“Life brings lessons into our [existence] that come with free will. We can choose to be the victor or the victim.” (Anonymous)
When it comes to the way in which you
accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, there are two schools of thought.
It either happened through your free will, or it was predestined by God to
occur. Which do you think it is? Free
will is that humans have the ability to make their own choices and
determine their own fates. Predestination
is God determining (and knowing) in advance who
will be saved (and go to Heaven) and who won’t.
Those individuals who are proponents of free
will use a verse like John 1:12 (VOICE) to back up their beliefs. But for all who did receive and trust in Him, He gave them
the right to be reborn as children
of God; 13 He bestowed this birthright not by human
power or initiative but by God’s will. Individuals who are certain about predestination use a verse
similar to Ephesians 1:5 (ERV): And before the world was made, God decided to
make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it
pleased him to do it.
Here is my mind-set on this topic. On the day
you accepted Jesus as your Savior, did you have free will to do that, or was
the spiritual pull to make this decision so strong (even if you were unaware of
that) that there was not other decision you could make? I truly believe God knows in advance who will
accept His Son, and who won’t. That does not influence how He interacts in a
person’s life. Like any good parent, God
wants His children to repent and change with His help (and their free will).
“No matter where you are in life right now, know this:
God put you on this earth to fulfill the promise He has predestined for your
life.” (T. D. Jakes)[i]
[i] Adapted from:
·
“Free Will “by Psychology Today Staff
·
“What is
predestination?” by Got Questions
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