在14世纪中期，predestinacioun这个词出现，意为“上帝通过恩典预定某些人类得救或获得永生的行为”。它源自古法语的predestinacion，直接借自教会拉丁语的praedestinationem（主格为praedestinatio），意为“事先的决定”。这个名词来自动词praedestinare，意思是“将某事设定为目标；事先任命或决定”。它又分解为拉丁语的prae（意为“之前”，参见pre-）和destinare（意为“任命，决定”，参见destine (v.)）。
奥古斯丁最早在神学中使用这个拉丁词，后来加尔文对此进行了强调。相关词汇包括Predestinarian，意为“信奉预定论的人”，大约出现在1660年代。
Predestination to Life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath constantly decreed by his counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind, and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honour. Wherefore, they which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God be called according to God's purpose by his Spirit working in due season: they through Grace obey the calling: they be justified freely: they be made sons of God by adoption: they be made like the image of his onlybegotten Son Jesus Christ: they walk religiously in good works, and at length, by God's mercy, they attain to everlasting felicity. [From article xvii of the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion of the Church of England]
预定得永生是上帝永恒的旨意，他在创造世界之前，就通过他对我们隐秘的旨意，坚定不移地决定要拯救那些他在基督里从人类中挑选出来的人，使他们通过基督获得永恒的救赎，成为荣耀的器皿。因此，得到如此卓越恩典的人，必定会按照上帝的旨意，被他的圣灵在适当的时候呼召：他们因恩典顺服这一召唤，白白地被称义，成为上帝的养子，像他独生子耶稣基督的形象一样被塑造。他们在善行中虔诚地生活，最终在上帝的慈悲下，获得永恒的幸福。[摘自《英国国教会三十九条信条》第十七条]
