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NASB | Ephesians 1:5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 1:5 He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will-- |
Bible Question:
I have two questions: 1) Is it possible to receive the Holy Spirit gifts without giving fruits first? 2) There seems to be a lot of controversy in interpreting Ephesus 1:5,11 as for predestination. Can you explain to me clearly in a way makes sense to most people, and of course to me? Thank you very much, I will appreciate it a lot, God bless you!! |
Bible Answer: Hello vellon, I'll do what I can for you. 1) When the Holy Spirit indwells us, two things are given to us--gifts (1 Cor 12) and fruit (Gal 6). Neither are developed, but they are certainly there. 2) God in eternity before creation planned some things to happen concerning our salvation. This is without question. The difficulty is in agreeing on how much He planned. It is very much tied to election. A) On one end you have God predestining things to occur when a person becomes a believer. He then reaches out to a lost world so they might believe. B) On the other end you have God already choosing who would be in heaven and making sure things happen so that the person is saved. I'm on the B-side of these scenarios myself. Steve |