1 Peter 2:8 – “destined”
In 1 Peter 2:8 it is written: "They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for." It seems that this means some people were destined to disobey God's Word, therefore leading to damnation. So, it seems this part of Scripture supports the doctrine of double predestination. On the other hand, God's Word tells us that He wants all people to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God's Word cannot contradict itself, so how should 1 Peter 2:8 be understood? Thank you and God bless your faithful responses to all these questions!
You are approaching that Scripture verse with a correct understanding (and one given to you by the Holy Spirit)—that “God’s Word cannot contradict itself.” Throughout the Bible, God makes it clear that he does not want people to perish eternally. “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live’” (Ezekiel 33:11). God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). It is the wider context of Scripture that helps us understand the Bible verse in question.
It is also the narrower context of Scripture that leads us to a correct understanding of that verse. In the previous verses of 1 Peter chapter 2, the apostle explained how differently believers and unbelievers regard Jesus Christ. To believers, Jesus is a precious cornerstone (v. 7). To unbelievers, Jesus is a stone over which they stumble (v. 8). These opposite reactions to Jesus illustrate what the Lord pronounced during his ministry: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). There is no neutrality toward Jesus.
But what about the phrase in question—“which is also what they were destined for”? (1 Peter 2:8) We know from Scripture that God, in eternity, has not predestined people to hell. Peter’s words in verse 8 explain that those who reject Jesus in unbelief are destined to have Jesus as a stumbling stone and not a cornerstone. Unbelievers set their course for eternity by their rejection of Jesus.
The Bible makes it very clear that people receive the blame when they are lost eternally, while God gets the credit for people’s salvation.
(And thank you for your kind words!)