Predestination is not a biblical doctrine!
Read that again.
That is right, you heard me correctly. Predestination is not a biblical doctrine. The Greek word occurs six (6) times in the New Covenant. But what is each of these passages teaching? Good question! Let us take a look, shall we.
"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called, and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." (Romans 8:29-30)
In these two verses, Paul is talking about those believers (the Old Testament saints) whom God knew before and how they were predestined "to become conformed to the image of His Son." There is nothing about salvation in this passage! Take notice of the past tense Paul uses in verse 30. If he intended to speak about the future salvation of every believer, he would not have used the past tense. Again, he is speaking of the saints of old.
"He predestined us to adoption as sons through Christ Jesus to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will ... also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will." (Ephesians 1:5, 11)
In these two verses, Paul is describing what "the faithful in Christ" (v.1) have been predestined to become—not about God pre-selecting certain individuals before the foundations of the world to be irresistibly transformed into believers. Paul teaches that those "in Him"—that is, in Christ Jesus—have been predestined to become "holy and blameless" (v.4) and "to be adopted as sons" (v.5). Paul is speaking of what the believer is chosen to become. "[Yahweh God] predestined us ["the faithful in Christ" (v.1)] for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ" (v.5). In other words, whoever believes in Him is predestined to become "holy and blameless in His sight" (v.4), which parallels Paul's teaching in Romans 8:29, which states, "He also predestined ["those who love God" (v.28)] to become conformed to the image of His Son."
"Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him."" (1 Corinthians 2:6-9)
In this passage, Paul is speaking of the hidden wisdom of Yahweh God that has now been revealed.
"For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur." (Acts 4:28)
In this verse, it is speaking of Yahweh God's purpose as to what would happen to His Son, Jesus.
In not one of these six verses does it teach about Yahweh God's pre-selection of certain individuals to be irresistibly transformed into believers! Again, predestination is not a biblical doctrine! These teachings of Calvinism were first taught by the Gnostics and rejected by the early Christians of the first three centuries! Origen specifically refutes their heresy by quoting their use of verses from Romans 9 (the same verses that Calvinists use in the same way to defend their bankrupt theology) and then exposing the nonsensical lack of logic in such a belief. Augustine revived this heresy and John Calvin made it popular. But the wording of the New Testament everywhere is an open invitation to anyone and everyone who will confess Christ Jesus, rest in His finished work, and stop trying to finish their own.