“Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Psalm chapter 23, verses 1-2)
The subject of predestination has been a major source of debate among philosophers for ages. Niel Stephenson in his novel, Quicksilver wrote,
“This is one of the two great labyrinths into which human minds are drawn: the question of freewill versus predestination.”
Are we truly free or are our actions preordained? Was Adam destined to fall? Is heaven and hell a matter of choice or predestination?
Our days were written
“Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in your book were all written the days that were appointed for me, when as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape] (Psalm chapter 139, verse 16)
Just like in the book of Jeremiah, king David affirms that predestination is a reality. According to the scripture, our days have been written in a book before we were born. So every human walking on the earth today came to fulfill a story written before he/she was formed in the womb. In other words, we have been predestined for a purpose.
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestined us unto the adoption of children to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians chapter 1, verses 4-5)
According to the writer of Ephesians, we were predestined before the foundation of the world. So even before Adam, God saw us. He is the Alpha and Omega. He saw the end from the beginning. He saw every human that has lived and that will ever live.
The omnipresent God
The term omnipresence means, the ability to be at all places at the same time. It is a common knowledge among physicists that space and time are connected. If space and time are intertwined, that implies that God is present in all dimensions of time as he is present in all dimensions of space. The omnipresent God is present in all of time.
Jesus was, is and is to come. This implies that he is in the future as he is in the present. Because he is ever present in all dimensions of time and space, he has seen the end of every man’s life from the beginning. So we can say that no human existence is a surprise to God.
Choice and predestination
If we have all been predestined, do we really have a choice? Can we make our own future by the choices we make or are we robots destined for a certain end?
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you, life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life that both thou and thy seed may live.” (Deuteronomy chapter 30, verse 4)
In the above scripture, God gave the children of Israel the power of choice. God created man as a free moral agent. It is for this purpose that he put a tree of knowledge and a tree of life in the garden of Eden. He gave man the power of choice from the beginning. If predestination and choice are established truths, then how do we reconcile them?
I believe God has predestined us for a specific purpose but we have the power to choose the path he has set for us or to choose our own ways. If we have no power to choose, then what is the essence of living. When we follow God’s path, we head towards our destiny but when we follow our own ways, we head towards destruction.
We are all here to act a script. It is wisdom to walk with the writer of that script. We must understand that on our own, we will always go astray. It is when we come to the realization of this truth that we humble ourselves to seek direction from our creator.
Someone reading this may feel lost in a maze. I’ve got good news for you - the author of your life wants to lead you. He delights in leading you for we are the sheep and He is the Shepherd.
Rume Kpadamrophe is an evangelist, writer, teacher and researcher based in Lagos, Nigeria. Rume speaks French and English and loves to travel. His desire is to see revival ignited and sustained in the nations of the world. Rume’s email address is rumekpadamrophe@yahoo.com
Rume’s previous articles may be viewed at https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/rume-padsmrophe.html
Rume Kpadamrophe is a graduate student at the University of South Carolina. Before leaving Nigeria, he mentored several youths in prophetic, intercession, and evangelism. He is a revivalist, a writer, a researcher, and an enthusiastic lover of revival history. He desires to see revival ignited and sustained in the nations of the earth. He currently serves as the president of The Carolina Church, a campus ministry at the University of South Carolina.Rume’s email is rumekpadamrophe@yahoo.com.