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Rev. Klockers: Is your life plotted on a script?

by Rev. Walter Klockers
| July 21, 2020 11:40 PM

There are those who believe the path and ultimate destination of our lives have been predetermined. For these folks, we are mere actors following a script.

Scripture has a good deal of evidence to support this belief. For example, Ephesians 1:5 says: “He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will.”

While I am open to the possibility of predestination, it is not what I believe. Why is this so?

Part of my reasoning is based upon the primary method Jesus used to reach people. Jesus told teaching stories called parables to talk about the kingdom of God.

The characters in each parable held common occupations or possessed positions of familiar social standing. As such, everyone could relate to them in one way or another. Here is an example from Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 14, verses 28-33, which speaks of a builder and a ruler:

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”

Jesus gave this parable in order to convince. To my eye, as such, most of the parables Jesus gave do not fit squarely within a box of predestination. They were given to urge people to make the right choices. This indicates free will.

I tend to think that we have been placed on this earth to grow. The best way to accomplish this is to have the freedom to make mistakes and possibly learn from them.

I see Scripture as containing both elements of predestination and free will. How this works, is a mystery that God only knows the answer.

That said, I believe God has given us a creative license. Why? Well, for the purpose of writing part of our own scripts.

How is your script being written today? It’s not too late to make a few changes. You have the freedom to do so.

Walter is pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Moses Lake and has served as parish pastor for more than 30 years.