Charles C. Ryrie wrote, "To predestine is to preplan a destiny. The word proorizo means to mark off beforehand. The death of Christ and its meaning were predestined by God (Acts 4:28; 1 Cor. 2:7). God's elect are predestined to adoption (Eph. 1:5), to an inheritance (v. 11), and to ultimate conformity to Christ (Rom. 8:28-29)."
The root word for predestine pictures the horizon of the sky and earth. At a distance, we may see where the landscape of the earth ends and the sky begins. That's a line drawn by God Himself. So, predestination in Christ draws the line between those who are saved and those who are not. God has "marked off beforehand" to save all who believe in Christ (Acts 16:31).
All who have faith in Christ are predestined to be glorified into His likeness (Romans 8:29-30). We shall be glorified in a body like unto that of our risen Lord. "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). That's what Ryrie called "ultimate conformity to Christ."
Ryrie made it simple and clear, "to predestine is to preplan a destiny." That is the security of every believer. Our destiny is certain and God's plan for every believer is certain. We are predestined as God's adopted children, by faith in Christ, unto an eternal inheritance to be glorified in Christ.
