Predestination’s Locked Door or the Open Door of Free Choice

March 2, 2025

Below are three of several Bible verses that are too often misunderstood. They are misunderstood by some who have locked themselves into denominational dogma before receiving contextual understanding from reading the entirety of the Bible.

But first, let me refer to what I am writing about:the dogma which claims everyone is “locked in” before they are born, destined for Heaven or condemned to Hell — even before they have begun to live their lives. This dogma is called Predestination.

I say, “Nonsense!”

Before continuing, please read this:

“The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. — Revelation 20:13, New Living Translation (NLT).

I see no predestination taught here by Jesus. Do you?

Nevertheless, here are the Bible verses that people have misconstrued and thereby misunderstood:

“But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…”- Galatians 1:15–16 Berean Standard Bible.

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will…” — Ephesians 1:4–5, New International Version (NIV)

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” — Romans 8:29, NIV.

Now. I can see how the mistake could be made. Yet, the misinterpretation quickly becomes chains welding its prisoners to the floor, whereby some only see through that tiny window above them. Hardly any daylight enters the cell.

Then they have little chance of seeing through to a proper understanding.

To boot, anything else which the Bible has to say must be read from that little shaft of light coming through the jail cell’s tiny window.

The mistake is looking at a single word and taking it out of the context and the phrase in which it is found. It then has to be twisted into the dogmatic framework and so misses the ideas of the phrasing that modifies the single word. The inherent ideas are thereby ignored…

It’s not unlike pulling up a plant by its roots and expecting it to thrive.

Excluding the reality of free will and its consequences, all of the dynamics demonstrated throughout the Bible are diluted, dismissed, deleted, and then, experiences in our own everyday lives are expunged and vaporized.

I have learned that culture, social norms, and political realities make for a backdrop behind the scene being played out on the stage. In other words, many peripheral realities all help to get the most meaning from the Bible as applied to real, everyday, ordinary meat and potato living….

Look. I have made many mistakes in my life and suffered the consequences. Many times I didn’t choose wisely.

Yet, I was not forced… I chose… Isn’t that how we all do things?

If our understanding of Bible verses don’t coalesce with basic living as well as linguistics, that injects a problem with our gaining the correct understanding of the Scriptures’ pragmatic significance for us in our ordinary lives.

We might continue not to act wisely.

So, there is a benefit to free choice: We usually learn from our bad choices. Yet, we get enjoyment from our good ones. Right?

I have found we can also get enjoyment when our understanding of the Bible clicks in. Works for Patty and me anyways…

All the same, let me revisit the three verses cited at this essays’ start..

First, the way I read Galatians 1:15–16 is that the Apostle Paul says that God has “set him apart from his mothers womb.,” meaning, he had a normal birth like everyone else. Someone cuts the cord and sets the baby apart from their mother’s womb and usually wraps them in a nice, warm blanket… It’s called “birth.”

Paul happened to be born Jewish.

So, wasn’t that true of all Israelites? God had called out a separate people, Israel. God had planned this overarching story for the whole group. All babies born into that group, God had predetermined to be set apart as one of God’s “Chosen People.” This isn’t about special individuals. It’s just about natural birth. Paul was set apart just like a million other people.

Paul is simply talking about who he is, what tribe he belonged to…

Besides, in the same manner, it’s like the fact that I came from my mom’s belly, setting me apart as a kind of mutt, mostly a Welch ScotchIrish Presbyterian. Similar to Paul’s experience, I later chose to become a Born Again Bible Believing Christian.

That, too, is simply what I am, not who I have chosen to become.

I am who I am, and I chose to be what I chose to be. Same as you?

The universal interpretive problem is that reader’s don’t take the long view written over the centuries of the Bible story.

God has had a plan from the very beginning of Creation. He had set out the blueprint. However, allow me to point out that not every person chooses to build his life using it — even though someone like Paul had been born for that purpose, for a long time Paul chose not to follow it but to follow the dogma of the denomination of the Pharisees, persecuting the Jesus Sect and even having the Christians imprisoned and stoned to death.

So, how could Paul happen to fit into God’s blueprint? He was a Levite by birth, and later, he chose to become a Pharisee, and even later, later, he had a radical course change. After being confronted by the very alive, resurrected Jesus he wisely chose to become one in Jesus’ missionary group.

All in all, isn’t this the basic situation for all of us?

We choose to go this way and that way until we find some kind of equilibrium or perhaps even a considered higher purpose.

Still, as we travel, in the end, we often choose not to use God’s blueprint for our own lives…

My conclusion, in this section, first is that Paul was confronted by Jesus who then called him into His good graces, and Jesus set him off on the mission to preach that very Gospel to the Gentiles — which assignment he chose to accept.

Now, in the next cited Ephesians verses follow the same well worn path. God’s blueprint was to take Christians as a group for the preset purpose of adoption as sons and daughters.

God’s predetermined plan was for people to be adopted into His family through the sponsorship of Jesus, then, to accomplish God’s working blueprint . If that isn’t love…

If That Isn’t Love | Treble In Paradise (Cover)

Third, regarding the quote from Romans, maybe people forget about such phenomena as time, that God is not bound by time or distance and that He is all knowing. God knew that in the Old Testament some would follow the Law of Moses and some would choose not to follow — and they suffered the consequences of disobedience. Likewise, in the New Testament God already knew (or, foreknew) some would choose to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and others would not.

You see, without consideration of the aspect of God-given free will — the power to change one’s own mind — it remains in our power to choose — and like a good parent “…Instead He is patient with {everyone}, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” — 1 Peter 3:9, NIV.

God is offering, not forcing. We are accepting or refusing His offer.

Generally speaking, He knew what was eventually going to happen with us by looking at how we are behaving. He chose to put up sign posts and give us little nudges to help us to become aware of both benefits in this life and eternal ones to come — as well as the pitfalls in this life and the eternal consequential dangers… Whether the results are beneficial for us or harmful to us either way they are consequences of our behavioral choices!

God doesn’t make us do things to ourselves..

We choose to do them to ourselves.

We are not confined to some particular destiny, nor are we trapped in some kind of unrelenting sequestration, locked up in a maximum security prison from which we cannot escape, No, No, No. A thousand times no!

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony… The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:16–17, NLT.

Predestination is not only presumptuous but it is pure arrogance. Do you really think that you were born with a Backstage Pass?

It is safe to conclude that if our understanding of one Scripture verse contradicts another, one of the other, or both, are misunderstood, requiring more digging to get to a proper understanding.

Come on. It really doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. Do we make soup with dirty dishwater? We need to look at the Bible with fresh eyes and focused perspective. We don’t need to decide first and afterward look at our options. We don’t need to put our cart before our horse., or we won’t get very far, any time soon, will we?

Notwithstanding all of that, people might have an idea of how someone is going to end up by looking at their choices being made — wisely or unwisely.

I hope I am not being misunderstood here. I am not suggesting anyone start peering over the neighbor’s fence to check out what their choices are producing. You might end up starting rumors or indulging in gossip. That would not be a wise choice:

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. And we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment” — Romans 2:1–3, Berean Standard Bible (BSB), Keep your eyes on yourself.

Also, remember that God’s perception is a bit beyond our meager abilities, in the same way, His motivation is for our benefit and well-being, Ours can be more ungodly. Right?

If he sees we are deciding to go the wrong way, an unwise way, Jesus can intervene in their lives, allowing the Holy Spirit to give us a nudge to encourage us to choose to redirect our lives for thinking about making wiser choices. \

*****

In the final analysis, there is a hint of a warning in these two verses:

“Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar.” — Psalm 138:6, NIV.

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” — Joshua 24:15, NIV.

In the final analysis there is also much encouragement as in these next three:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16, NIV.

Anne Wilson — 3:16 (Official Audio)

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. — Galatians 5:1, NIV.

Freedom Song — Christy Nockels (2015 New Worship Song with Lyrics)

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” — Matthew 11:29, NIV.

Micah 6:8 — Maranatha Music (Lyric Video)