Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I sanctified you. I ordained you a prophet to the nations….Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you.” Jeremiah 1:4-5,7-8
These verses, and others like them, are often used by Bible teachers of the reformed persuasion to demonstrate that the Lord sovereignly chooses whom He will, apart from any human choice.
But is this what these verses are actually saying? The Lord knew all of us before any of us were formed. He knows the end from the beginning. He knew us, i.e. He knew the choices each of us would make, whether for Him or against Him. And based on that foreknowledge, He ordained this one and that one to serve Him in a particular way. Isn’t that a very plausible interpretation? It certainly seems to accord with the interpretation of the church during at least the first few centuries…
