Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honored] among many believers. |
Bible Question: Can you shed some light on "predestination"? It confuses me that God has predestined us to be as Christ but yet we have free will? |
Bible Answer: Hi jrankrum, Probibly the best way to approach this question would be to type "predestination" into the search box, and read some of the vast amount of material that has already been written on this website. In the main, there are two popular views of predestination, one that we are predestined for salvation, and the other that the saved are predestined to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. The sister topic, election, is similar. One popular view is that we are preselected to become "in Christ", the other that those who become "in Christ" share His election. On the one hand, some believe that God has preselected certain people to be saved, and has predetermined the course of their lives to insure that those people will be saved. They would answer that there is no conflict with free will because free will as such does not exist. Man is unable to choose salvation, it must be chosen for him, then he is not only able to choose salvation, but will as a matter of course choose salvation. Others believe that God offers salvation to all, and those that choose to receive salvation will find that the circumstances of their lives have been predetermined to work in them in such a way as to make them like Jesus. They answer that they want to be like Jesus, so they are agreeable to the fact that God has predestined them to be like Him. Therefore, there is no conflict. I suggest carefully reading every passage that refers to predestination, preordained, and such, to see what the Scripture actually teaches. You may wish to check a few different translations as well. I hope this helps! Love in Christ, Mark |