“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, KJV)
I do not know how many times I have been with believers who wanted to argue about predestination. The battle always boiled down to this. How do you balance God’s foreknowledge with His foreordination. I have heard numerous explanations from people, especially young college aged believers who want to argue this point. One will say, “Well God knows what we will do, so He works to make it happen.” Others will say, “No, God makes it happen and then knows the outcome beforehand.” Herein is the problem. God’s foreknowledge is infinite and his foreordination is also infinite. The real problem is that we with finite minds are trying to systematize infinite truth.
In my opinion to argue this is futile. We do not have the intellect or the power to comprehend the ways of God. The call of Jeremiah to be a prophet is a prime example of predestination. The Scriptures tell us that before Jeremiah was conceived in his mother’s womb, God set him apart and ordained him to be a prophet to the nations.
So, how did God do this? Was it foreknowledge or foreordination? I will be honest I do not have the answer to that because I believe it is both and I have not the infinite intellect of God to understand this. Isaiah stated this truth about God.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9, KJV)
We cannot fully comprehend how we make decisions and yet God moves everything according to His glorious purposes. You may disagree with me on this, but let me take you to another passage of Scripture. After the Sanhedrin forbid Peter and John from preaching Jesus, they met with other disciples and prayed. Look at this portion of their prayer.
“for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (Acts 4:27–28, ESV)
As we look at the passion narrative, we must understand this. The Jewish leaders, the people, Herod, and Pontius Pilate all made decisions that led to the crucifixion. The ensuing series of events perfectly lined up with and accomplished the God predestined plan.
The more important thing to understand is not to argue the issue of predestination. It is to realized that God has a sovereign plan and that all our choices in some way which is beyond our comprehension perfectly align with His predestined plans. Therefore, we must stand in awe of our God and should not attempt to bring His omnipotence and omniscience to a human finite level. Let us leave God as the transcendent being He is and worship Him, and serve Him with all reverence.
Renewing the Heart 