Dear Lila

Thank you for your comment.

You said “What do you make of Romans 8:29 — for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren?”

Predestined to Be in His Image
We were predestined to “be conformed to the image of his Son”, which is not salvation, but predestined to be conformed to his image because we already have salvation. Once we receive salvation by our belief, our destiny then becomes sealed, and we are predestined for many things:

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of
promise,” (Ephesians 1:13).

There is no mention in the following verse that we are predestined to salvation. Conforming to his image is not salvation. It is the result of salvation. Just because conforming to his image is predestined does not mean that what came before that is predestined, i.e., salvation. He foreknew who would believe in him, and because of a person’s saving faith, once a person is “in Christ” as mentioned before, he becomes predestinated at that moment to be conformed to the image of his son. It is the fact that he is “in Christ” that is the cause of his predestination. That only makes sense, for being in Christ determines everything good for you and determines your destiny FROM THAT POINT.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29

The following is the very next verse and uses the word “predestinate” just defined in the previous verse. This verse is detailing what it is to be conformed to his image: calling, justification, and glorification.

We see that those who were predestinated were also called, justified, and glorified. All of these acts come at or after salvation. Again, predestination starts the second of your salvation because your destiny is determined based on your salvation, not your pre-selection.

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Romans 8:30

Read entire article here: WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE ELECTED, CHOSEN, AND PREDESTINATED – THE BIBLICAL TRUTH

How does this impact your view of Calvinism? Is there any other resource on this you’d recommend for proper knowledge and edification?

Thanks again for preaching the word, exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

Scott wrote:

Hi, I saw a website with John saying he didn’t believe in God’s Sovereignty in Salvation I was wondering because he said GOD is LOVE which is True . . . but I would like to know, if God is Love then why are people going to hell in a hand basket? If God created man then what makes one man believe and the other one NOT?

Surely, you know that love must be reciprocal before there can be any kind of relationship between two people. God loves all people but not all people love Him. Imagine God allowing people who do not love Him to stay in his heaven. Would you want a woman to remain with you in your home when she does not love you? That’s ridiculous.

It all depends on what you mean by God’s sovereignty in salvation. If you mean by it that God only loves and chooses some people unto salvation and rejects the rest because He hates them and never allowed his Son to die for them on the cross, then you have a warped idea of God’s sovereignty. God’s sovereignty lies in his choice to love all people and to have his Son die for all people. (2 Peter 3:9). The reason why most people go to hell is not because God chose to send them there before the foundation of the world. They are going to hell because they choose of there own free will to reject the cross of Christ. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Co 1:18).

Indeed, God created man but he created him with a free-will to decide for himself whether he wanted to love Him or not. There are many things God cannot do and one of those things is to force people to love Him. If he’d forced people to love Him He would have been nothing else than a despotic dictator. And that’s precisely how Calvinists see his sovereignty. If your wife had no free-will to decide whether she wanted to love and marry you, you would have been betrothed to a robot with no capability to love anyone. Free-will and love go hand in hand like love and marriage go hand in hand like a horse and carriage. The only problem is that Calvinists put the horse before the carriage. By that I mean that they believe the elect must first be regenerated monergistically before God can give them faith as a gift. That’s not biblical salvation.

You ask: “If God created man then what makes one man believe and the other one NOT?” Jesus porvides the answer for us: He said: “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” (Mat 9:12). No one can be saved unless they realize that they are lost sinners. Most people readily acknowledge that they are sinners because they cannot deny it. But very little acknowledge that they are on their way to hell. A Calvinist once said to me:

The bible never says that God’s people [the elect] were ever bound for hell, it says they were chosen “in Christ” before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). The conviction of sin is usually misinterpreted by God’s people to be the conviction that they are hell bound, the gospel explains to them that they are not, because of what Christ did FOR them.

Conviction of sin is the belief in the reality of sin in light of God’s holiness and perfection. Many of God’s children believe this to mean that they are going to hell. They are not. That is why they need to hear the good news of their salvation, so that they can believe it, rejoice in it, and profit from it. The gospel doesn’t make their salvation true, their salvation IS TRUE and the gospel proclaims it to the Lord’s people who receive it by faith and profit from that understanding.”

Does he need the Great Physician, Jesus Christ? You must be kidding. Self-righteous people do not need Jesus to save them. (Mat 7 :13-14).

Steve K

>> and I guess I’m one of those so-called “Emergents”

You said it not me…

>> I’m just supposed to “know exactly what it means” if I’m a “genuine Christian.” Gotcha.

YES, the bible does say that when one is truly born again the Holy Spirit leads us into all understanding, truth and remembrance of Jesus. Do you think God leaves you in the dark regarding his Word? No.

>> word is truth and is the authority for my life. Praise God for Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

And of course the Bible and Emergent New Age teaching are compatible as per ya’all. This is why you can quote scripture and apply it to how ever you feel suits the New Emergent One World Relgion ‘Chrsitian’ beliefs

BTW – I love these verses, and I’m with Iggy: Romans 8 in no way contradicts my convictions as an “Emergent.” God’s word is truth and is the authority for my life. Praise God for Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Steve K

Why must I explain it to you? You should know exactly what it means. You should also know what it means to be a genuine Christian. For if you were you would not be asking rediculous questions like this – testing me.

Since you apparently “understand” this verse, would you mind explaining it, rather than just making things bold and underline? That would really be helpful, so I could know what your theology is and where you are coming from. How do I know that you’re not the one trying to start a “one world religion”? 😉 Thanks.