Predestination and Foreordination

I was chatting online with my friend Bo the other day, and we were joking around about something, and somehow started talking about predestination. He believes in Calvanism and asked what Mormons believe about predestiny, and we started to discuss our ideas on the subject. It was really interesting, but we decided it was much to big of a topic for a chat discussion, and that we would have to continue through skype at another time.

I sat down to scripture study this morning (or more accurately, rolled over and pulled my books onto the bed with me), and pulled out a book my mom had bought for me that Bianca had recommended--Selected Writings of M. Catherine Thomas. It has been really interesting so far! The first chapter just so happens to be called, "Premortal Election and Grace." She had some really great passages that helped increase my understanding of foreordination and grace. I felt like I had a pretty good idea of what I believed about this before, but this has definitely enriched my understanding. I am constantly amazed at how logical, yet spiritually sound the gospel is.

The following passages are her quotations:

It is important to note that foreordination does not imply the Calvinistic notion of predestination, which term acknowledges no necessary worthiness on the part of those predestined to be saved. Fulfillment of premortal foreordinations is based on obedience to eternal law. One foreordained could choose not to obey and could at any point refuse to accept the premortal plan, fall short of his promised glory, and fail to make his premortal calling and eleciton sure.

She then quotes the passage from Romans 8:28-29 which talks about all things working together for them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [Greek-foreordain]. Thomas comments:

This promise of orchestration of life events must have been among the most compelling for us. It might be restated in this way: a plan with strongly programmed elements would operate for each covenant person, so that each could have the opportunities necessary to save himself or herself through the continually accessible grace of Christ and, in addition, have a saving influence on as many other people as possible.

The most meaningful to me here is the idea of a continually accessible grace. Of course this would have to be the case! So often we worry about if we "missed" a chance to fulfill and prepare for what the Lord would have us do, but through the grace of the Atonement of Christ, we can have consistent access to his love and help. God can have a hand in our lives and allow for us to grow because He built into the plan a way to overcome our shortcomings. The Atonement isn't a three-time use card, but something we are allowed to use as long as we are sincere and willing to commit to follow what the Lord asks of us!

Thomas states further that these programmed elements conatin two main forms of grace: a chosen lineage and the presence of the Lord in our mortal existences. She states:

Not only was the lineage selected, but also the time and place, the family, and the order of birth, so that each spirit would have that unique configuration of experiences necessary for his or her particular divine needs...In connection with this grace of chosen lineage and birth circumstance, God provided yet an additional combination of blessings to give every spirit the greatest possible power to obtain exaltation" (12).

I love that God gives us the maximal opportunity to choose Him! Everyone can be priviliged to enter into His fold.

Thomas talks of fears we might have: "'What if that happens, then such will heappen.' I hear my loved ones projecting fear into the future, and I realize that some of us are either just uninformed concerning our privileges as covenant people, or are spiritually careless with what we do know. So I am advocating an informed faith--not just wishful thinking that hopes that everything will work out okay, but real faith based on an understanding of the express teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ" (12).

With informed and restored faith, we, the covenant people, like Jesus, can rest while the tempest is raging. God will wake us if we need to be wakened; God will bring to our attention that which is necessary for us to know when we need to know it. He may also withhold certain info so as to precipitate a situation wich is pregnant with learning possibilities for us. The right orchestration, the right timing for events, even sad ones, is part of the covenant promise--if we hold up our end of the covenant as best we can. Maybe we can even give up the phrase, 'If I had only known!' (13).

She shares some words of Elder John A Widstoe on chance in a perfectly ordered universe:

In my life's adventure, there has been no chance. Indeed, I doubt if chance has any place in a world supervised by a divine intelligence. Therefore, I have felt that the power from the unseen world has ever been over me and directing my life's course. That faith has removed both fear and dissatisfaction, enemies of mankind. Certainty comes to dwell when chance is removed. It has been easy to approach God in all my work."

Therefore, Thomas says, we can go about our business and not fear that some random event will arrest our forward progress to our spiritual destiny (16).

This was such a reassuring, faith-promoting article for me. Hope you enjoy the parts I have included!

I will have to finish later, as Acia and I are meeting up with Eli at the bookstore on Polyanka. So I leave these thoughts incomplete, just know that the best is yet to come!... I'm back--got most of it down that I wanted to :)