email : Webview : Duane Brooks - Every Day with Jesus

October 30, 2017

Romans 8:29-30

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

New International Version (NIV)

“Do we believe in predestination?” A member of our church asked me that some years ago. With the recent resurgence of Calvinism and Reformed thinking in the church, a new generation of Christian leaders are grappling with these issues once again. “Double-edged” predestination says that some people are destined to go to heaven no matter what and some people are destined to go to hell no matter what. I do not believe that, nor do I believe the Bible teaches that.

This is not new. In Baptist history, our forebears divided into two camps: General Baptists and Particular Baptists. General Baptists believed in general atonement, that Christ died for all. Particular Baptists believed that Christ’s blood would not be wasted so he must have only died for particular people. This led in some places to a diminished emphasis on evangelism and missions. If God already knows who he is going to save, why should we use “means” to try to convert them. One church leader said to young missionary William Carey, “Young man if God wants to save the heathen he will do it without your help or mind".

What exactly does Paul say? He says God foreknew who would be saved. We are not surprised by God’s foreknowledge because he knows everything. But does he make people receive him or reject him? No. So where does predestination come in? The people who love God and are called according to his purpose (8:28) are predestined to become conformed to the image of God’s Son. Salvation is God’s work from first to last. He calls us, he predestines us to become like Jesus. In this sense, predestination is the inevitable outcome of a Christian. If you are a Christian you will become like Jesus. This is why God justifies us and glorifies us.

Pray with me:

Father, thank you for loving the whole world enough to send your only Son. Thank you for loving us and calling us. We pray that you will continue your sanctifying work of making us like Jesus. We do not ask to become “holier than thou,” but we pray that you will make us holier than we were. Conform us to Jesus until others see Jesus in us. Thank you for this promise: when we look to you, we become radiant! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I want to invite you to join me in memorizing 52 passages this year from the 2017 set of Fighter Verses. You can find the Fighter Verses App at the App Store on your phones or via this link http://fighterverses.com/the-verses/fighter-verses/. As we study the Bible this year, let's look at each text and learn what it says about God.

Joyfully,

Duane

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

555 Tallowood Road
Houston, TX | 77024 US

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.