Predestination

The idea that God's sovereign plan includes His determination of who will be saved. Romans 8:29-30 describes a 'chain' — foreknew, predestined, called, justified, glorified. Ephesians 1 says believers were 'chosen before the foundation of the world.' How to reconcile this with human responsibility and free will is one of theology's great ongoing conversations. The pastoral point is usually assurance for believers that their salvation rests on God's faithfulness, not their own.