On Free Will and Predestination: Part 3, The Predestined One

Beyond pointing out how Paul's language of predestination is largely concerned with God's plan to include the Gentile into Israel's story, the other thing I pointed out for my students concerned who, exactly, is being predestined. 

I'm taking my cue here from Karl Barth and his Christological interpretation of election and predestination in the Reformed tradition. 

Simply put, according to Barth Christ is one who is elected and predestined, not us. You see this quite clearly in the same passage from Ephesians referenced in the last post. In resharing, I'll underline all the Christocentric references about election, purposes, promises, and predestination: 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

The point couldn't be clearer. We are blessed in Christ. We were chosen in Christ. We receive the promises in Christ. We were predestined in Christ. 

This is Barth's point. Christ is the Predestined One. Christ is God's plan from before the foundation of the world. And we gain access to salvation by being found in Christ. Phrased somewhat weirdly, Christ is the predestined receptacle of salvation. Our fates are determined by whether or not we are "in" that receptacle. And if we are, all predestined benefits accrue to us. 

All this helps to displace an overly narcissistic understanding of predestination. For example, the question my students are concerned with is, "Are all my actions and choices predestined?" The focus is upon me. But Barth helps us see that we aren't the ones who are predestined. Christ is the Predestined One, and the only one. The question facing my life is whether I am in Christ or not. And if I am, I have been predestined to glory in Christ.