The “Fivefold Plan of God” outlines a sequence of divine actions and human responses that describe God’s work in an individual’s life, leading to their ultimate destiny in Christ: Foreknowledge, Predestination, Calling, Justification, and Glorification (Romans 8:28-30). It’s crucial to understand these concepts within the framework of human free will and personal responsibility.
- Foreknowledge (Foreknew): This refers to God’s all-knowing nature, where He “knew you before I formed you in the womb” (Jeremiah 1:5). It is explicitly stated that “No single individual is chosen, elected, foreknown, or predestined to be saved or lost without that individual’s personal choice and responsibility in the matter.” God’s foreknowledge doesn’t negate human choice but rather encompasses His awareness of those choices from eternity.
- Predestination (Predestined): This refers to God’s prior determination of a purpose and plan for an individual’s life “before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9). It’s described as a “book in heaven” about each person. However, this predestined plan is not deterministic in a way that removes free will. Individuals “can have a predestined plan for our lives and not fulfill it.” It is each person’s “individual responsibility to discover what was predestined about them and written in the books of Heaven,” and to choose to walk in the “good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). The ultimate predestination for those who love God is “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).
- Calling (Called): Because humanity lost contact with God after the Fall, God “has to call you to Salvation.” This calling is not merely an invitation but an active summons to individuals by God. This call is for His “glory” (Isaiah 43:7), so that individuals may reflect His light and “glorify your Father in heaven” through good works (Matthew 5:16).
- Justification (Justified): This is the most critical stage of the process for individuals and nations. Justification is a legal declaration by God that an individual is righteous, not based on their own works, but through faith in Jesus Christ. It is through Christ’s sacrifice that “God made Jesus Christ who knew no sin to be made sin on our behalf, so that in him we might share the righteousness [or life] of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This act “removes all guilt and judgment,” restores individuals to God’s original plan, grants them “supernatural power” to become children of God (John 1:12), and brings them into “friendship, fellowship, and Life with God as we were designed for in the beginning.” The source notes that “Once we manoeuvre our ways through the courts of Heaven and get legal things arranged, God can freely then grant to us the passion of His heart.”
- Glorification (Glorified): This is the fifth and final stage, which “is not talking about going to Heaven” but rather about “us fully stepping into all that is written in the books of Heaven about us.” It’s about “living the dream” God had for us before time began, reaching a “convergence point” where all life experiences, good or bad, propel individuals into their ultimate destiny. The example of Joseph illustrates this: despite trials, he reached his “glorified position” and had the “Kingdom impact” God predestined for him. This stage brings ultimate satisfaction and fulfills God’s Kingdom purpose through individuals.
This entire sequence emphasizes that while God is sovereign and has a plan, human free will and responsive faith are integral to experiencing and fulfilling these divine purposes.
From my book The Fivefold Plan of God.