What Is Predestination?
Last updated: 2026-04-10
Predestination is the eternal, sovereign, and unchanging purpose of God by which He has ordained all things for His own glory, specifically electing some to eternal life in Christ while leaving others to their just condemnation. Reformed traditions maintain that this doctrine is a source of great comfort and humility, emphasizing that salvation is entirely of grace.
📜 A Sovereign and Eternal Purpose
Predestination is understood within the Reformed tradition as the eternal counsel of God's will. According to the 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §3, this decree encompasses the choice of some men and angels to eternal life through Jesus Christ to the praise of His glorious grace, while others are left to act in their sin to their just condemnation. As noted in the Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.7, God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass for His own glory. This means that the number of the elect is certain and cannot be changed, as stated in the 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §4.
Sources: 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §3 · Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.7 · 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §4
✝️ Finding Assurance in Christ
Rather than speculating on hidden decrees, the Christian is called to look to Christ as the 'looking glass' of our election, as emphasized in the Second Helvetic Confession Ch.X. Our election is not based on any merit of our own, but is found entirely in Christ, as the Apostle writes: Ephesians 1:4, 'even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love.' Because we are more sinful than we dared believe, we find that our only hope is the grace of God revealed in the gospel. By trusting in Jesus, we find the surest testimony that we are inscribed in the Book of Life.
Sources: Second Helvetic Confession Ch.X · Ephesians 1:4
Predestination and fatalism are profoundly different; while fatalism is an impersonal, blind necessity that ignores human agency, predestination is the purposeful, loving plan of a personal God who works through secondary causes to bring about His holy will. Predestination focuses on the assurance of the believer in Christ, whereas fatalism leads to resignation.
📖 Divine Purpose vs. Blind Chance
Fatalism suggests that events occur regardless of what we do, as if we are trapped by an indifferent fate. In contrast, the Reformed view, as expressed in the 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §3, holds that God has decreed all things for His own glory. This does not mean we are mindless robots; rather, God’s sovereignty works in and through our choices. As Ephesians 1:11 declares, we are 'foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will.' Our actions have real consequences and moral weight, yet they are always subordinate to God’s overarching, gracious plan.
Sources: Ephesians 1:11 · 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §3
🙌 The Gospel Context of Predestination
Fatalism leaves one with no hope, but the doctrine of election is 'full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort' to those who trust in Jesus, as noted in the 39 Articles of Religion, Article XVII. Because our salvation is rooted in God's eternal choice before the foundation of the world, our standing before Him does not rest on our fluctuating performance, but on Christ’s finished work. We are not merely 'fated' to be saved; we are adopted as sons and daughters, drawn to Him by His Spirit. This truth humbles the proud and encourages the weak, knowing that the God who holds the universe also holds His people in His nail-scarred hands.
Sources: 39 Articles of Religion, Article XVII
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