Answer: I think the verse you’re referring to is either Romans 8:29 or Ephesians 1:5. In the New International Version Romans 8:29 reads, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Ephesians 1:5 reads, “He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
You can find the word “predestined” in Romans 8:30 and Ephesians 1:11, too, used in the same context as it is in Romans 8:29 and Romans 1:5.
Because the United States has the reputation that individual rights and opportunities are abundant, lots of people think that they can control or choose more than they actually can. Idealistic young people imagine that by choosing a career, they will have success in that career.
In many places in the world, people don’t think about choice as much as North Americans do. For example, if you live in a caste system, the family or caste you were born into determines your socio-economic status for life. If you were born with AIDS or were a crack baby, what choices do you have? Nobody has been asked if they want to be born, where they choose to be born, which gender they choose to be, or even who would be their parents. In some cultures, you don’t even choose who you will marry.
You didn’t choose for tsunamis or earthquakes or hurricane-producing floods to take place. You didn’t choose to have planes crash into the World Trade Center in New York, or to have your country invaded by outsiders.
You may have chosen to vote, but it seemed like your one vote didn’t count for much when millions of others voted, too. You may have chosen to befriend somebody, but that doesn’t mean that they chose to become your friend. You may have chosen to go out for a sport and even practiced to make the team, but that doesn’t mean that the coach chose you to be on the team.
Let’s consider what freedom of choice we have when it comes to God and living on this planet. Look earlier in the book of Romans for some keys to understanding Romans 8:29. We can find that the heathen are “without excuse” for not worshiping God (see Romans 1:18-20). We also find that the followers of God are also “without excuse” for not truly following God (see Romans 2:1, 17-24). This gets summarized in Romans 3:23 (NIV), “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Paul goes on to explain that God’s way of dealing with or sin issue. In Romans 6:23 (NLT) you can read, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I think Paul is saying that you and I have earned death. It’s the wage that we deserve—because we were born naturally selfish, and we’ve made plenty of choices along the way that are either totally selfish or mixed with selfishness. But God provides a free gift. Providing the gift isn’t my choice, but accepting the gift is.
Notice how Paul presents the element of choice in Romans 6:16-18 (NLT): “Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you have obeyed with all your hart the new teaching God has given you. Now you are free from sin, your old master, and you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness.”
This means that when God “predestined” you to become Christlike, it wasn’t a threat; it was a promise. He not only saves you to come to heaven with him one day, but He enters you now and transforms you to become like Him, starting now! That’s God’s plan. Your “choice” is whether or not you want that package. If you choose not to, that’s your choice, and choices always have consequences. Since you and I are not God, we don’t get to negotiate the deal; we simply choose what the deal will be for us.
I’d recommend that you read all of Romans 8 (1-2 pages in most Bibles—I especially like The Living Bible for this chapter). Try reading Romans 8:29-30 in The Message. And then pray, thanking God for the provision He has made for you--including the choice you have to be a child of God.
I’ve found that by choosing to be a child of God, I have far more choices than I’d ever get if I didn’t choose to be His child.
