How can one read Ephesians and not believe in Predestination?

Answer 1

I haven't seen a good answer to this yet. If anything, just contradictions -- God knows everything, but we have free will. Right. It's a mystery.

Predestination means predestination. The only way for this to happen logically is for man to be guilty and stand condemned before the Lord. The Bible supports this viewpoint. If man is totally depraved, then God must do the saving, we do not convert ourselves. And if he can do the saving, then he can proclaim His decrees as to who will be saved, at any time he pleases. And the Bible is quite clear on when this has been done. It happened before the foundations of the world, of course. This wasn't a knowing what would happen, because then we are talking about creation with the sole purpose of destruction. And so rather than free will, we have double predestination which also does not work logically. The correct way to look at this, in my opinion, is to look at man for who he is -- a sinner -- and look at God for who He is -- loving, but toward his own, sending his son to die for his own, with the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of his own. The rest are left in their sins, all the free will they want, none of it leading toward God. And even in their ignorance, their footsteps are still guided, as are the Christians who want His very Word to be a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path.

Answer 2

God, then, sometimes steers events and circumstances—even seeing to it that certain people are influenced into particular actions—to make sure His overall plan and purpose is fulfilled. But He clearly doesn't directly bring about all that occurs at any given moment with all people. For, as His Word tells us, "time and chance happens to them all" (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Thus God has not mapped out every detail of every person's life.

As for the question of why God calls particular individuals—perhaps you, if you are beginning to really understand what you are reading in the BIBLE—that answer is known by God alone. And He, as the Creator, has the prerogative to call a person at whatever time He chooses. We should trust that whatever time He decides to call a person is the best time for that individual. And though being called now is a wonderful privilege, that does not make one better than those called later (compare 1 Corinthians 1:26-29). After all, even if we are being called now, all of us still have free will—and therefore we can still fall away if we don't continue to obey the truth. For we are not just pawns on a chessboard.

Perhaps you have been predestined and are now being called! How you respond to God's calling and invitation is up to you. Those who respond and submit to God will receive the blessings of God on their lives now, and even more importantly, will have started on the path to eternal life. So let's hold tight to the wonderful salvation offered to us by our Creator, allowing the awesome future that He wants for us to become a reality.

Do you truely want to understand what you are reading??

Answer 3

The Pauline epistles are the fourteen books in the New Testament traditionally attributed to Paul of Tarsus, thirteen of which are explicitly ascribed to Paul, and one, Hebrews, is anonymous. Except for Hebrews, the Pauline authorship of these letters was not academically questioned until the nineteenth century.

Seven letters are generally classified as “undisputed”, expressing contemporary scholarly near consensus: Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon. Six additional letters bearing Paul's name do not currently enjoy the same academic consensus: Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus. The first three, called the "Deutero-Pauline Epistles," have no consensus on whether or not they are authentic letters of Paul. The latter three, the "Pastoral Epistles", are more disputed; contemporary scholarly opinion widely regards them as pseudographs, though certain scholars do consider them genuine. There are two examples of pseudonymous letters written in Paul’s name apart from the alleged New Testament epistles. Since the early centuries of the church, there has been debate concerning the authorship of the anonymous Epistle to the Hebrews, and contemporary scholars reject Pauline authorship.

I would more wonder why anyone would believe anything in the Bible. Since the Christian church is based mostly on the writings of Paul...and most Bible scholars refute it's true authorship, what does that say for the Christian church?

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AD

Answer 4

I can assure you of one thing. The day is going to come that EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.....

Predestination is a subject that has been debated so many times.

What we have to do is ask the Holy Ghost, who will teach us all things to tell us the truth. He cannot lie. Listening to mans interpetation is misleading at times.

I believe in predestination myself...

Answer 5

I kind of look at predestination this way. God knows everything. I think all Christians acknowledge that. Thus God does have to know who is going to be saved. I think we make the choice of whether or not to be saved but God knows what our choice will be. I do not believe God makes the choice for us.

Answer 6

It is predestination in the means that God will do what He promised. We have our free will, so we get to choose. However, God knows how we are going to choose. The choice is still ours.

Answer 7

It's called free will. God does not force anything. If He did why eveen bother to go though with the plan? Because free will can change the plan. We after all are human.

Answer 8

How can one read Ephesians and not see that Christ is our peace(not our war) who abolished the law(enmity)?

Answer 9

how can you believe in free will AND predestination?

Answer 10

Simple: Foreknowledge does not necessarily mean: "fore-ordained".

God gives us a choice whether or not to believe in Him and follow Him. God sees it all as one event. God is not bound by space and time. He is outside His creation. He is above all.