28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
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;
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. (NASB)

I believe the Bible teaches at least some are predestined, if not all, before we are ever born. I believe this was illustrated perfectly in Jeremiah.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)

In Romans 9 we see that God makes some vessels for honor and some for dishonor, and we are not to question His decision as to why He does this.

Matthew 22:14 (Many are called, but few are CHOSEN.)

I know the doctrine of predestination, which will get you labeled as a Calvanist, is not a popular doctrine. The bible clearly teaches freewill and it clearly teaches predestination. It’s not easy to get both doctrines to play nicely with each other.

I do believe certain people are born for the very purpose of accomplishing a certain task, as Jeremiah was, and cannot resist the will of God, simply because what God wants, God gets, end of story. In Luke, we see that John the Baptist leaped in the womb of Elizabeth when Mary entered the room. John was born for a specific purpose and under no circumstance could have resisted the will of God.

It is definitely a subject that will fuel passion on those that believe in freewill only and those who believe in predestination. I am of the belief that man has limited freewill. God don’t pick out what you are having for supper, that is up to you, but He has a course for certain peoples lives and they will adhere to His will regardless of their will.

Even the doctrine of “freewill” is not true freewill. True freewill is being able to not choose God or Satan, but to exist independent of both if one so chooses. But God has narrowed the choice for you and you must choose one of the choices He has picked, either Life or Death, according to the freewill doctrine. I argue that is not freewill at all.

Freewill says, “I choose God” and predestination says, “God chooses you”. Which a person chooses to believe is entirely up to them, as strong arguments are made on both sides.

I’m really sorry if I missed something on the site but I can’t find anything that could reasonably reconcile “I pray not for the world” and “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” Tim 2:4?

yours
niki