for the longest time, i have struggled with understanding the concept of predestination.

Calvinism - emphasizes that humans are incapable of adding anything to obtain salvation and that God alone is the initiator at every stage of salvation, including the formation of faith and every decision to follow Christ.

Arminianism says - God chooses us because He knows we will choose Him.

over dinner and starbucks (ahhhhhh i got to drink my favorite iced caramel macchiato yummmmm) we discussed this. over the years of being a Christian this concept of predestination has come up time and again, and i have never fully understood it. even now, i dont. i have no problems whichever of the doctrines prove to be true at the end of life's day- cos the fact remains that Jesus Christ is my Savior and nothing will ever change that. He has saved me and no one can ever snatch me from the palm of His hand. but much of my distress over these issues stem from my feelings of helplessness when i try to help others see His love and issues such as these that humans can never comprehend, stand in the way.

and so we discussed and discussed and discussed and i refused to go home. haha. then we opened our Bibles (yes, in the middle of starbucks. only Bethany people do mad things like that haha) and read from the book of Romans- that shut me up for a long time.

God chose Jacob and not Esau, for it is written "the older shall serve the younger", even before the twins were born. why?

Romans 8 says

14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!

15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”[f]

16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.

17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”[g]

18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”

20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”

21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

LET GOD BE GOD. God doesnt need us to defend Him, He's perfectly capable of defending Himself. if you can submit to human authority, listen to your parents, why not to the Almighty Sovereign God?

ok thats not the end, moving on to Romans 10.

6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[c] (that is, to bring Christ down from above)

7 or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’”[d] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”[e](that is, the word of faith which we preach):

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

But its not all God's election, there's the element of faith as well, which is essential - Romans 9:31-32 Not all of Israel attained righteousness because they did not seek it by faith.

Pastor Mitch calls it the tension between 1. God's election 2. Free choice 3. Jesus' dying on the cross for ALL (not dying on the cross for the elect)

sometimes i wish i could understand everything. but i like what CS Lewis said - 'Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable.' hur. i think this quote is pretty funny. our finite minds could never comprehend an infinite God. i dont know if its enough for you, but its enough for me. (: