You Not Only Have a Destiny – You Have a Predestiny (Eph. 1:11)

You Not Only Have a Destiny – You Have a Predestiny!

In Ephesians 1:11, the Apostle Paul speaks of profound mysteries concerning eternity past, emphasizing that as a child of God, you were given a destiny even before you were born—in effect, a predestiny. When we consider destiny, we think about purpose. The mind sciences tell us that among the fundamental and non-optional human drives and needs (such as food and shelter), one that is just as vital as nourishment is the need to be connected to and part of something greater than oneself. When individuals lack significance in their lives, they often gravitate towards pursuing creature comforts and baser desires that are contrary to good Christian character. This is not your portion. You are not condemned to a pointless existence, unlike those who died in the arenas of ancient Rome, whose highest ethic was, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!”

The predestiny that God has given you was established before you were ever born, in the ancient past. However, one cannot truly speak of eternity as having a past or a future. Eternity is a realm beyond time, the realm where God lives. From His perspective, He sees the end of your life and the beginning of your life as a contiguous whole, which He regards much the way we would regard a newspaper in our laps. Now, how do you know that you were “with God” before time and creation were founded? Just because this message suggests it does not make it a fact unless we can confirm it from the Scriptures.

This was the profound question God asked Job after Job, scraping his sores with potsherds, complained for days and days. Finally, God speaks up:

[Job 38:4 KJV] “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.”

This is interesting wording. God asked Job this question to highlight Job’s limited understanding of eternal matters. He isn’t suggesting that Job wasn’t there, but as we will see in the next verse, Job and all humanity were with God before creation. We simply do not remember it or connect with that truth because our minds are darkened due to the fallen nature brought upon us by Adam’s transgression.

[Job 38:7 KJV] “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy…”

Are you a son of God? In Christ, yes, you are. Then this verse suggests you were part of a heavenly choir, providing accompaniment to God’s creative acts, bringing about the world and the cosmos by the word of His power. You were there! This is not cause for doctrinal wrangling (over theological ideas of predestination) but for understanding and rejoicing that God’s plan for our lives was established in heaven, secured in our present, and unfolding to its full manifestation in what we can only refer to as “eternity future.”

When you properly understand predestiny as it is presented in Scripture, you will realize that your PREDESTINY before creation ESTABLISHES your DESTINY in the here and now! It’s all been planned out and provided for!

Finding the Fact of Your Pre-destiny in Scripture:

The Bible, specifically in the New Testament, uses a phrase regarding your salvation and God’s plan as being in existence, “before the foundation of the world.” This concept is often understood within the theological framework of divine foreknowledge, predestination, or election.

Here are some scriptures that are often cited in discussions related to this idea:

Ephesians 1:4-5 (KJV): “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”

This passage speaks of God choosing you and I as believers “in Christ” before the world was made, with the purpose of being holy and adopted as children. This is a key verse for those who see what God reveals about a pre-creation divine selection relating to His plan for your life and your blessing.

2 Timothy 1:9 (KJV): “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,”

Similar to Ephesians, this verse states that God’s grace and purpose for believers were given “in Christ Jesus before the world began,” emphasizing a pre-temporal divine plan.

1 Peter 1:20 (KJV): “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”

While this verse directly refers to Christ being “foreordained before the foundation of the world” as the Lamb, and being in Christ before creation, what is true of Jesus is true of you. He was foreordained in God’s plan for His life, and you as well are foreordained to fulfill God’s plan for your life that was drawn up before the sun ever rose on that first day of Creation.

Revelation 13:8 (KJV): “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

This verse mentions names being written in the “book of life” “from the foundation of the world.” Even YOUR NAME, before your parents ever chose it! That tells you that you are not an accident! You are not merely the product of a random biological process resulting in conception and birth. There exists and has existed a divine record and knowledge of God’s children, INCLUDING you—a written record established prior to or at the very beginning of creation.

2 Corinthians 3:2 (KJV): “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:”

2 Corinthians 3:3 (KJV): “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”

When did this declaration take place? Before the foundation of the world! You are God’s literary masterpiece, and what God has written about you is not a tragedy, or some cautionary tale, or a sad story! God’s blueprint for your life is a TRIUMPH! We know this because the next verse after Paul mentions your predestiny says what the purpose is: “That you should be to the praise of His glory, who trusted in Christ!” God doesn’t get glory in failure, sorrow, impoverishment, sickness, or senseless and pointless existence! God’s glory is found in taking you and bringing about His great and wonderful plan for you to be a blessing to others, yes, but also to be blessed in return!

John 17:24 (KJV): “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”

God gave Jesus foreordained glory, and because God gave this to Jesus, we have the same glory because everything that the Father gave Jesus, He has given to you (John 17:22)!

This verse, spoken by Jesus, highlights the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son, and the Father’s love for the Son “before the foundation of the world.” While not directly about individual human pre-existence, it speaks to an eternal divine reality within which the plan for humanity was conceived.

---

Reflection and Review:

This piece effectively presents the compelling argument that believers possess a “predestiny” rooted in God’s eternal plan, established “before the foundation of the world.” It builds its case by drawing on several key KJV scriptures, particularly from Ephesians, 2 Timothy, 1 Peter, Revelation, and John.

The strength of the argument lies in its direct engagement with the biblical text. The author carefully explains how phrases like “chosen us in him before the foundation of the world” and names being written in the “book of life from the foundation of the world” point to a divine pre-knowledge and purpose for individual believers. The use of Job 38:4 and 38:7 is particularly creative, suggesting a pre-creation presence for humanity, though this interpretation of “sons of God” might be debated by some theologians.

The text also does an excellent job of connecting this theological concept to practical implications for the believer’s life, emphasizing significance, purpose, and triumph over a pointless existence. The idea that “your PREDESTINY before creation ESTABLISHES your DESTINY in the here and now!” is a powerful and motivating takeaway.

One area for potential refinement could be a more explicit acknowledgement of the various theological interpretations of “predestination” to avoid inadvertently implying a deterministic view that negates human free will, although the current text leans more towards God’s foreknowledge and purpose rather than strict determinism. The explanation of “eternity” as having no past or future is clear and helpful. Overall, it’s a well-structured and biblically-supported devotional piece.

Five-Point Call to Action:

1. Embrace Your Divine Significance: Meditate on Ephesians 1:4 and 2 Timothy 1:9. Allow the truth that you were “chosen in Him before the foundation of the world” to deeply root itself in your heart, filling you with a profound sense of purpose and value, knowing you are not an accident.
2. Live as a “Living Epistle”: Reflect on 2 Corinthians 3:2-3. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas where your life can more clearly manifest the “epistle of Christ” to those around you. Seek to live in a way that truly reflects God’s transformative power.
3. Align with God’s Eternal Blueprint: Understand that your predestiny informs your present destiny. Spend time in prayer asking God to reveal His specific plan for your life and to empower you to walk in alignment with it, trusting that it is a blueprint for triumph, not tragedy.
4. Rejoice in God’s Foreknowledge: Take comfort in Revelation 13:8, knowing your name was written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world. Let this assurance dispel any feelings of insignificance or doubt about God’s intimate knowledge and care for you.
5. Claim Your Shared Glory in Christ: Dwell on John 17:22 and 17:24. Recognize that the glory the Father gave to Jesus, Jesus has given to you. Live with the confidence and spiritual authority that comes from being united with Christ and participating in His divine nature, knowing that God’s love for you is eternal.