“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”
Deuteronomy 7:7
proorizó: to predetermine, foreordain
Original Word: προορίζω
4309. proorizó Strong’s Concordance
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: proorizó
Phonetic Spelling: (pro-or-id’-zo)
Definition: to pre+determine, fore+ordain
Usage: I foreordain, predetermine, mark out beforehand.
Now this is what the LORD says–He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!
But now listen, O Jacob My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen… I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name. For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known Me.
Isaiah 43-45
The bible defines concepts for Christians, for example, being predestined.
4309 proorízō (from 4253 /pró, “before” and 3724 /horízō, “establish boundaries, limits”) – properly, pre-horizon, pre-determine limits (boundaries) predestine.
HELPS Word Studies
So one might see that predestination is to “establish the boundaries” of ones ‘horízō‘ “before“… Whose horizons have been established?
4309 (proorízō) occurs six times in the NT (eight in the writings of Paul).
Since the root (3724 /horízō) already means “establish boundaries,” the added prefix (pro, “before”) makes 4309 (proorízō) “to pre-establish boundaries,” i.e. before creation.
chose us in Him before the foundation of the world for us to be holy and blameless before Him, in love 5 having predestined us for divine adoption as sons —hyiothesía— to Himself through Jesus Christ… to bring together all things in Christ—the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth— 11 in Him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of the One working all things according to the counsel of His will 12 for us, the ones having first trusted in Christ…
Ephesians 1:4-5,11-12
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! … God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew.
Do you not know what the Scripture says…?
What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
I ask then, did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Certainly not!
I am speaking to you Gentiles… what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
Now if some branches have been broken off… do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not spare you either.
…if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again…
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come from Zion;
He will remove godlessness from Jacob.
And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
—regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs.
For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.
Romans 11:25
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing—No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it…
1 Corinthians 2:7
The Gentiles are joint-heirs, and a joint-body, and joint-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus… for this reason I bow my knees to the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.“
An adopted child does not replace other children.
Israel will be “a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 14:2)
Have you been predestined to hear and heed the word of God?
“We talk about predestination because the Bible talks about predestination. If we desire to build our theology on the Bible, we run head on into this concept. We soon discover that John Calvin did not invent it.”
A quote about Christians who don’t know the scripture, but read Calvin — RC Sproul
Christ warned, many are called, but few are chosen.
“God preordained, for His own glory and the display of His attributes of mercy and justice, a part of the human race, without any merit of their own, to eternal salvation, and another part, in just punishment of their sin, to eternal damnation.”
John Calvin
Paul wrote Timothy as to their being saved having been called:
“Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity”.
2 Timothy 1:9
Likewise, Peter wrote to “To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion” … “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” and “be diligent, rather, to make your calling and election sure… practicing these things, never at any time shall you stumble. For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.” First we note it is again Jewish Christians having been called, and second, there is a need to make their “calling and election” sure. Is it not sure? How could it be? It is conditional, as it says so above.
What was it again that was irrevocable? Your election? Let’s check that:
For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.
Romans 11:29
So your gifts and call are irrevocable, but he didn’t say so for your election.
That’s the free will in predestiny.
“Thou mayest,” explains Steinbeck in “East of Eden”.
For many are called, but few are chosen.
Matthew 22:14, compare Greek for ‘chosen’ and ‘election’
Let me put this in human terms. Even a human covenant, once it is ratified, cannot be canceled or amended.
Galatians 3:15
Similarly, we cannot imagine to revoke God’s covenant as written nor do we expect just because we enter an address into GPS that we’ll arrive alive and safe at our predestination. We return to read of the covenant of the chosen people, of Israel of Jacob, of the houses of the new covenant given in Jeremiah 31:
descendant of Abraham My friend—I have chosen and not rejected you. — Isaiah 41-45
If you have been called, make sure your election — it is predestination, not destiny.
Bible study scriptures
Select your own translation to read the only instances of predestination:
BIBLE SEARCH RESULTS
- Acts 4:28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined [before the creation of the world] to occur [and so without knowing it, they served Your own purpose]. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
- Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honored] among many believers. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
- Romans 8:30 And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified [declared free of the guilt of sin]; and those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity]. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
- 1 Corinthians 2:7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom once hidden [from man, but now revealed to us by God, that wisdom] which God predestined before the ages to our glory [to lift us into the glory of His presence]. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
- Ephesians 1:5 He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will—In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
- Ephesians 1:11 In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will, In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations