We Are Predestinated

By Tammy Lacock

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29 KJV)

Warren Litzman’s study of “Renewing The Mind” continues by dissecting Paul’s epistles. Here in Romans 8:29, Paul tells us we were predestined in God’s plan to be conformed to Christ. As believers, this is important to understand (for mind-renewal) as we live our new life in Him. We were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) and therefore chosen to be God’s children.

Warren explains that our process of adoption into God’s family has two parts. The first part is being adopted into God’s family by the literal uprooting of Satan’s seed, the corruptible seed, in us and replacing it with the Seed of Christ, the incorruptible Seed. Now, God sees Christ in us (His righteousness, not ours) making us His bona fide children. The second part of our adoption is the process of fitting into our new family. This is where the circumstances and situations of life push us to Christ, who now lives in us, helping us understand who we are now and who God created us to be.

Everything in the outer world is meant to push us into an inner life with Him so we can understand our new life and our new family. When we understand that everything is created for Christ and in Christ, then we can understand that nothing is contrary to Him and “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Roman’s 8:28). No matter what we go through here in this life, it is all meant to bring us into a deeper relationship with Christ.

As we begin an inner relationship with Christ, we are no longer dependent on ourselves or anything outside of us to overcome our life’s challenges and trials. Christ is the overcomer. He that is in us is greater than he (Satan) that is in the world. Paul was renewed from the inside out and not the other way around. His relationship with Christ in him was all he really wanted, knowing that Christ will take care of everything outside of him. We can see this through Paul’s own trials of being shipwrecked three times, stoned almost to death and being imprisoned for most of his last days of life. He knew his sufferings brought him into a deeper relationship with Christ. And if this was the case, he welcomed them.

Warren further explains through Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians 11-18, that we must go through a constant death of our old selves, no longer conforming to this world but focusing our minds (mind-renewal) on Christ within us, so He may come through us. It is within our trials and tribulations that we go through this process of death so we can truly fit into our new family, and bring forth life, that is Christ.

The great mystery, predestinated by God and yet has been hidden for ages and for generations, has now been revealed through Paul. That is Christ living in us, our only hope of glory (Col. 1:27)!

“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself , according to the good pleasure of his will.” (Ephesians 1:5 KJV)