What They Were Destined For

I have been reading and rereading 1 Peter for my devotionals. It is such an amazing book (perhaps my favorite?). Well, one sentence jumps out to me every time I go over it: 1 Peter 2:8:

They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for.

So Peter is talking about, generally, those who don't believe. They are the ones who stumble over the "stone" that is Christ. That's fine. Some people do not believe in Jesus. But why? Peter answers it for us. They were destined to stumble. The commentary on this phrase from Tom Schreiner is very helpful (1, 2 Peter, Jude. Broadman and Holman, 2003. 112-114):

Peter added a provocative comment to conclude his comments about the disobedient, "which is also what they were destined for." The verb tithemi often refers to what God has appointed to occur (Acts 1:7; 13:47; 20:28; 1 Cor 12:18,28; 1 Thess 5:9; 1 Tim 2:7). Some scholars argue that Peter merely meant that God has appointed that those who disobey the message of the gospel would stumble. Such an interpretation fits with the theme that human beings decide their fate. But the interpretation proposed is prosaic and obvious, and it is unlikely that this captures the meaning. Rather the pronoun "which" (ho) refers back to the entire thought that precedes. God has not only appointed that those who disobey the word would stumble and fall. He has also determined that they would disbelieve and stumble. The idea that calamity also comes from God is often taught in the Old Testament. I will cite three representative examples since to modern people the idea is quite shocking: "Is it not from the mouth of the Most high that both calamities and good things come?" (Lam 3:38). "When a Trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?" (Amos 3:6). "I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things" (Isa 45:7). The worldview of the Scriptures is that God is sovereignly in control of all things, from the decisions made by kings (Prov 21:1) to the throw of the dice (Prov 16:33; cf. Isa 46:9-11). Even the cruelest and most vicious act in history—the execution of Jesus of Nazareth, was predestined by God (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).

It is imperative, however, that we add immediately another element of the biblical worldview. Biblical writers never exempt human beings from responsibility, even though they believe God ordains all things (cf. Rom 9:14-23). Peter indicted those who crucified Christ, even though the execution was predestined by God himself (Acts 2:23). It seems fair to conclude that Peter indicted them because in killing the Christ they carried out their own desires. They were not coerced into crucifying Jesus against their wills. No, in putting him to death they did just what they wanted to do. Similarly, Peter criticized those who stumble over Christ the cornerstone for their unbelief and disobedience. He did not argue that their unbelief is free from any guilt because it was predestined. He had already emphasized that they chose not to obey him and that they refused to believe in him. Peter articulated a common theme in the Scriptures that human beings are responsible for their sin and sin willingly, and yet God controls all events in history. The Scriptures do not resolve how these two themes fit together philosophically, though today we would call it a "compatibilist" worldview. We must admit, however, that how this fits together logically eludes us, and hence theologians have often fallen prey to the temptation to deny one or the other truth. Why did Peter emphasize the theme of God's sovereignty here? He did so to comfort his readers, assuring them that the evil in the world is not sundered from God's control. God still reigns, even over those who oppose him and the Petrine believers.