1 Predestination and the Extremes

Predestination is a word that unsettles many, not because of what Scripture teaches, but because of the theological baggage we bring to it. For centuries, the church has been tossed between the extremes of Calvinism and Arminianism—each, in its excess, distorting the very heart of the gospel. Let me be clear: when these systems are taken to their logical ends, they undermine justification itself and rob the believer of the assurance Christ purchased.

The Real Issue: Not Fate, but Justification and Assurance

The historic debate, whether between Augustine and Pelagius or today’s Calvinists and Arminians, is not merely about “fate” versus “free will.” That is a surface-level distraction. The real issue is justification and the security of the believer. This is not an academic curiosity; it is a matter of conscience. Many are driven to these debates out of desperation, seeking rest for a troubled heart.

Arminianism, in its extreme, plagues the believer with the fear of losing salvation. The conscience is left in turmoil, always wondering if one has done enough, believed enough, or repented enough. In reaction, some flee to the doctrine of predestination, hoping for certainty. Yet, extreme Calvinism offers no true rest either. It turns predestination into a cold decree, making assurance rest on whether one can prove they are among the “elect”—again, pointing you back to yourself, not to Christ.

Both extremes collapse the foundation of justification by faith and replace it with a subtle form of works. Both destroy assurance. This is not a secondary matter; it is salvific. If you lose justification, you lose everything.

Predestination: God’s Eternal Purpose for Sons

We must return to Scripture. “Predestination” is not a philosophical abstraction, nor is it a threat. Paul uses the word only five times, and every instance is about sonship and inheritance—never about arbitrary fate.

• Ephesians 1:5: “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”
• Ephesians 1:11: “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”
• Romans 8:29-30: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son… Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
• 1 Corinthians 2:7: “We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.”

Predestination is God’s loving, eternal purpose to bring many sons to glory in Christ. It is about adoption, inheritance, and being conformed to the image of the Son—not about being swept along by impersonal fate. God’s predestination is the guarantee that He will finish what He started in you. It is the “good pleasure of His will,” not a mechanical process.

Regeneration: The Beginning of Glory

Predestination is not merely about escaping judgment. It is about God imparting His own life—regeneration. The moment you believed, God made you a new creature, born of Him. This is the beginning of a process that ends in glorification, transfiguration, and resurrection. You are not just saved from wrath; you are brought into the family, destined to reign with Christ as a co-heir, partaking of the divine nature.

The Greek Orthodox called this “deification”—not that we become objects of worship, but that we are made like Christ in every respect (1 John 3:2; Colossians 3:4). In glory, we will be sons of God, sharing in Christ’s inheritance, standing with Him as brethren. He is the Only Begotten, the Firstborn from the dead; we are the many sons brought to glory, the fruit of His resurrection.

What Is Lost If We Accept the Error?

If you accept the caricatures of predestination—either the fatalism of extreme Calvinism or the insecurity of Arminianism—you lose the very core of the gospel. You forfeit justification by faith alone and the assurance that comes from Christ’s finished work. You trade sonship and inheritance for endless self-examination or despair. You lose sight of God’s eternal purpose: to bring you, as a beloved child, into glory with His Son.

This is not a theoretical loss. It is the collapse of the believer’s confidence before God. It is the difference between living as a slave and living as a son.

The Glory of God’s Purpose

God predestined you, not to uncertainty or fear, but to adoption, inheritance, and glory. He works all things according to the counsel of His will. He began this work by imparting His life to you, and He will bring it to completion. In the ages to come, He will display the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Predestination, rightly understood, is the bedrock of assurance. It is God’s declaration that your destiny is not in your hands, but in His. You are accepted in the Beloved, and your future is secure—not by your striving, but by His eternal purpose and finished work. Anything less is not the gospel.