To say that God chooses who he is and is not going to save from birth is complete and utter BS, in my less-than-humble opinion. To say that we are predestined is to deny our right to free will. It is to deny the concept of Choice.
We CHOOSE whether we are going to accept Christ or not. We CHOOSE whether we are going to have a relationship with him or not. We CHOOSE whether or not we are going to sin. And you�re going to tell me that all of this is in vain, because we�re �predestined�? Bullcrap. Utter and complete bullcrap.
As far as I�m concerned, to be a Christian and say that we are predestined is to throw the basis of Christianity out the window. We should stop outreach and fire all our missionaries, or at least stop supporting them. We should stop handing out tracts, we should stop witnessing. We should just sit back and say, �Okay God, you do it, because you�ve already chosen everyone who�s going to be saved, so we don�t need to do anything.�
Does that sound right to you? Yeah, thanks. Didn�t think so.
God gave us free will. He gave Adam and Eve free will. He even gave Jesus free will. None of us have to choose to ask for forgiveness, and there isn�t anyone who is beyond redemption. If anyone is predestined, then forgiveness for the Lost also goes out the window, because then not everyone can be forgiven, which contradicts the purpose of Jesus being crucified. It means that the only ones that can be forgiven are the ones that God picked out from among us a long time ago.
This also completely shatters the image and idea of God being a loving father and friend who is waiting for anyone who will to come before his throne. It turns him, in my mind, from the aforementioned into a sick power-hungry tyrant who only uses human beings as a form of entertainment. And I can tell you right now that that is NOT what my Heavenly Father is. We are ALL God�s children, and we are ALL eligible for forgiveness and redemption. I refuse to accept the fact that God would simply choose some while casting the rest to the side, for none of us are worthy.
What I DO believe, however, is that God knows who is and who is not going to be saved. You might say, �But, that doesn�t make sense! Because God made everything, so if he made us and knows what we�re going to do, it must mean that he made us do it!�
No, it doesn�t. It just means that the great I Am isn�t bound by this thing we call, �time.�
God created time, did he not? And do any of us really believe that God is limited by anything, especially his own creations?
I know I don�t, and I know the Bible says he isn�t.
So, let�s break this down. God created time and is not bound by it. He doesn�t dwell within time, at least, not as we perceive it. He doesn�t dwell within our time. He dwells outside it. So if he dwells outside of it, doesn�t it stand to reason that he already knows what�s going on within it, both past, present, and future? The bible says that a thousand years are but a day to God, so looking at it from that angle, the end of time has already come and gone (from God�s perspective) and we�re just sort of living in the pages of a history book.
(Keep in mind that all of this is my opinion. I am not by any means the authority on God/Time comparisons)
So in keeping with this theory/belief/whatever that God is not limited by time, it stands to reason that he can look ahead and see what�s going to happen. He KNOWS what we�re going to do because he stands outside of time and watches it all happen. He already KNOWS who�s going to be saved and who�s not, but that doesn�t mean he chose for them.
This is my standpoint on Predestiny, and unless you have scriptural evidence that point-blank says that God chooses who�s going to be saved without their knowing (aside from that passage in John, because he was clearly talking to the disciples), then don�t even try to debate with me on it. I�m very close minded when it comes to this stuff.
[This rant was written by Jimi]