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.
Speak to this Rock
53-0512 §15
If you love your mother real well, love your father, love your husband, or your wife, it'll create a faith. The love for my wife, when I leave her, I don't have to have... Man's always tried to do something to save himself. There's nothing you can do about it; God saves you unconditionally. He just calls you, predestinated you to be saved; and somebody is predestinated to be lost. The Bible said so. Men of old, foreordained to this condemnation. Esau and Jacob, both born from the same parents. Before either child w...
Ye must be born again
58-0619B §13
...g, and so did Arminian have something. And they both had something, but they run off on the deep ends of it. The Calvinist says, "Well, I'm saved and that settles it." His life proves that he isn't, then he isn't saved. And the legalist says, "I've got to do this, and I must do this, and I must do that." Then if you're not born again you're still not saved, so there you are, see. It's in between, in the middle of the road, is where we've got to stay.
The Spoken Word is the original seed
62-0318 §109
That's the reason that God could work His works through Jesus; He was a predestinated Son. He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world! Before a hundred billion, trillion, million years ago that we said Genesis 1:1 spoke of awhile ago, He was right then predestinated to take His place. Amen! That's the reason the will of the Father He did. He was the Word made manifest. And every one of the other sons will have the same manifestation, and that's the ones that was predestinated.
The Seed is not heir with the shuck
65-0218 §29
There is no judgment to the royal, spiritual, predestinated seed of Abraham, for they are predestinated to eternal life. They have accepted God's provided sacrifice and ... that sacrifice which was Christ, the Word. "And there is therefore now no condemnation [St. John 5:24, if you want the Scripture] there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus [Romans 8:1] ... walk not after the flesh, but the Spirit." And Romans 5:24, "He that heareth my word..." The word there is "understandeth." Any...
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
52-0810E §38
Gifts and callings are without repentance. You absolutely receive them when you're borned in this world. The Bible says that. How many believes in predestination, foreordination, election, calling, so forth? If you believe the Bible, you have to. Some of you didn't put your hands up. I want to ask you something then. Jesus Christ was the Son of God from the very foundation of the world. He was a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. You believe that? He was the woman's seed that was to the bruise the serpent...