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Ephesians 1:7–14
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11).
Another objection frequently raised against the Augustinian view of predestination is that it makes God arbitrary or capricious. A person who acts in an arbitrary manner does what he does for no reason at all. Is God acting this way in His works of predestination? We have said that when He predestines some to mercy and the others to justice, He does so not for any reason in them. But that fact does not mean there is no reason outside of them, no overarching purpose that guides God’s decisions. In fact, the Bible teaches just the opposite.
Take Ephesians 1:11 for example. Paul here speaks of “the counsel of [God’s] will.” The word counsel has to do with the wisdom, plan, or thought processes of God. It clearly suggests intelligence, showing that God’s acts of predestination, far from being arbitrary, are rooted in His perfect wisdom. Paul also refers in this verse to “the purpose of [God].” The Greek word here translated “purpose” is telos, which means “end, purpose, or goal.” Someone who acts arbitrarily acts for no purpose, but the New Testament is clear, in this verse and others, that there are purposes in God’s predestination. These purposes are not gnostic truths that are hidden away in the verbiage of the New Testament. They are clearly expressed. God predestines in order to make manifest the riches of His grace, to display His mercy as a beautiful and praiseworthy aspect of His character (Rom. 9:17, 22–23). He also does it in order to honor Christ, for He promised that “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied” (Isa. 53:11), that is, that the cross should yield fruit. God is gracious to His elect in order to reward Jesus. And He predestines “that the purpose of God according to election might stand” (Rom. 9:11), that is, that there might be no doubt about His ways among men.
But as Ephesians 1 declares, God also predestines because He takes pleasure in being gracious to some. Predestination is “according to His good pleasure” (v. 9). He finds predestination pleasing. Is God, therefore, merely directing a divine comedy, amusing Himself at the expense of human beings? Hardly. For His pleasure is “good pleasure.” He takes no pleasure in evil. There is (and can be) no evil will in Him. Only goodness pleases Him. Therefore, all His purposes in predestination are only good always.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
We don’t always like God’s decisions. We frequently cannot understand what He is doing, for we cannot see the end from the beginning as He can. But the basic fact we must keep in mind is that God is good, and therefore all He does is good. We must not charge Him with evil. If you ever have done so, seek His forgiveness today.
For Further Study
- Psalm 31:19
- Psalm 52:1
- Isaiah 46:10
- Isaiah 55:8–9
- Matthew 19:17
- Romans 2:4