April 7 – Is My Fate Pre-Determined?

        Luke 14:24 – "Not one of those men who were invited, will get a taste of my banquet."

        This statement comes at the end of a parable that Jesus told regarding certain folks who were invited to eat at the great feast in the kingdom of God. Some people gave excuses as to why they did not want to come to the feast. So, at the end of the story, they were not allowed in. In the previous chapter, a related story has Jesus stating that they also begged to get in after the owner closed the door (Luke 13:22-30).

        In Romans 8 and Ephesians 1, Paul discourses on the destiny of believers [who obviously were at one time un-believers], as if their destiny in God's kingdom was pre-determined, which is exactly what the Greek word for "predestined" means. So then, did I have a choice in the greater cosmic theater, of which I play a very small part? This is obviously the argument for/against free will, which has been raging for centuries.

        Before I give my thoughts on the subject, remember that God is sovereign over all his creation, including what we consider history/time, even though God is not constrained by those concepts, having foreknowledge of all events and choices by humans. Acts 17:26 is a clear reference to me not being in control of one specific event in my life: when and where I was born. "From one man, God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live." God is ultimately in control of this planet; the remaining questions are: a) How much control does he give me; b) how much allowance does he give evil spirits; c) how much sovereignty does he wield unilaterally for his purposes; and/or d) does he work out his plans in conjunction with every other entity's free will? I believe that there is a balance in the answers to those questions.

        Let me give an example for each of the inquisitive scenarios above. a) Joshua 24:15 relates to me personally. "If serving Yahweh seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day, whom you will serve..." b) Chapters 1 and 2 of Job give a good description of what "the satan" (accuser) was allowed and not allowed to do with Job. c) Psalm 33:10 gives an example of God's sovereignty: "Yahweh foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. The plans of Yahweh stand firm forever; the purposes of his heart through all generations." Finally, d) Genesis 45:8 and 50:20 state that God was working through the decisions of Joseph's brothers, who sold him into slavery in Egypt, but that it was in God's greater purposes for this to happen. There are obviously many more sections of scripture that could back up each of these scenarios, which are reserved for another time.

        1 Samuel 23:7-13 also has a fascinating story of David asking God for foreknowledge of his enemy's intentions in order to circumvent them, which in the end, David does. So, who was trampling whose free will in this story? No one! God uses all the scenarios mentioned within his sovereignty of the world.

         Now, back to the main verse in this blog. I believe that it holds the key to the balance of my fate. In the story of Luke 14, all were invited (called, chosen) to enjoy the king's bounty, but all made a choice to partake or not, albeit with eternal consequences. Furthermore, in the companion story in Luke 13, Jesus commands us to do something in regard to entering: "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many will try to enter and will not be able to."

April 6 – Co-operating With God

        2 Peter 1:5-7 – "For this very reason, make every effort to add goodness to your faith; and to add knowledge to goodness; and to add self-control to knowledge; and to add perseverance to self-control; and to add godliness to perseverance; and to add brotherly kindness to godliness; and to add love to brotherly kindness."

        Hebrews 12:2 – "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...."

        While God has made it clear that he has provided all the details for making our salvation sure, walking with God entails some work on our part. The production of the fruit of the Spirit is God's job, as any tree knows that it is a natural thing to produce fruit, as long as the tree is rooted and in good soil. That last phrase is what our part as Christians, is. Just like we are living sacrifices that can wriggle off the altar, so too we can move our roots in and out of good soil and water absorption. If we want God to produce his fruit in us, we must co-operate with him. We cannot be couch potatoes, expecting God to miraculously change our behavior.

        There are many scriptures in which God commands us to behave in godly ways, or to do something, which "triggers" God to do something. For example, James 4:8 states, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." In John 15:5, Jesus stated, "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit." There is a cause-and-effect, a give-and-take relationship with God. So as we seek, worship, pray, study, act, give, do, even change ourselves (as 2 Peter 1 intimates), God will be faithful to do his part to change us even more, conforming us to his image and likeness.  Paul also states, "We have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. We pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Master, and that you may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work; growing in the knowledge of God; and being strengthened with all his power...." (Colossians 1:9-11)