Biblical Predestination Rom 8:29 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
You have to check the context of every verse dealing with predestination to see what the verse is referring to. Those who believe that we are predestined to salvation believe that you must be born again BEFORE you can believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. So, they make every verse dealing with predestination point toward predestination to salvation. But the context of each verse reveals something different.
The context of every verse that has the word predestination in it reveals that we are predestined to the following things (none of which is predestination to salvation).
A saved person is predestined to:
Be Conformed to Jesus Christ
Rom. 8:29 we are predestined “to be conformed to the image of his Son.” You are not predestined to be saved; you are predestined once you are saved to be conformed to Jesus. We will be like him (1 Jn 3:1-3; Phil 3:21).
Be Holy and Guiltless
Eph. 1:4 God chose us IN HIM before the foundation of the world, that (here they want to make the verse stop so they can teach that God chose us before the foundation of the world to be saved, but the verse doesn’t stop here – keep reading the sentence) we should be holy and without blame before him in love. That is, God’s choice is that all “in him” would be holy and without blame before him. Right now we are not before him, but we will be and when we are we will be holy and without blame, because that was God’s choice (Eph 5:25-27).
Be Adopted as God’s Child
Eph. 1:5 the predestination here is that he predestined us to be adopted as his children. That is, once you trusted Christ, you were put “in him” and all that are in him will be adopted as his children (Jn. 1:12; 1 Jn 3:1).
Receive an Eternal Inheritance
Eph. 1:11,12 we are predestinated to receive an inheritance according to God’s purpose and we are to be to the praise of his glory. Christ said that we are to be joint-heirs with him (Rom. 8:17). So, again the context shows that the predestination is not to salvation but to something else. In no case is it ever a reference to a man being predestined to receive Christ or predestined to go to hell because God didn’t choose him.
The doctrine of “predestination to salvation” contradicts these verses:
God’s will is that ALL should come to repentance
2 Pet. 3:9 “… not willing that ANY should perish but that ALL should come to repentance.” How could he will that ALL should be saved and yet will that some of those should go to hell at the same time? Matt 25:41 shows you that everlasting fire was prepared for the devil and his angels, not for those that God predestined to damnation.
God’s will is that ALL men be saved
1 Tim. 2:4 “Who will have ALL men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth.” What could be clearer than that? God’s WILL is that ALL men be saved! That’s what the Bible says – no interpretation needed!
God gave Jesus as a ransom for ALL
1 Tim. 2:6 “Who gave himself a ransom for ALL…” The Bible clearly shows that Jesus did not die just for the “elect” (those he predestined to be saved). He died for ALL, that’s what the Bible SAYS!
The way Calvinists teach predestination, they must limit the word ALL in these verses to all of the “elect.” That’s a clever bit of “private interpretation,” (2 Pet. 1:20) to get around the obvious contradiction.