Double Predestination?

In Sunday School at Grace Community Church, Pastor Brian Harvey is going through Ephesians with the college and career group. We just started this study a few weeks ago and have already hit some pretty deep stuff, for instance: predestination. I will attempt to explain from my notes...I don't know how many people read this, but even if no one does, it helps me to process my thoughts and see what I learned by writing it out; so here goes!

Predestined means to decide upon beforehand according to His (God's) will. God predestined those whom He saves. Also, this term, predestined, is always used to say that God saves someone - not that condemns them. So, the question was brought up, "what about Romans 9:22-23?" Does it teach double-predestination - since God chooses some people to be saved, He also condemns the rest. No it doesn't teach that. Romans 9:22-23 says,

What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory.

So are these verses saying that God predestines or decides on beforehand those who spend eternity apart from Him? Let's look at some passages in Scripture:

James 1:13-14 "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and entice by his own desire."

This passage is very clear - No one can say, "God made me do it." God tempts no one; when man sins, it's his own fault.

Go back to Romans 9:21 - "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" A better word for "dishonorable" is "common". Believers and unbelievers are alike, but we serve different purposes. It is not saying that one person is saved and another is condemned. Unbelievers were not designed for destruction, just common usages. (I hope I haven't lost you yet...this is pretty hard to understand - especially the way I'm writing it. Sorry!)

Anyways, let's keep going to verses 22 and 23. The word "prepared" is used in both of those verses, but they mean different things. In the English, the word "prepared" is the same verb and means the same thing. In the Greek, however, "prepared" doesn't mean the same thing. Let's take a look. In vs. 22 "prepared" is a passive verb; so God is not an active agent in preparation They themselves already prepared themselves. But, in vs. 23 "prepared" is an active verb; God is actively preparing some to save. So even though it's the same word, there is a difference.

Although God does not prepare some for condemnation, He does allow sin to continue to ultimately be used for His glory - to proclaim His glory. Think of the story of Pharaoh and Moses. God allowed Pharaoh to harden his heart and continue in sin for His (God's) eternal purposes. God puts His hand of grace on some, but not others, allowing them to continue in sin.

Do any of us deserve to be saved? That would be a definite NO! We are all on the path to destruction. None of us deserve salvation, but God chooses to save some of us. Why do we ask the question, "How come they aren't saved?" Instead we should be asking, "Why am I saved?"

So, does this passage teach double-predestination? No, it:

1. Shows God's wrath
2. Make His powers known
3. Makes known the riches of His glory in mercy

The purpose of it all is to give God glory and to show His glory.

Are we ever going to grasp this fully? Probably not. Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong to the Lord out God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." - We won't understand it unless God reveals it to us.