with it the fullness of God. Eph 3:19 and Eph 4:13

Now to add a teaser. What was the woman capable of doing once she received seed from her husband? Bring forth life?
In the flesh of course in this example.
But what is the expectation from the BRIDE of Christ? Is it not to bring forth spiritual life after receiving the seed from the bridegroom?
Are not all these who are born of the seed of Christ also born of the Spirit of God as was Jesus? What then, once glorified, will be
their limitations, if any?
 
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d taylor

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Ro 8:29: those he predestined. . .he also glorified (eternal life).
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.

Nothing about being predestine to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life in Romans 8:29.
This verse is stating that God has predestine believers to be conformed to the image of The Messiah. He(God) forekenw there would be believers and these believes will be conformed to the image of His Son. And that Jesus is the firstborn example of this.
 
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Clare73

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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.

Nothing about being predestine to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life in Romans 8:29.

This verse is stating that God has predestine believers to be conformed to the image of The Messiah. He(God) forekenw there would be believers and these believes will be conformed to the image of His Son. And that Jesus is the firstborn example of this.
So do you know what "glorified" means?
 
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Mark Quayle

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Ro 8:29: those he predestined. . .he also glorified (eternal life).

That's right! How many ways does God need to say it?
Eph 1:5 "...he predestined us for adoption as sons..."
 
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Bob Crowley

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John Newton had a strong sense of God's grace working in his life. He had an extraordinary number of close shaves, was whipped at one one stage as a deserter, was a slave trader and profane. That was why he described himself as a "wretch" in his hymn, "Amazing Grace".


Yet somehow God got hold of him, and he ended up writing what is possibly the best known hymn in the English speaking world.

He also became a spiritual mentor to William Wilberforce in his successful attempt to get slavery outlawed.

It seems to me there was more a lot more at work than just his own choices. I believe he couldn't even swim.

Predestination is a mystery, and one that I struggle with. I've often said that the night my father died, he appeared in my room. At one point he blurted out "I always was doomed! I didn't really have any choice!" I argued back saying "That can't be right!" even though I was an atheist at the time.

But he replied "Oh, it's right, all right. You can see that from here!"

A little later he admitted "I was WILLING!" (to continue acting the way he did), so our "free" wills come into it.

John Newton still had to make a choice as to whether he would continue to follow God or not. But some of his shipmates didn't seem to be given the same opportunity and were drowned.

I'm afraid I'm not in a position to psychoanalyse God or his methods.
 
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Clare73

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John Newton had a strong sense of God's grace working in his life. He had an extraordinary number of close shaves, was whipped at one one stage as a deserter, was a slave trader and profane. That was why he described himself as a "wretch" in his hymn, "Amazing Grace".


Yet somehow God got hold of him, and he ended up writing what is possibly the best known hymn in the English speaking world.

He also became a spiritual mentor to William Wilberforce in his successful attempt to get slavery outlawed.

It seems to me there was more a lot more at work than just his own choices. I believe he couldn't even swim.

Predestination is a mystery, and one that I struggle with. I've often said that the night my father died, he appeared in my room. At one point he blurted out "I always was doomed! I didn't really have any choice!" I argued back saying "That can't be right!" even though I was an atheist at the time.

But he replied "Oh, it's right, all right. You can see that from here!"

A little later he admitted "I was WILLING!" (to continue acting the way he did), so our "free" wills come into it.

John Newton still had to make a choice as to whether he would continue to follow God or not. But some of his shipmates didn't seem to be given the same opportunity and were drowned.
I'm afraid I'm not in a position to psychoanalyse God or his methods.
Scripture is pretty clear that there is no "finding out" why God chose whom he did, other than it was his pleasure and will to do so.
There must be nothing about which we could possibly boast (Ro 3:27; 1Co 1:29; Eph 2:9).
Salvation is the Lord's! (Rev 7:10), his and his alone.
 
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Ephesian Chapter 1 :3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.


How did God choose and predestine us to be saved?
Does my freewill play any determinative role?
Any contradiction between God's sovereignty to choose and my freewill?
He hasn't told us how, because we don't need to know. The trouble is that people are over curious and want to dabble in things they know nothing about and what God decides to keep to Himself. He has shown us very clearly what we need to do to be saved, and that is all we need to know.

There is no such thing as free will. A person is either in bondage to sin or is a bond-servant of Christ. The only decision we can make is whether we are going to receive Christ as Saviour, or continue to reject Him.

God, in his sovereign will, has created a plan of salvation with strict instructions about how to enter into it and be saved. We have a choice between two options, and only two options: Be in bondage to sin and continue on the road to hell, or to receive Christ as the Person who has paid your debt of sin to God on the Cross and become a bond-servant to Him to follow God's will for the rest of your life. There is no middle ground. Therefore there is no free will. God has made us an offer we can't refuse. It is either His way of Salvation or the highway to hell. So, there is no contradiction between His sovereignty where He does things the way He wants, and our need to choose one of the two alternatives.
 
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