Various fundamental questions that every human asks at some point in his or her life are: “What is my purpose? Do I have a destiny? If I do, then what is it and how do I find it?” Pursuing these questions in the religious culture invokes seemingly endless attempts to reconcile an all-knowing God – the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ – with the human will.
We each have the gift of choice; a gift unique to human creation. Yet, in the minds of many people, to suggest each one of us possesses a destiny somehow negates the value of one’s ability to make choices. Stated another way: If God knows the end from the beginning and He knows each person’s destiny, then one’s life course is inevitable – fated – if you will; with no hope. Infused into this thought paradigm is the (false) possibility that God created some humans for hell and some for heaven.
Foundational to any Kingdom discussion is the proper understanding of and agreement in word meaning. What does it mean to destine something or someone? What is a destiny? What encompasses the concept of possessing a will? According to Webster, to destine is “to decree beforehand; predetermine. To designate, assign, or dedicate in advance. To set apart for a specific purpose or end.” A destiny is “something to which a person or thing is destined.” Further, Webster defines a will as “mental powers manifested as wishing, choosing, desiring, or intending.”
Another elemental component to this pursuit involves perspective. From where are we standing as we look into this topic? I will submit to you that an inherent flaw in the attempt to reconcile God’s omniscience with the human will involves a difference in perspective. The human mind is limited to a viewpoint involving time and space. It is bound to a linear thought progression; memories of yesterday, knowledge of the presence and anticipation of the future. Whereas God the Father views life from an eternal standpoint, transcending the boundaries of time and space, knowing the end from the beginning. To understand destiny, we must allow our Father to grant us this eternal perspective – it is His good pleasure to do so!
As previously stated, to be destined for something involves that “something” to be predetermined; for that person to be set apart for a specific purpose; and that purpose to be decreed BEFOREHAND. Before the foundations of the world, God determined humanity’s purpose, set humanity apart from the rest of creation, and established a covenant to decree humanity’s purpose and identity. How do we know this?
Paul tells the Ephesians that He chose us in Him from the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ. In Him we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of God (Ephesians 1:4-5, 11). Paul also explains to the Romans that Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29) Peter declares that the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, but is patient toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Our purpose is to become a son, or heir, of God. Every human being ever born onto the planet; his or her purpose has always been to be a child of God.
….to be continued……
