Destination Heaven
“For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first born among many brethren.” Romans 8:29
You have probably heard the term “predestination” at some point during your life. According to the doctrine of John Calvin, the founder of the Presbyterian denomination, some folks are “predestined” unto eternal life by God’s choice while others are not. Since salvation is based on grace alone, they consider faith and repentance as types of works. In other words, God chooses a person to be saved and then gives him or her the faith and repentance needed to effect that salvation making faith and repentance the results of salvation. Many others believe that indeed God does give the gifts of faith and repentance, but these are the conditions for salvation which must be received and acted on resulting in salvation. To put it simply, salvation first, then faith and repentance or faith and repentance, then salvation.
The Bible teaches that God would have all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (I Timothy 2:4). II Peter 3:9 tells us that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. Since God is sovereign and omniscient, He knew from the beginning of time who would accept Him and who wouldn’t Those who become believers are predestined to become like His Son, Jesus Christ. God gave man free will, and He allows people to be born, knowing that they will never come to know Him in the full forgiveness of sin. To decide their eternal destination for them is to take away their free will.
I believe that each person has at least one opportunity to turn to the Lord in faith and repentance. God has given enough evidence of Himself to allow men and women to make their choice. The beauty of a sunset, the power of the ocean waves, or the smile on a baby’s face all point to the existence of a Supreme Being we know as the LORD God. Romans 1:20 confirms that evidence of God is clearly seen all around us leading to the fact that no one has an excuse not to believe in the LORD.
It is true that God chooses us, but we also must choose Him. That is one of those mysteries that we will have to wait until heaven for the answer.