Today I carefully touch on the testy, perplexing topic of
pre-destination and free will. As of now I do not understand that. And I know a
lot of people don’t. I am fine with not understanding that right now. Faith can
mean not understanding everything as sometimes you feel you should.
But something else I have thought through and understand a
little better comes from the verse “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.”
Ps. 138:8, that in connection with pre-destination. David meant himself when he
said “me,” but that can apply to anyone just as the Bible does.
So I know in my heart and own life that will be true.
Somehow He will reign in His purposes despite my weaknesses, straying and
failures throughout life, what He pre-planned for my purpose to me will be
achieved. Whatever good He plans to do through me, whatever works He wants to
do through me in particular, it will be done.
“You created my innermost being…Your eyes saw my unformed
body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before they came
to be.” Ps. 139: 13, 16. Ah, pre-destination.
How can God’s good purpose be fulfilled in those who either
fall away from Him or deny Him from the beginning? He does give a purpose for
every human born on this earth, right?
I longed to know, somehow: how God’s purpose could be fulfilled
in each human. Mostly I thought of someone I knew well and loved who no longer
ascribes to the faith, but has denied God. Why did I want to know that so
badly? I realized that it was because I knew that these purposes would please
God. What is the ultimate thing in life but to please, glorify God in some way.
Glorify Him with some act of love, kindness, some achievement that gives Him
credit. Something that shows His presence in this world, in this person’s life,
however depraved it is. I wanted to know that this person I so dearly loved
would have the chance to do at least that.
I would also add that communion with God is right up there
next to glorification of God which leads to pleasing Him. But communion
requires belief, I feel, therefore harder to be entirely equivalent to
glorification of God in life.
I now comprehended in my heart (not sure of this truth, but
somehow it rings true) that undoubtedly our human nature is sinful. We are born
in sin and we die because of sin. But even humans so evil as Hitler or those
terrorists, did they not have a speck of goodness in their life? Perhaps it was
in their childhood before they became so depraved, harnessing evil in the worst
way. Perhaps it was one act of helping an elderly person or saying a kind remark
to a dejected child. Perhaps it went quite un-thought-of and in a blink of an
eye. But in that moment, in that small precious way, God was glorified. Was
that person a believer? Was he “chosen,” “ordained” for God’s brethren? Perhaps
not. But that person showed even Satan could not wipe out every second of a
person’s life and actions with evil. Not one person.
And perhaps, that was God’s “purpose being fulfilled” for
time’s history. Perhaps that one act of kindness changed the life of this one
child who later went onto glorify and carry out God’s works in a big way or
they helped another in a small way, much as they were helped, and the chain
linked on. God’s ultimate plan for us all, linked together by small acts of
goodness by each person, believing or unbelieving, depraved for 99.9% of their
lives or truly righteous in God’s eyes that could result in big one, monumental
ones. Because there is that example of goodness, that definition of goodness that
everyone knows in their hearts whether they ascribe to it, act in it or not.
Maybe communion with God is not fulfilled in everyone. That
takes belief. But one act of goodness does not take belief. Miraculously
enough.
I do not understand
pre-destination with the combination of free will. But I do know that faced
with the truth that many will perish without having known God…at least His
purpose was and will be fulfilled, even in them. And that means that at one
point in time, they would have glorified Him, even if they did not acknowledge
they were doing so.
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