Many are anxious thinking of the doctrine of predestination in the Bible. I used to feel uncomfortable with it. With the kind of teaching I received about it, it is understandable that one should feel apprehensive.
Like a friend of mine who wrote to me expressing his fears about his condition when considering the doctrine of predestination.
By God's grace, sometime later, I realized that predestination is not something to be scared of. It is something to thank and worship God for. That's why the apostle Paul bursts in praise to God as he mentioned predestination among other things in Ephesians 1.
It is not God predetermining who will go to heaven or who will go to hell. It is not about who will be saved or not. Rather, it answers the question: "Now, that you are IN HIM or IN CHRIST what's your destiny?" Predestination is God predetermining an already saved sinner to a position and a condition.
Position---He has predetermined that saved sinners would be adopted as His sons. Sonship is a biblical idea that emphasizes position. Hence, all saved sinners, including females occupy this position. Anyone who has trusted in Christ is a son of God right now, enjoying all the privileges and responsibilities that God could offer.
But a time will come when the fuller manifestation of sonship in the future will be enjoyed by Christians. And to that, God has predestined saved sinners.
Condition---He has predetermined that saved sinners would be conformed to the likeness of His Son. Saved sinners will be fully and perfectly be like Him in character eventually in the future. To this God has predestined Christians.
God could have predestined saved sinners to become angels in heaven. That would be tremendous indeed. He could have predestined saved sinners to be one of the sweepers of the streets or doorkeepers in that glorious city prepared by God that will descend here on earth in the future. That would be awesome.
However, God in His mind-blowing grace has determined that saved sinners should occupy a more exalted position and experience a more glorious condition. He has determined in advance that saved sinners will be adopted as one of His sons and be like His one and only unique Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
Think of it! PREDESTINED NOT TO BE ANGELS. NOT TO BE HEAVENLY SWEEPERS (if there is such a thing in heaven). NOT TO BE DOORKEEPERS (if there is such a thing in heaven). NO, SONS WHO WILL BE PERFECTLY CONFORMED TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS UNIQUE SON! I would never exchange my eternal destiny with that of an angel even though right now, I am in this world living inside this body of weakness.
Saved sinners will sit at the table of the King of the universe as sons like that of His Son with angels at their beck and call! That's mind blowing. It is enough to make us gasp and fall down and worship God forever.
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
