Is Predestination A Game of Duck-Duck-Damned?
While working this morning I listened to a sermon by Greg Boyd, Pastor at Woodland Hills Church in Minnesota, in which he said, “It is our free choice, not predestination, that causes us to either follow Jesus or not follow Jesus.” This is no small matter. Aside from throwing the Bible out the window (see Romans 8:30, Matthew 24:31, Titus 1:1, Acts 4:27-28, Psalm 139:16, Ephesians 1:11 for staters), this view impacts how we view God, ourselves, sin, and the work of Jesus on the Cross.
I will admit that as an immature Christian in college I hated the Doctrine of Election. I thought is was unloving and I couldn’t understand why God would choose some for salvation and not others - the idea seemed like what Mark Driscoll has called a game of Duck-Duck-Damned. But as I matured in my faith I not only realized that the truth of Predestination is taught throughout Scripture, but it is also a great source of hope and assurance.
This foundational doctrine is a good place to start when considering whether your church is a Bible-teaching church or just interested in bringing in crowds. Many in the church today are more interested in experience than worship and cultural relevance over Biblical truth. The idea that you can “accept Jesus into your heart” or choose for yourself salvation is warm and fuzzy, but the problem is that these ideas are not supported by the Word of God. The issue of the sovereignty of God is not a place to be tolerant of loosy-goosy theology; it amounts to a massive revision of the Biblical view of God.
Why Your Church Doesn’t Feel Like Family
This is old, but I’m constantly reminded of how true this message is.
Striving for the Faith of the Gospel
Philippians 1:27-30
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
