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I will say ahead of time, that this OP will take a turn from the usual discussions of predestination to reflect on what it means for our communion with God, and our sanctification. And where our "feelings" fit into this. It will hopefully help to bring monergism in all aspects of salvation into this area of spirit/flesh conflict, that I am sure we all battle with from time to time.
The scripture references are:
Eph 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 11-12 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that we might be the first born among many brothers.
We see in these passages that we are not only predestined to salvation, but to something deeper and more far reaching in our Christian life. We come to a place where we may not immediately recognize it as an area of trust in God, but it is just such an area. And one, as humans going about our daily lives, with the waters of chaos all around and often in our personal lives drowning out the still quiet voice of God.
How many times have we sat down to pray, as a duty, and it is a duty, and find not an ounce of feeling any love for God. We try to find it and cannot. We praise him but it seems like we are only repeating the words that we know. That they are not coming from our heart. We recognize in ourselves that we are praying and communing with him because of the command do so and we really do not feel like it. We would rather do something else. And we cannot even find what to pray about, and our mind wanders, and the prayers we offer anyway for others is rote and without feeling. To move it into the realm of the personal for a moment, when that happens to me I often find myself simply crying out, "Father, help me!" And getting up to go do whatever else I want to do. Interestingly, often when that happens a verse comes to mind. "Wait upon the Lord. Wait I say, and he will again strengthen your heart."
So what I am saying here in conjunction with the two scriptures is that we are predestined to his purpose, something we may not even know what that is, but are told that in part it is to be holy and blameless before him. To be adopted as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ. To be conformed to his image. If this is predestined by God then it will come to pass. In Christ we are already holy and blameless, and our being conformed to his image is ongoing, no matter how we feel at any given moment.
And what about our hearts when we are not in any way against God, but do not feel love towards him coming from our heart?
Romans 5:8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Eph 2:4-5 But, God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ---by grace you have been saved.....
Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
When we have those times that we do not feel love towards God, why it is we do love him, remember the only reason why we ever loved him, was never because we just did love him. It was only ever because he loved us and gave us to the Son because of that love. And why Jesus laid down his life for us. And if his love came to us through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, so that a dead enemy of God became a son or daughter, who does love him; if it was never our love for him but his for us that caused us to love him; then our heart is as steadfast in our love for him as his love is steadfast, never ebbing or flowing, towards us. Even when we don't feel it.
That is a place where it is difficult to trust him, being ever at the whim of feelings and circumstances as we are. So convinced that how we feel is how we are, and striving in vain to accomplish what only God can accomplish, all our intentions good (which in itself would be love for him, hidden from us though it may be) but unnecessary, in effectual works. But if we pause we may here that still quiet voice. "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." "Wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord I say, and he will again strengthen your heart." It is God who does the predestining and it is God who always accomplishes his every purpose.
Go boldly before his throne of grace and mercy to receive grace and mercy in time of need. Ask for the grace to trust and wait and grow. It is always God working in us for his purposes. He never stops. It is never us working to achieve his purposes.
Now some might say that means we don't ever do anything, that we are not responsible to God in any way. And that is a difficult line to traverse as far as putting it into words. When I first began investigating Reformed theology it was one of the hardest things to grasp and I kept trying to find some book that would explain what our responsibility was. They sounded like that is what they were going to do but to me they wrote of everything but what the title suggested. Now I know that was only because of how green I was, but also because when we are dealing with the sovereignty of God--- his fulfilling his purposes in us----and our responsibility it is difficult to express. I came to my own conclusion early. Our responsibility is to obey the word. And this is true but not complete. The monergism enters when we are able to answer the question----why do we obey? We obey because of the work that he is doing in us. Adding that on the tail end of the OP is to say, be patient with God and with yourself. Ask and you will receive, knowing that may take time and be a process but behind it all and over it all, God is working in you---perfectly.
The scripture references are:
Eph 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 11-12 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that we might be the first born among many brothers.
We see in these passages that we are not only predestined to salvation, but to something deeper and more far reaching in our Christian life. We come to a place where we may not immediately recognize it as an area of trust in God, but it is just such an area. And one, as humans going about our daily lives, with the waters of chaos all around and often in our personal lives drowning out the still quiet voice of God.
How many times have we sat down to pray, as a duty, and it is a duty, and find not an ounce of feeling any love for God. We try to find it and cannot. We praise him but it seems like we are only repeating the words that we know. That they are not coming from our heart. We recognize in ourselves that we are praying and communing with him because of the command do so and we really do not feel like it. We would rather do something else. And we cannot even find what to pray about, and our mind wanders, and the prayers we offer anyway for others is rote and without feeling. To move it into the realm of the personal for a moment, when that happens to me I often find myself simply crying out, "Father, help me!" And getting up to go do whatever else I want to do. Interestingly, often when that happens a verse comes to mind. "Wait upon the Lord. Wait I say, and he will again strengthen your heart."
So what I am saying here in conjunction with the two scriptures is that we are predestined to his purpose, something we may not even know what that is, but are told that in part it is to be holy and blameless before him. To be adopted as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ. To be conformed to his image. If this is predestined by God then it will come to pass. In Christ we are already holy and blameless, and our being conformed to his image is ongoing, no matter how we feel at any given moment.
And what about our hearts when we are not in any way against God, but do not feel love towards him coming from our heart?
Romans 5:8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Eph 2:4-5 But, God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ---by grace you have been saved.....
Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
When we have those times that we do not feel love towards God, why it is we do love him, remember the only reason why we ever loved him, was never because we just did love him. It was only ever because he loved us and gave us to the Son because of that love. And why Jesus laid down his life for us. And if his love came to us through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, so that a dead enemy of God became a son or daughter, who does love him; if it was never our love for him but his for us that caused us to love him; then our heart is as steadfast in our love for him as his love is steadfast, never ebbing or flowing, towards us. Even when we don't feel it.
That is a place where it is difficult to trust him, being ever at the whim of feelings and circumstances as we are. So convinced that how we feel is how we are, and striving in vain to accomplish what only God can accomplish, all our intentions good (which in itself would be love for him, hidden from us though it may be) but unnecessary, in effectual works. But if we pause we may here that still quiet voice. "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." "Wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord I say, and he will again strengthen your heart." It is God who does the predestining and it is God who always accomplishes his every purpose.
Go boldly before his throne of grace and mercy to receive grace and mercy in time of need. Ask for the grace to trust and wait and grow. It is always God working in us for his purposes. He never stops. It is never us working to achieve his purposes.
Now some might say that means we don't ever do anything, that we are not responsible to God in any way. And that is a difficult line to traverse as far as putting it into words. When I first began investigating Reformed theology it was one of the hardest things to grasp and I kept trying to find some book that would explain what our responsibility was. They sounded like that is what they were going to do but to me they wrote of everything but what the title suggested. Now I know that was only because of how green I was, but also because when we are dealing with the sovereignty of God--- his fulfilling his purposes in us----and our responsibility it is difficult to express. I came to my own conclusion early. Our responsibility is to obey the word. And this is true but not complete. The monergism enters when we are able to answer the question----why do we obey? We obey because of the work that he is doing in us. Adding that on the tail end of the OP is to say, be patient with God and with yourself. Ask and you will receive, knowing that may take time and be a process but behind it all and over it all, God is working in you---perfectly.
