If I Am Predestinated, Why Must I Still Strive?
1) Direct Answer
Yes, you must strive. Predestination is not a license to drift; it is God’s purpose that you be holy, overcome, and walk in obedience. The very proof of predestination is that you press on.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- The Bible says we were “chosen…that we should be holy” (Ephesians 1:4) and “predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). That calls for a life, not laziness.
- “Make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). If election were a reason to coast, the Scripture would not tell you to confirm it by diligence.
- “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God which worketh in you” (Philippians 2:12-13). His work in you makes you work it out.
- Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). The predestinated sheep are marked by following.
- “Strive to enter in at the strait gate” (Luke 13:24). The narrow way is not careless—it’s earnest.
- “Follow peace… and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
- Grace “teaches us… to deny ungodliness” and to live soberly and godly (Titus 2:11-12).
- “Shall we continue in sin…? God forbid” (Romans 6:1-2). Real grace never excuses sin.
- The overcomer promises are to those who overcome, not to the indifferent (Revelation 2–3).
- The Bride is shown as those who came through and overcame—washed, faithful, serving, reigning (Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 20:4). That is a life of victory, not apathy.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Predestination sets the end, and God also ordains the means to that end. He ordained repentance, faith, obedience, holiness, prayer, suffering, correction, and perseverance as the pathway of the elect. The same God who wrote your name also writes your walk.
- You don’t strive to become the elect; you strive because the elect Seed is in you. Life presses. A lamb nature follows the Shepherd; a holy calling produces a holy living.
- If someone says, “If I’m predestinated, I can live as I please,” ask: Where is the fear of God? Where is the chastening that God gives sons? (Hebrews 12:6-8). Where is the following of the Voice? (John 10:27). The foundation of God stands sure—“Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19).
- Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Works don’t save, but they show the life that does.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Election gives assurance, not apathy. The Bride is ordained to overcome; therefore she strives. The Seed in you makes you walk, war, and win.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Adoption, part 2: Manifested sons of God
60-0518 §21
...that He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Now, the word... Let me read the next one. ... foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him... Having predestinated us... I want to stop on that word of predestinated. Now, predestinated isn't, say, "I'll choose Brother Neville, and I won't choose Brother Beeler." That isn't it. It's the foreknowledge of God that knowed which one would be right and which one wasn't right. So by foreknowledge---God knowing what he was goi...
Adoption, part 3: Position in Christ
60-0522M §94
See, an inheritance. Oh, my! Being what kind of an inheritance? ...being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will... When He was... Before He was a papa, before He was God, before He was a saviour, before He was a healer, before all of this, He predestinated, put the Lamb's name on the book, looked down through by his foreknowledge and seen your name, put it on there too. What is it? And after a while we come in the world, born of sinful parents; we walk...
Convinced and then concerned
62-1125M §71
Fall of the year, the seeds die and go back into the dirt. But let that sun just strike it. If the germ of life is there, it'll spring to life. This woman in her horrible estate, she was predestinated. Her name was put on the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world. And when she seen that light of God spring, nothing could hold her. It sprung to life, when educated priests... They said, "Well, that's holy Father So-and-so." JOHN8:44 I don't care what it was. Jesus said, "You're of your father the dev...
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 9:E-44
...to do with the church. This is a special designation of Himself. He is the CREATOR of that church. The heavenly Bridegroom created his own bride. As the Spirit of God, He came down and created in the virgin Mary the cells from which His body was born. I want to repeat that. He created the very cells in the womb of Mary for that body. It was not enough for the Holy Spirit to simply give life to a human ovum supplied by Mary. That would have been sinful mankind producing a body. That would not have produced the "Las...
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 5:E-60
How can any messenger sent from God believe only a part of the Word and deny some of it? The true prophet of God in this last day will proclaim the whole Word. Denominations will hate him. His words may be as harsh as John the Baptist who called them vipers. But the predestinated will hear and be ready for the rapture. The Royal Seed of Abraham, with like faith as Abraham's will hold to the Word with him, for they are predestinated together.