The prefix, “pre-,” means “before.” We have butchered this concept in common usage, rendering it almost useless. Prenatal care still happens before birth, and pre-op appointments still occur before the surgery, but most other usage indicates the opposite of what the word really means. A prerecorded tape has something recorded on it already, even though it should be blank, because the term indicates a time before anything is recorded on it. A preheated oven is cold. When you add fire or electricity to a cold oven, you are heating it.
There is no difference in common usage between heating an oven and preheating one—once you’ve heated something, it can’t logically be considered “preheated.” Likewise, for “pre-existing,” as in “pre-existing condition,” which is a term used by the grammatically challenged to mean “existing.” Unfortunately, we seem to be pre-stuck with it.
We do the same thing to biblical translation sometimes. In Sunday’s passage from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (1:3-14), the New Revised Standard Version uses the term destined. Most of the other main translations (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, HCSB, et al.) translate the Greek word that Paul uses as predestined. In fact, the NRSV’s predecessor, the RSV, also uses destined, but the NRSV’s successor, the ESV, uses the more accurate predestined.
Here is the phrase in context:
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 … 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. — Eph 1:3–12 (ESV)
The word Paul uses is proorisas (from proorizo), which means “to decide beforehand; to determine ahead of time.” The prefix “pro,” like “pre” in English, means before.
The Bible uses another word, orizo, which means “to decide; to determine.” We see it in the disciples’ decision in the Book of Acts regarding whether they should help the church in Jerusalem.
So, the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. — Acts 11:29
There’s a difference between the disciples determining (deciding) to do something after assessing the situation and discussing their alternatives, and God predetermining (deciding beforehand) what each of us will do in our lives
and whether that will result in our being with him in his kingdom or not.
The stark difference between the NRSV/RSV translation and the other English versions seems to display a theological bias of the translating committee against the Calvinist idea of predestination, toward the Arminian concept of free will. We Anglicans rather like the idea of free will, and we’re not particularly fond of God laying things out beforehand resulting in us doing what he already knows we’ll do. Hence, the distinctly Anglican translations of the RSV and NRSV from the past century or so display that thought process. The newest version (ESV) accepts the “beforehand” aspect of the original text.
The idea of God creating people whom he knows will reject him and never be with him goes against the concept we prefer of a God who creates everyone with a chance (even if somewhat slim) of beating the odds and getting into Heaven.
The possibility that God created a Hitler who was predestined to be evil even before the world was made bothers many of us. We’re more comfortable thinking that Hitler started out good, and then became bad somewhere along the way, and blew his shot at Heaven. That Hitler may never have had a shot at Heaven to begin with doesn’t sit well with us. It doesn’t fit the image of God we created.
It does, however, fit with what the Bible says. Paul explains further in his Letter to the Church in Rome:
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. — Rom 8:28–30
Paul doesn’t say God did these things for everyone. For those whom God chose before creation, these things are happening. Anytime we use the word those to describe something, we are saying that there are other things that are not those.
We must be willing to accept that Heaven is God’s kingdom, and kingdoms are monarchies. God gets to make all the rules regarding who will or won’t be in his heaven, and we have no say in the matter. We don’t get a vote; there’s no petition to gather signatures on; and no protests to demand God should do things our way.
Sometimes our beliefs run headlong right into the big brick wall of Scripture, and we’re forced to make some uncomfortable decisions. Do we modify our view to conform to the newly discovered information, or continue to believe what we want despite the new evidence to the contrary? Phrased that way, it seems like a simple and easy choice. But we face that challenge a lot, and it’s really very difficult for us.
Jesus preached that the perspectives of many of Israel’s most religious and devoted followers of God were inaccurate and needed adjustment. Some, such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, changed their views and followed Jesus’ guidance. Many others continued believing what they’d always believed, despite the evidence Jesus showed them (such as an empty tomb).
We may not know what choices we will make in our lives, but the Bible tells us that God already knows, and that he knew it before we were even born. That’s good news for us, because the fact that you care about it indicates God’s grace at work in you. Your acceptance of Jesus as your savior indicates your salvation as well.
Remember, when Jesus asked Peter who he thought Jesus was in Caesarea Philippi.
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. — Matt 16:16–17
Our recognition of Jesus as our savior comes from the Father by grace. Grace is what gives us faith, and faith sets us apart from the rest of the world as believers in Jesus Christ.
As Paul and Silas told the Philippian jailer when he asked what he must do to be saved:
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved… — Acts 16:31
It’s that simple.
Your Brother in Christ,
Fr. Austin