Let's us who are the very "Elect" of God, be rest assured of this; Whatsoever "HE" wills on wants to will, will come to pass. Beyond everything HE is Our Father "The Lord God Almighty" Everything that has been created, is for His purpose. For His Word has declared He is the Potter . Some vessels are made for honor and some for dis-honor! But both are for the "Manifesation and the Glory of God"! And God does not make any mistakes and there is no evil or wrong in Him. He makes one for honor and another for dis-honor and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Who can put Him on trial, who can bring a case against Him, what laws can He break, or laws can contain HiM, And where is the judge that will convict Him?The trouble with predestination doctrine is that it conflicts with a lot of other verses.
2Pet 3:9; The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
God doesn't 'wish' for anyone to perish. He wants 'all' to come to repentance.
1Tim 2:3; This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1Tim 2:4; who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
God 'desires' ALL men to be saved. God wants ALL men to come to the knowledge of the truth.
So if God wants these things, but yet ALL men don't get saved... that leaves us with free-will. God doesn't force anyone to be saved or not to be saved.
A lot of verses are taken incorrectly and made to say something they don't say.
Rom 8:29; 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;
Rom 8:30; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
He 'foreknew'. I don't doubt that God knows the future. I have no problem with God knowing what happens in the future.
But just because He knew what choices people were going to make, doesn't mean He made them make those choices.
I may know you well enough to 'know' what kind of ice cream you're going to buy tomorrow. But that doesn't mean I made you make that choice.
Notice this verse doesn't say He predestined anyone to get saved. He says he 'foreknew' who was going to choose to be saved.
However if you do choose to be saved... "then" and ONLY then... it's predestined that you will be conformed to the image of His Son.
I may know what you're going to do in the future. I may 'know' you're going to join the military tomorrow. I didn't make that decision for you,
but I knew you were going to do it. Now then, now that you've made that decision, it's 'predestined' that you will get a very short haircut and wear a uniform.
Eph 1:4; just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
Eph 1:5; He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
This verse does not teach 'pre-existence'. Again people twist things to mean something it doesn't say.
If God knows the future, He knew mankind would fall. He already had a plan for salvation.. Jesus. He had this plan 'before the foundation of the world'.
He predestined us to adoption 'as sons'. People like to leave out the 'as sons' (or daughters) part of this verse. That changes the meaning of the verse.
I could say He 'predestined' us to become hamsters. He didn't predestine us to make the choice. He predestined what would happen to us after we made the choice.
Read the last part of verse 5 again... 'according to the kind intention of His will'.
If 2 Peter 3:9; and 2Tim 2:4; say it's God's will that all men be saved, and Eph 1:5 say this is according to the intention of His will.... then the only way these verses make sense
and don't conflict with the other verses is... He predestined what was going to happen to us.. after "we" made the choice to accept Jesus.
He shows mercy on whom He shows mercy! We are saved , by mercy and grace! There is nothing you can say or do to earn grace or mercy, The reason we are saved, it is because it is the Will of God before creation was ever made.
Sometimes there are text in Scripture we call a "Problem text" and there are texts of scripture we call "hard saying"! It Seems here we are addressing a problem or a somewhat "paradox". Sometimes a problem text has to do with the translation of the original meaning text of a specific arrangements of a group of Words.. Not saying this is the case here: [ God wills for all men to be saved] paraphrase here.
Here is another example: (Genesis 6:6). "The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply trouble".
When God made man He knew exactly what mankind was going to do. This is one of the reason is why we as brothers and sisters in Christ we must read The Whole Bible systematically in whole also, So our soul or spirit has a view through the "Holy Spirit" revelation of complete-ness of what "The WORD" has said, and not by our own understanding but the things the "Holy Spirit" has freely given us placement in His divine Word to understand "The Truth". " humbly speaking here".
I am only trying to explain that which has been reveal to me by "Holy Scripture" sorry if my explanation has fallen short.
PS. GOD did not have to look into the future to see anything. Forenew does not mean I can see into the future and see the out come. It means He knows the future because He shape the future before it existe. God does not have to look nowhere to know what is going to be. It has all ready happen before it was created. Everything comes to be, before it is created. "Everything"! God does not dwell in Time He created it. Time is a creation.