There some words that can stir up strong opinions when discussing matters of Christian faith. Predestination is one of those words. I am a big fan of word pictures that help to explain things, and there is one that I have rolled around in my head and want to share. It has to do with “in Him” and its relation to what “predestination” really means.
There is an airline, and all of its flights are on time, are never too full for one more passenger to come along. (Okay, remember this is only an illustration)
The planes are scheduled ahead of time for specific destinations. You could even say they are predestined to go there. By default, all of the seats on that plane are also predestined to go to the same destination as the rest of the plane, since they are bolted in.
We all have the opportunity to get a ticket, but they cost more than we could ever hope to pay. Flights to heaven, via stopovers in justification, sanctification and glorification, are not cheap! We could give up hope, but someone has been kind enough to point out that there are all the tickets we need, and the price for them has already been paid. The tickets are being offered to us, and all we have to do is believe it, go get the ticket, and proceed to the gate, where we will board the plane.
Well this is Good News, so we do just that. We go accept the ticket and go to the boarding are, where we then get inside the plane. You see, the plane has been prescheduled, or predestined, to go to its destination. And so are we, by virtue of the fact that we are in the plane (i.e. in Him). Before the foundation of the world, it was determined that all who were on board would go to where they needed to go.
Unfortunately, there are some people who don’t make it onto the aircraft. Some didn’t believe that anyone would be so generous as to pay for such an expensive ticket. They don’t believe the announcement and never go and take the ticket. We’re they destined to be left out? Collectively, yes they were, since it was determined that all who did not board the plane would be left.
There is another group who went and got the tickets, but thought they could go on staying inside the safe and comfortable terminal. They run around telling everyone that they got a free ticket, but since they never act on it and obey the instruction to get onto the plane, they are left behind as well. Plus, those who did not believe the message in the first place see them as fools, since in the end they are no different than the ones with no ticket at all.
So when you get a chance, read about what it is like on the plane. Read Ephesians chapter 1 and look for the phase “in Him” and remember what privileges and benefits there are to being onboard with Jesus.
January 11, 2013
trailreeves
i12go4God 
2 responses to “Arriving At Your Predestination”
Robert
February 4th, 2013 at 19:49
Interesting and creative picture. Out of curiosity, how does perseverance in faith fit into your analogy? Do passengers, who have freely chosen to get on the plane, have the ability to leave the plane at any time? In terms of the analogy, is the moment of “disembarking” actually death (in which case you could get on and off until you die), or do you think that once a person has freely boarded the plane they are “locked-in” and there is no way to escape being (or desiring to be) “in Him?” Or, as a third option, perhaps wayward passengers might “think” they’ve escaped the plane but in reality, once they’ve accepted the ticket and boarded, they can’t actually leave. I understand every analogy has its limits, but I’m curious as to your take on this since I haven’t heard of one holding to both an “Arminian” perspective on salvation and, at the same time, a “Calvinist” perspective on perseverance. Thanks in advance.
trailreeves
February 5th, 2013 at 05:13
Well, the analogy is primarily about salvation. The only way to make perseverance fit would be to say that while no one gets kicked off of the plane, some may choose to jump out. But that is so irreversible that I hesitate to use it. A train works better for perseverance. You can get off if you so choose, but you may also get back on when the Holy Spirit ticket agent helps you to realize how unwise it was to get off. The nature of your ticket is such that you don’t need to go through the entire process all over again. Full fare was paid for transport to heaven, so you can continue the journey. But beware that if you stay off the train too long, a series of events can occur. You will know you should get back aboard, then you gradually lose your desire to get back aboard, and if you goo too far you will lose the ability to get back aboard. If someone gets to that point, they usually prove themselves to have been a stowaway, for the “left us because they were not of us.”