308 - GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE AND PREDESTINATION
May 23, 1965
Henry F. Kulp
Romans 8: 28, 29 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
God’s eternal purpose is that we have all things work together for good to them that love God. God’s eternal purpose is centered in Jesus Christ and part of God’s eternal purpose is called the mystery, the Church which is the Body of Christ. And this part of God’s eternal purpose, has been a secret—it’s been hid from ages past; but, has now been revealed to us by the Apostle Paul.
1/ Now we come to verse 29, and we find the word predestinate. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Right away some folks become frightened. Many people worry about the teaching of predestination. For some folks it is the end of the line. To others, it becomes a doctrine, whereby God saves certain people and He condemns certain people to Hell. But, predestination should not be hard for us to understand.
2/ The first thing we have to ascertain about predestination is, it has absolutely nothing to do with salvation.
Romans 8: 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
It does not say for whom He foreknew He predestinated to be saved that is not what it says. But rather, predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son.
3/ I can remember quite a few years ago, I was holding a Bible Conference in Dunbar, Pa., when a young man came to me and he started talking to me about the Gospel; and, as I normally do, I asked him if he was saved. “Oh,” he said, “there’s no use speaking to me about being saved, because God has predestinated me to Hell—He has not predestinated me to go to Heaven.” No matter how hard I talked to him, he was convinced of this, he could not be saved.
What a diabolical, satanic teaching. It has no foundation in the Word of God! You are NOT predestinated to be saved, but according to the Scripture, predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son.
4/ Let us just for a few seconds, study the Word itself. I am not interested in the many interpretations of predestination; nor am I bothered by the way others handle the subject. I am only interested in what the Bible teaches. I have no denominational ‘ax to grind’.
5/ When you look into the meaning of the word itself, you’ll find the word predestination is made up of two words. The first part is, pre, which means before, or beforehand. The last part of the word destination, which means the climax, the end. The little word pre has to do with something beforehand—the word destination has to do with the end.
So, the precise meaning of the word has to do with something beforehand and something at the end. Predestination has nothing, whatsoever, to do with anything in between. The time is designated by the word pre and by the word destination.
6/ So predestination takes us into eternity. It takes us into eternity past and into eternity future. In eternity past, God determined to do something and in eternity future, it will come to pass.
Before we can go any further in our study, we must see that predestination and God’s eternal purpose are all tied up together.
Ephesians 1: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according—that word, according, is important, according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the council of His own will. Predestination is according to the purpose of God. What’s the purpose of God? That He might have a Church that is the Body of Christ, which is a Heavenly Body.
7/ Notice! We have obtained an inheritance. Predestination has to do with the end. The final climax—what’s the final climax? We will have an inheritance. Inheritance and predestination go hand in hand. He has predestinated us to an inheritance.
8/ None of this has to do with us individually, as such, for Ephesians is about the Church, which is the Body of Christ. It is a collective thing—the whole Church has an inheritance—the whole Church is predestinated. Predestinated to what? Let’s see the final climax, let’s see eternity future.
9/ Romans 8: 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
We will be conformed to the image of God’s Son. God decided this in eternity past and in eternity future, it will be a reality. We will be like the Lord Jesus Christ. The whole Church, not just some of the Church, but the whole Church, the complete Church will be like the Lord Jesus Christ.
Any time the word predestination is used, in your presence, or anybody mentions it, you should say Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I have a destination. I am going to be like the Lord Jesus Christ. What more can God do for you than this? Can you think of anything better that God can do for you? Not one thing! Certainly this is nothing you can do for yourself—God is going to have to do it for you.
10/ Let us notice something else about the future of those who have predestination.
Ephesians 1: 4, 5 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ—notice, according to the pleasure of His will—according to His purpose, again. And, you remember what His purpose happens to be, that He has predestinated us unto the adoption of children.
We told you the word, adoption, is not the word we know today, where a family takes a child of another blood and adopts him or her into their family. There’s nothing wrong with this adoption, but that is not what is being talked about here.
We told you in the life of the Hebrew boy, there came a time appointed by the father when the adoption proceeding took place and the boy was declared to be a son and an heir of the father. Before that time, he had been a son indeed, but he had been under governors and tutors. He had been told what he must and what he must not do; and, what he may and may not do. Finally, the time appointed arrived. He was now a grown son and the adoption proceedings take place.
One of these days, we are going to be in this glorious position, for, Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Here we have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. We have it but it is not yet ours in reality. We just have the spirit of it.
Romans 8: 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
We are groaning within ourselves doing what? Waiting! Waiting for what? The adoption to wit the redemption of our body! The adoption has to do with our body and our bodies, are going to be made like unto the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not have this at the present time, but we will have it in the future when we go to be with the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, predestination has to do with our bodies. It has been beforehand decided that our bodies will be resurrected from the dead and changed like unto the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the present time, we have merely the Spirit of Adoption. But, one of these days the adoption is going to be a reality and we’ll be like the Lord Jesus Christ and our bodies will be like the Lord Jesus Christ’s glorious body. Certainly, predestination is not an evil thing, but a wonderful, marvelous, thing that should cause us to shout Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!!
11/ Let me show you something in the Old Testament about God’s purpose. It has to do with us knowing that all things work together for good.
Isaiah 14: 24, 25 The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
Here are some verses you should study because they are marvelous. The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; You see, the Lord doesn’t ask anyone what he’s going to do. You remember Moses, God said, I want you, Moses, to lead my people, because I am gong to deliver my people from the house of bondage in Egypt. Was there anyone powerful enough to stop God from getting Israel out of Egypt? NO! When God decided to do it that was all that was needed. God said, ‘I’m going to do it’ and it was done? Do you know something? Sometimes, I think we give the devil too much power. We think Satan is a mighty one almost with the might of the Lord: and, that is not true—it is not true at all. Satan was in a place of power and God has left him in that place of power, but he does not overrule the purposes of God.
Isaiah 14: 27 For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
HE DID WHAT? He hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? You see, the purposes of God are always that way, they always come to the conclusion that God wants them to.
12/ This has to do with predestination and salvation. God never predestinated anyone for heaven or predestinated anyone for hell. It doesn’t make it any better that some people say predestination has nothing to do with hell, only with heaven.
I Timothy 2: 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
II Peter 3: 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
For God says He wants all to come to repentance. In other words, all to be saved. God is not choosing some people and rejecting others. The only way you can be rejected, is if you do not trust the Lord Jesus Christ, as your Saviour. So, you can see, that predestination and salvation do not go hand in hand.
13/ It was not predestinated that I preach this sermon. It was not predestinated by God that I be pastor of this church. It was not predestinated that the musicians here, should play in this church. These things have nothing to do with the subject of predestination.
14/ Let us just sum up predestination. Predestination is a divine act of God, or by God, in eternity past God set the goal of the Church which is the Body of Christ. And the goal is adoption, which is being Son-Placed. When we’re Son-Placed, we shall be like HIM. We shall then be in the image of His Son. Predestination has nothing whatsoever to do with the events in between times. Whether you’re going to be a preacher or whether mechanic, an engineer, a bookkeeper—it has nothing to do with whether you’re going to be healthy or sick, whether you are going to be tall or short, it is God in ages past, linking the final climax, or the goal of the Church which is the Body of Christ, certain.
15/ Let us understand in the Book of Ephesians 1: 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Before we can get to this verse we must understand that in Ephesians God is talking about the mystery, the Church, which is the Body of Christ – how few really understand the Church, which is the Body of Christ. Christ is not talking about individual believers, but rather about the Church—the Body of Christ.
In the first three chapters of Ephesians, we have the Church as God sees it. Accepted and resting in all the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the last three chapters of this book, we see the Church as God desires the world to see it. So, the last three chapters has to do with the believer’s work, and walk. The word, Church, is found in Ephesians nine times and the word, body, is also found nine times. So this is the theme of the book.
16/ Ephesians 1: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Notice clearly that the Holy Spirit is telling us through the Apostle Paul that God before the foundation of the world, decided to have a Church which would be called His Body. He decided that Church would have its foundation in HIM. He also decided what kind of Church it would be. It would be a Church without blame before Him in love. When God looks at that Church, He does not see a flaw. It is without blame before HIM.
Ephesians 1: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
He decided the destination of the Church. In these two verses, we have the Divine blueprint for the Church which is the Body of Christ. He is dealing with the individuals in this book, but with the corporate body known as the Church.
17/ God does not predestinate individuals, but, of course, there is one exception to that statement, in the Bible God has predestinated one outstanding individual.
I Peter 1: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
The Lord Jesus Christ was predestinated in two things. He was predestinated to suffering and He was predestinated to the glory which should follow.
18/ God has predestinated two groups. This one group is Israel to an outstanding place among the nations of the world. Then God has predestinated another group, known as the Church, The Body of Christ and we shall be like the Lord Jesus Christ and spend eternity in the Heavenlies. If you are a member of the Body of Christ, you are in a predestinated company!
AMEN
Ref: 05/23/1965 / 308 - GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE AND PREDESTINATION/ 08/26/2020
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