The Predestined Firstfruits

This is crazy, I know! But I am going to agree with Calvinists -- God DID use predestination to select certain elect people to believe in Jesus!

The thing Calvinists (and many other Christians) don't understand, is that the Bible says that God only predestined the FIRST Jewish believers in Christ, not all believers for all time.

Look at what the Scriptures say on this:

Ephesians 1:4-5, 11-12 (ESV) "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 as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 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."

Notice -- and this is very important! -- the Bible here says that God predestined those who were the first to hope in Christ, that is, the first Jewish Christians, including the Apostles.

The very next verse (Ephesians 1:13) makes a clear distinction between the predestined first Jewish Christian believers, and the Gentiles who believed in Jesus later on. The Bible does NOT use the word "predestined" or the word "foreknew" in reference to the later generations of Gentile believers, but always for the Jews chosen by God, or perhaps also for the first generation of Gentile believers. (See Romans 11:1-2; Romans 8:23-30)

This by itself may not seem convincing enough for you, however, just take a look at the following verses:

2 Thessalonians 2:13 (ESV) "But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth."

James 1:18 (ESV) "Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."

James was writing to the Jewish Christians, so James 1:18 declares that the Jews who believed in Jesus are the "firstfruits." 

At 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul was either referring to the Jewish believers in Thessalonica as "the firstfruits," or he was using that term to describe the first generation of all believers in the city of Thessalonica.

In addition, Romans 8:23-30 and 11:1-2 appears to be saying that Jewish people are the ones whom God "foreknew" and "predestined," and 8:23 shows that these believers who were predestined are the "firstfruits" because they have the "firstfruits of the Holy Spirit" inside of them.

Revelation 14:4 also says "the firstfruits" are Jews who believe in Jesus.

One last thing-- examine the Gospel of John below, and you will see Jesus making these same distinctions between the first Jewish believers being predestined, and the later Gentile believers not being predestined.

John 10:16 (ESV) "And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." John 6:44-45 (ESV) "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—" John 17:20 (ESV) "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word," John 12:32 (ESV) "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."