There are some very vicious debates over the topic of predestination. Is predestination a thing? If so, how does it work? Many Christians see predestination as an abomination, so much so that if you so much as quote a Bible verse, you instantly get accused of Calvinism (because everyone knows Calvinists are the only ones who care what the Bible says...). But those same verses that mention predestination also mention foreknowledge. Yet, predestination, according to some, has nothing to do with foreknowledge.
So what's the right answer? In truth, we don't have the capacity to know on this side of death. "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." (1 Corinthians 13:12). Predestination is a thing we can know only in part.
But what parts can we know? Well, we can know the parts neither extreme want to acknowledge. Is predestination a thing? Yes, the Bible says so. Does God's foreknowledge have a part to play in it? Yes, again, the Bible says so.
The Bible tells us on numerous occasions that God ultimately wants all people to be saved. In both Old and New Testaments, we see a God of love who, even when His people rebel against Him, continues to pour out His love, demanding repentance so that the penitent may live. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), and does not want any to perish (2 Peter 3:9), but wants all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).
So, clearly, God wants all to be saved. And yet, not all are saved, so how does this predestination thing work? Romans 8:29 begins with 7 words: "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined...". So, foreknowledge and predestination have a very strong link. God's predestination depends on His foreknowledge.
But is it as simple as some would put it? Is it that God has basically no influence on who is saved, it's just that He knew who would be? Of course not. That, by definition, is not predestination. That's just plain foreknowledge. Let us compare two Biblical examples. The first, just one man, Saul of Tarsus. Saul of Tarsus persecuted the Church, even to death. He was, by his own confession, a blasphemer, and an insolent man. The chief of sinners. And yet, God called Saul. Even his very name was changed, no longer Saul of Tarsus, but the Apostle Paul, whose fame matches, and maybe even exceeds Peter. In his letter to Timothy, Paul says he obtained mercy, because he did these things in ignorance.
The second, an entire city. "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." (Matthew 11:23). Had Jesus done His miracles for Sodom, they would have repented. So strongly, in fact, that even their descendants, right to the day of Christ, would have remained faithful. And yet, we see that they never got that chance. God famously nuked Sodom, and its twin city, Gomorrah. Though they would have repented, they instead received just judgement.
Here we see predestination at work. God foreknew Paul, just as He foreknew Sodom. He not only saw what would happen, but also what could have happened. And yet, in His wisdom, He could have done things differently. He could have sent Christ to Sodom, and they would have repented. Or instead of appearing to Paul on the road to Damascus, He could have killed him in the exact same spot.
See, the thing about salvation is that it is a gift, not a right. A privilege, not a wage. God owes zero sinners salvation. When God destroyed Sodom, that was absolutely just. They deserved what they got, and on the day of judgement, they will not be able to complain. When God saved Paul, He acted in unbelievable mercy. Paul deserved what Sodom received. Yet, as God knew Sodom would have repented, He knew Paul would repent. If He acted. If God had not appeared to Saul, what would he have become? Perhaps he would have been saved by other means, but not become an Apostle. Perhaps he would have remained in ignorance until his death. It may even be possible that a Christian may have fatally wounded Paul in self defence. God alone knows what would have happened if He had not acted as He did. But He also knew ahead of time what each action He could have taken would have achieved, and so He chose the action that seemed most fitting to Him in His infinite wisdom, according to His good pleasure.
God's sovereignty, by its very nature, means He is always acting. Nothing is truly left to chance, for God even controls the outcome of a dice. God not only knows who would choose salvation, but how to make them do so, and when.
And that is why Romans 8 continues to tell us that those whom He predestined, these He also called. As Romans 10:17 tells us, faith comes through hearing. The mere fact that you would accept Christ is meaningless. Sodom would have, Sodom didn't. But if you're a Christian, you did. Why? Because you heard. If you hadn't heard, you wouldn't have accepted it. And that is the important thing. God, in His sovereignty, not only made the first move, but basically all of the moves leading right up to the first time you believed. Did He not write, even ordain, every day of your life?
Let us put it this way: Did you choose to be born? Did you choose when, or where? Did you choose your parents, or indeed any of your ancestors? You could have been born on some tropical island somewhere to a tribe as yet untouched. Or perhaps in North Korea. There aren't many believers there spreading the Gospel, and the few who try are persecuted even to death. You could have been born in the Middle East, indoctrinated into believing that Christians commit shirk by calling Jesus Lord, a mortal sin. And here, we are talking only about your childhood. You had no control over that. And so how could you have chosen Christ if He had not first chosen you? You could not.
And so we see that predestination is a matter of God's wisdom, His sovereignty, and ultimately, His glory. We should not be so arrogant as to assume we would always have chosen God in any scenario, because nothing distinguishes us from those who died in their sins. Likewise, we should not consider ourselves "special", unconditionally chosen by God, while others were forsaken. Predestination, however you understand it, should force us to be humble. Salvation is such a beautiful gift, given to us by the grace of God, and by grace alone. We did not earn it. We were not entitled to it. It was handed to us, bought by the precious blood of our Lord. You didn't choose that, He chose the cross. For that, He deserves all the glory.
Recommended song: Lost in Wonder - Martyn Layzell