predestinating us to adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will (Eph. 1:5 LITV).The word pleasure in the Greek is "eudokia", and refers to God’s benevolence, good will or pleasure. Interestingly, The word "eudokia" comes from two words, meaning well or good, and think.
The word for "will" is the same word found in the first verse, it is the Greek word "thelema", which means a "thing-willed". It was the very pleasure of God predestinating His people, the chosen ones in v. 4, to adoption through the Lord Jesus to Himself. It was in the very heart of God in eternity. Election (in v. 4) and predestination (in v. 5) transpired because it pleased Him.
This is important to understand because this excludes foreseen faith or good works from the believer. God was not persuaded by man, nor angels, nor any other creature. The direction of the will God was driven by God Himself, with no outside interference.
I remember one time, a true preacher of God was preaching on Romans 8:29, where it speaks about being predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus, and he taught that God predestined a believer to be like Jesus because He looked down the corridors of time and saw us putting our faith in Him.
I say this with respect, but this preacher was simply wrong. The reason a believer is predestined to be like Jesus is because God elected them to receive salvation through Him. The Lord decided all this in eternity by the good pleasure of His own will. God acts out of His own goodness and holiness
God does not have to look down the corridors of time to see what is going to happen, God already knows because He elected and predestinated.
Predestined means it is fixed in heaven, and no power of hell or on earth can change what God has put in place. Every Believer will be placed into a position of a son in the family of God because it has been predestined for His elected people in Christ Jesus.
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