It’s a question many people have asked for years: are we guided by predestination or by free will, or perhaps, some combination of the two?
In a recent livestream, Rabbi Kirt Schneider addressed the topic of predestination and its role in the Christian faith.
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The concept of God’s divine choice is not new—it is woven throughout Scripture. In Deuteronomy 7:6, God declares that He chose Israel, not because of their greatness, but because of His sovereign will. This theme continues in the New Testament, where Romans 11:5-7 speaks of a remnant chosen by grace. Even in Jesus’ time, only a fraction of the Jewish people believed in Him. Yet, Scripture foretells a coming revival among Israel, reinforcing that God’s election is not random but purposeful.
“Israel was a stubborn people, but God chose them simply out of His own volition, His choice to love them,” Schneider says.
In John 15:16, He tells His disciples, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” This statement challenges the idea that faith originates with human decision making. Instead, it highlights God’s initiative in calling and redeeming His people. Similarly, in John 6:44, Jesus proclaims, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” These words reveal that salvation is not a mere exercise of free will but the result of divine intervention.
Not only is God’s divine intervention essential to our salvation, but so is His grace.
“If somebody does something to earn God’s choice, then it’s not really grace. But if God just gives it to them simply out of His own goodness, then it’s grace,” Schneider says.
While God has given us a free will, free to choose Him or not, we must know that none of us come to His salvation by our striving but by God’s sovereign love and mercy.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
