Pastor Adam Gomez
Sunday, November 8, 2026
Scripture: Ephesians 1:4-6
Topic: “Predestination and Free Will"
Predestination and Free Will
A group of theologians were discussing the doctrines of free will and predestination. The argument became heated and the group split into two groups. One man, unable to make up his mind concerning which group he wanted to be part of, slipped into the predestination group. When asked why he was there, he said, “I came of my own free will.” They retorted, “Free will! You don’t belong here!” He then was sent to the free will group. When asked why he was there, he said, “I was sent here.” They replied, “Get out of here! You cannot join our group unless you come by your own free will!”
Predestination and Free Will form a debate centered on how God’s absolute sovereignty and foreknowledge interact with human choice. In Bible college, you couldn’t walk through a Student Union area or sit in a campus coffee shop without hearing students (usually first year Bible college students) debate this topic.
Ephesians 1:4-6
4. just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
5. having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6. to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
He has “chosen us” (verse 4).
He has “predestined us” (verse 5).
He has “accepted us” (verse 6).
There are only four places in the Bible where predestination is mentioned as it pertains to a person’s salvation:
God's Patience in Predestination
2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
The Lord is long suffering or patient towards us. God withholds His wrath from individuals in order to give ample time for a person to be saved.
Romans 2:5, “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”
God is patient and longsuffering. Sinful man is storing up wrath. God is not willing that any should perish. Unfortunately, many will perish.
Genesis 6:3, “And the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’”
The 120 years that the Lord gave the evil people of Noah’s day before wiping them out with a worldwide flood was a period of grace. 2 Peter 2:5 refers to Noah as a “preacher of righteousness.”
Romans 1:20, “…so that they are without excuse…”
Vessels of Wrath
Romans 9:22, “What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,”
Paul describes “vessels of wrath” here in Romans 9:22. The Apostle Paul describes these people as a group prepared for destruction. How do they become prepared for destruction? They prepare themselves! The Greek verb for “prepared” here in Romans 9:22 is a passive verb. God is not actively preparing people for destruction, but He is granting permission for them to prepare themselves. These people never call on the name of the Lord to be saved. God is not a cosmic coercer forcing individuals against their will to call on the name of the Lord.
Vessels of Mercy
Romans 9:23, “and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,”
Paul describes “vessels of mercy” here in Romans 9:23. The Apostle Paul describes these people as a group prepared for glory. How do they become prepared for glory? God prepared them! The Greek verb for “prepared” here in Romans 9:23 is an active verb. God is the initiator. God is actively preparing people for glory. These people are those who call on the name of the Lord to be saved.
Balancing Predestination and Free Will
When discussing predestination and free will, people often become so convinced of one position that they have a hard time acknowledging that the other position may also contain some biblical truth.
Those who strongly emphasize God’s sovereignty in choosing who will be saved can sometimes take their views so far that they begin to resemble “fatalism” – the idea that everything is predetermined and that human choices and decisions have little to no significance. On the other hand, those who strongly emphasize humanity’s free will can sometimes go so far in that direction that they unintentionally minimize or even deny God’s sovereignty in salvation. Rather than viewing predestination and free will as two opposing ideas, let’s dig into the Scriptures and consider how they relate to one another.
John 6:37, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”
John 6:65, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
Jesus said that we are unable to come to Him on our own. But all the ones the Father sends will come!
John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
His sheep hear His voice. He knows them. They follow Him. He gives them eternal life.
They shall NEVER perish. Jesus gives them eternal life. They can never perish. Nobody can snatch them out of His hand. What security!
John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.”
Jesus chose us. Jesus appoints us. Our fruit remains.
Jude 1:24, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”
The Father is able to keep you from stumbling. The Father is able to present you faultless.
The Scope of Atonement
Jesus gave His life for the whole world (unlimited, universal).
Isaiah 53:4-6, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
1 Timothy 2:3–6, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
Hebrews 2:9, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”
2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
1 John 2:2, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
How Do You Know If You Were Chosen?
Simply, put your faith in Christ and you will know that you were chosen!
You might say, “Well, what if I don’t want to put my faith in Christ?” You’ll know that you weren’t chosen!
The best evidence for a life that has been chosen is life that’s been transformed.
Have you ever been told by a grownup when you were a kid, “The way you’re behaving, I am shocked that you are your father’s son!”
You’re a child of God, now act like it!
If there is something better than knowing that you are saved, it is knowing that you are saved and that you cannot lose your salvation! How can you know that you are eternally secure?
3 Pillars of Assurance
Sunday, November 8, 2026
Scripture: Ephesians 1:4-6
Topic: “Predestination and Free Will"
Predestination and Free Will
A group of theologians were discussing the doctrines of free will and predestination. The argument became heated and the group split into two groups. One man, unable to make up his mind concerning which group he wanted to be part of, slipped into the predestination group. When asked why he was there, he said, “I came of my own free will.” They retorted, “Free will! You don’t belong here!” He then was sent to the free will group. When asked why he was there, he said, “I was sent here.” They replied, “Get out of here! You cannot join our group unless you come by your own free will!”
Predestination and Free Will form a debate centered on how God’s absolute sovereignty and foreknowledge interact with human choice. In Bible college, you couldn’t walk through a Student Union area or sit in a campus coffee shop without hearing students (usually first year Bible college students) debate this topic.
Ephesians 1:4-6
4. just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
5. having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6. to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
He has “chosen us” (verse 4).
He has “predestined us” (verse 5).
He has “accepted us” (verse 6).
There are only four places in the Bible where predestination is mentioned as it pertains to a person’s salvation:
- Romans 8:29, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
- Romans 8:30, “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
- Ephesians 1:5, “…having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”
- Ephesians 1:11, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”
God's Patience in Predestination
2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
The Lord is long suffering or patient towards us. God withholds His wrath from individuals in order to give ample time for a person to be saved.
Romans 2:5, “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”
God is patient and longsuffering. Sinful man is storing up wrath. God is not willing that any should perish. Unfortunately, many will perish.
Genesis 6:3, “And the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’”
The 120 years that the Lord gave the evil people of Noah’s day before wiping them out with a worldwide flood was a period of grace. 2 Peter 2:5 refers to Noah as a “preacher of righteousness.”
Romans 1:20, “…so that they are without excuse…”
Vessels of Wrath
Romans 9:22, “What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,”
Paul describes “vessels of wrath” here in Romans 9:22. The Apostle Paul describes these people as a group prepared for destruction. How do they become prepared for destruction? They prepare themselves! The Greek verb for “prepared” here in Romans 9:22 is a passive verb. God is not actively preparing people for destruction, but He is granting permission for them to prepare themselves. These people never call on the name of the Lord to be saved. God is not a cosmic coercer forcing individuals against their will to call on the name of the Lord.
Vessels of Mercy
Romans 9:23, “and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,”
Paul describes “vessels of mercy” here in Romans 9:23. The Apostle Paul describes these people as a group prepared for glory. How do they become prepared for glory? God prepared them! The Greek verb for “prepared” here in Romans 9:23 is an active verb. God is the initiator. God is actively preparing people for glory. These people are those who call on the name of the Lord to be saved.
Balancing Predestination and Free Will
When discussing predestination and free will, people often become so convinced of one position that they have a hard time acknowledging that the other position may also contain some biblical truth.
Those who strongly emphasize God’s sovereignty in choosing who will be saved can sometimes take their views so far that they begin to resemble “fatalism” – the idea that everything is predetermined and that human choices and decisions have little to no significance. On the other hand, those who strongly emphasize humanity’s free will can sometimes go so far in that direction that they unintentionally minimize or even deny God’s sovereignty in salvation. Rather than viewing predestination and free will as two opposing ideas, let’s dig into the Scriptures and consider how they relate to one another.
John 6:37, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
- “All that the Father gives Me.” (Election)
- ”The one who comes to Me.” (Free will)
John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”
John 6:65, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
Jesus said that we are unable to come to Him on our own. But all the ones the Father sends will come!
John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
His sheep hear His voice. He knows them. They follow Him. He gives them eternal life.
They shall NEVER perish. Jesus gives them eternal life. They can never perish. Nobody can snatch them out of His hand. What security!
John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.”
Jesus chose us. Jesus appoints us. Our fruit remains.
Jude 1:24, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”
The Father is able to keep you from stumbling. The Father is able to present you faultless.
The Scope of Atonement
Jesus gave His life for the whole world (unlimited, universal).
Isaiah 53:4-6, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
1 Timothy 2:3–6, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
Hebrews 2:9, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”
2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
1 John 2:2, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
How Do You Know If You Were Chosen?
Simply, put your faith in Christ and you will know that you were chosen!
You might say, “Well, what if I don’t want to put my faith in Christ?” You’ll know that you weren’t chosen!
The best evidence for a life that has been chosen is life that’s been transformed.
Have you ever been told by a grownup when you were a kid, “The way you’re behaving, I am shocked that you are your father’s son!”
You’re a child of God, now act like it!
If there is something better than knowing that you are saved, it is knowing that you are saved and that you cannot lose your salvation! How can you know that you are eternally secure?
3 Pillars of Assurance
- Perseverance: God will complete what He has begun. Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” Who does the work? God! God has never started something that He cannot finish.
- Position: 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” The old creation: Adam and his children. The new creation: Christ and His children. What pertains to Jesus pertains to me. The day that Jesus loses His relationship with the Father, I will lose my relationship with the Father.
- Possession: You already have eternal life. John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” If a man has everlasting life, he cannot lose his salvation.
Crossroads Church of Denver
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