Destiny and the Will to Change

Warning! Religious content.

There are some pretty weird verses in the bible that indicate that we are predestined to be saved. I've even heard it preached on recently. To be honest, these verses challenge me. I don't really like the concept, but the good news is it doesn't matter. If you have made a decision to accept salvation then it doesn't matter if you were predetermined to do so or not.

Romans 8:29-30

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

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; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

The reason I bring this up is because of another verse entirely. I wish I could bring you a grand conclusion all wrapped up with a bow and ready to go, but we're going to have to settle for a discussion of an interesting concept and you can make up your own mind about it.

The verse I'm on about is John 3: 17-21.

17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”[j]

But here's why. Lately I've been pretty challenged by myself. Well I challenge myself all the time, but I'm getting push back. This happens when I have a place of hardness. Hardness forms like a scar, where an injury has healed imperfectly. God offers to heal us, perfectly, so my wounds are places I'm choosing not to receive that healing.

There's an intimate connection between our intimate connection with God and his healing of us. Places we don't receive healing are places we don't allow God to enter. Hard places can clump together and become a trend that impacts our entire lives. It sounds odd because we all have unhealed places that we don't feel the impact of but others seem to be a huge interruption of our lives.

Let's dial this back a second, from the life and death issue of salvation. What I'm talking about personally is just times in which I could have a much better attitude. There's times when I'm grumpy, or angry, etc. and I know better. In fact, I'm trying to become a more positive person. I've been trying for years and had many successes. Sometimes I can here the quiet voice of God pointing out that I'm about to head down a spiral of stink'n think'n and to my own horror I ignore Him and do it anyway. Because of my unhealed places I often chose to be a mean, angry person when I know that's not who I really am. I'd rather stay stuck in it than receive the healing God offers.

I'm often tempted to feel twice as bad afterword, because I saw it coming. These episodes are a symptom of a larger issue, the hardness beneath them. It's not so much the darkness of my deeds as it is that I still love the darkness. Does this resonate with anyone?

I want to officially drive a post into the ground and declare a change of heart. I want to overcome all my hard places, no matter how much I've clung to the comfort of them. I want to be a more positive person even if it means giving up my grudges, negative personal images, feelings of martyrdom, and so on. There's no coping mechanism in my life that's more important to me than getting better, mainly because I'm tired of having places in my life where intimacy with God is shunned.