Greetings in Christ,
What does our future hold? Many people believe in fate, karma, luck, and some believe they are predestined. We have heard said by many people in many ways and they feel they are just part of this world with no place to go and this is their final destination. Life beyond the earth is no more so you might as well make the best of it while you are alive, but in that mix, they do not factor in truth in their way of thinking. If we break down some of the myths, we can get to the truth.
Fate. Fate is a belief of things will happen the way they do for a reason. There is a determining cause behind the fate which drives the outcome from the very beginning. There is no way to avoid the outcome because is already factored into the outcome. This is usually associated with something which happens outside of the normal activity of life.
Karma. What you do will affect what will happen to you. If you are a bad person, you will have bad things happen to you. If you are a good person you will have good things happen to you. The Biblical equivalent is you reap what you sow. People think they can live their lives one way here on earth (most thinking they can be good) and they will be alright in the afterlife.
Luck. This means you are favored. The odds are in your corner no matter what you do. You can fall into a pile of rubbish and still come out smelling like a rose garden. You cannot go wrong. Whatever decision you make it will be the best decision because you cannot lose.
Predestined. No matter how hard you try you will not get away from the life you have on earth. You cannot have any determination on your outcome. You can be the worst person on earth, but if you are predestined to go to heaven you will go to heaven. You can live your life with no reservation and the outcome will be the same.
All of these do have some truth to them, and they all have some value to them, they can teach us a lesson in what not to do, but they leave out the one thing—free will.
While fate, karma, luck, and predestination play a part in our lives in one way or another they are not a determining factor to our future in this world or in the afterlife. If I had to lean to one thing or another it would be predestination along with free will. Here is my thinking.
Paul writes to the Ephesians telling them they were predestined to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ. If we break down the idea of being predestined, we see it has many components to it. While some believe they can do anything in life and because they are predestined, they still make it to heaven, but we still must factor free will into the equation. We also must enter God’s equation and intention predestination was done out of love for mankind. If a person does not reciprocate love back to God in their life, are they really predestined? That is where free will comes into the factor.
If we look at what Paul was trying to say, God had predestined mankind a plan of salvation which was for them to have a relationship with Him. God had to do it in many ways and the final approach which He knew had to take place was for Jesus to come to earth and die on the cross. God had predetermined Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind and it was going to be through His sacrifice mankind would be adopted into His kingdom. The free will portion comes into factor here as the acceptance of that sacrifice, and the desire to reciprocate the same love back to God as it was given to mankind.
People may believe in fate, karma, luck, and predestination as their driving force in their lives, but their free will is a major component in their outcome in the afterlife. Mankind has free will to live their lives as they feel they should, but if they rely on fate to give them outcome, karma by doing good things so they can receive good things, feel lucky and the odds are in their favor, or feel they are part of the selected group which cannot go wrong no matter what they do; they are missing out on something better.
If people really want to know what their future will hold, they need to freely choose God’s predetermined plan of salvation. It is only one which has a guarantee backed by God’s promises of true eternal life.
“Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and praise is becoming. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. The Lord supports the afflicted; He brings down the wicked to the ground. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises to our God on the lyre, Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens which cry. He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness.” Psalm 147:1-11
Lord may we never lose sight of Your truth and hold onto Your promises. Amen
Blessings,