DOES THE BIBLE TEACH PREDESTINATION?

Many men, even preachers, get very angry when they hear someone mention the doctrine of predestination. They realize that if predestination is true, then salvation is not by man's freewill. And almost all men worship at the altar of freewill. If predestination is true, then God controls everything and man controls nothing. That offends man's pride. But if we are indeed people who believe the Word of God, only one thing matters - Does the Bible teach predestination? If it does we will bow to it and seek to understand it. If it does not we will reject it completely. If the Bible teaches this doctrine, then those men who are the servants of God preach it and those who refuse to preach it are not the servants of God.

Read Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:4, 5, and 11, and you will see that the Bible does teach the doctrine of predestination! The only question to be answered is this: What does the Bible teach about predestination?

1. God predestinated some of Adam's race to be conformed to the image of Christ. Those he predestinated shall be called, justified and glorified in Christ by God's sovereign grace.

2. God predestinated his elect to receive all the blessings of adoption in Christ. The inheritance of grace is bestowed upon chosen sinners according to God's purpose in predestination.

3. Everything that comes to pass in time is brought to pass by God according to his purpose of grace in predestination. All the events of time, past, present, and future, throughout all the universe, even down to the thoughts of men and angels, both the righteous and the wicked, come to pass in God’s providence for the accomplishment of his purpose of grace toward his elect in predestination.

Donald S. Fortner, Pastor

GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH OF DANVILLE

2734 Old Stanford Road-Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

Telephone 606-236-8235