Extra: My Journey From Predestination

As promised, I wanted to take some extra time to write about Romans 8:28-30, and what is known as the doctrine of predestination. Here is the text from Romans 8,

"We know that in all things God works for good, for those who love Him and are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified."

Those who believe in predestination in its strongest form believe that God chooses who will be saved and who will not. Martin Luther was a strong proponent of predestination, writing,

"All things whatever arise from, and depend on, the divine appointment; whereby it was foreordained who should receive the word of life, and who should disbelieve it; who should be delivered from their sins, and who should be hardened in them; and who should be justified and who should be condemned."

When John Calvin founded the city of Geneva, it was to be a place only for the elect, those whom God had chosen to be saved.

There are many scriptures used to support this idea. There is the Old Testament concept of election in which God chooses Abel's gift over Cain's, chooses Jacob over Esau, Isaac over Ishmael, etc. In fact the Bible says in Malachi 1:2-3,

"Is not Esau Jacob's brother? says the LORD. Yet I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau; I have made his hill country a deslolation and his heritage a desert for jackals."

In the New Testament, Jesus says to his disciples, "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you..." (John 15:16). This stirs all kinds of questions. In Exodus, did God really harden Pharaoh's heart or did he choose to be hardened to the plans of God? Did God choose for Judas to betray Jesus, or did Judas have a choice in the matter? And what do we do with passages like II Peter 3:9, which says "The Lord is not slow about his promise...but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance."

Two main assumptions are behind the doctrine of predestination. The first is that God is omnipotent, all-powerful. I have no problem with the idea that all power begins and ends with God. But it seems abundantly clear that God has divested that power in nature and in human beings. I don't believe God sends or allows tornadoes or diseases to hit people, but those things are part of living and dying on planet earth. I don't believe God sends or allows evil and wickedness, or accidents and human error, but rather people choose them, the power of choice given them by God. For me, omnipotence does not negate the freedom of choice. The second assumption is that the initiative for our salvation is entirely with God. I couldn't agree more. John writes that "It's not that we love God, but that he first loved us." But we do have the freedom to respond with a yes or no, a power given us by God. This choice to say yes or no, as I have said in earlier blog, makes love a possibility, for love cannot be forced.

The United Methodist position on predestination comes from John Wesley, who wrote the following

,“With regard to…Unconditional Election, I believe, 1) That God, before the foundation of the world, did unconditionally elect certain persons to do certain works, as Paul to preach the gospel: 2) that He has unconditionally elected some nations to receive peculiar privileges, the Jewish nation in particular: 3)that He has unconditionally elected some nations to hear the gospel… 4)that He has unconditionally elected some persons to peculiar advantages, both with regard to temporal and spiritual things: and 5)And I do not deny (though I cannot prove that it is so), that He has unconditionally elected some persons [thence eminently styled ‘the Elect’] to eternal glory. But I cannot believe, That all those who are not thus elected to glory must perish everlastingly; or That there is one soul on earth who has not, [nor] ever had a possibility of escaping eternal damnation.”

Wesley does not deny that people experience God's love having chosen them first, but he does deny that any are excluded from the possibility of having the chance to believe and to be saved.

Here, having struggled with this issue for many years, is where I am for now. I do believe God has a plan, and that plan is for everyone to be conformed to the image of His Son. That is our God-given destiny, but we must choose to live in our chosenness by God. Hell was made for the devil and his angels, not for human beings. That's what make hell and separation from God such a tragedy. Except for the freedom of choice to reject God and be separate, hell would be void of human beings. God does not predetermine who goes to heaven or hell.

But I must go further. I believe God could have carried out the deliverance of Egypt without Pharaoh having his heart hardened. I believe Jesus could have saved the world without Judas being the betrayer. While there is much of our lives that is scripted by our abilities, our talents, the environment of our upbringing and many other factors, there is much that is dependent on our choices. The direction of my life is not determined and God can get His will done in my life in any number of ways. Furthermore, I think I have some choice about how long my life will be. Yes, David claims all his days have been numbered and written, but he is speaking in hyperboble to say how God's love and guidance has been ever present in his life. My lifestyle choices along with my genetics and a host of other things are factors in the length of my life. God knows the length of our lives, but that wasn't determined a long time ago. Bottom line for me is this: What God predestines and what God determines are two different things. What God knows and what God determines are also different things. Determinism compromises human freedom in a way that for me is unacceptable.

Here is what I do know and causes me to marvel. When I look back across the events of my life and those I know, I see the unmistakable hand of God at work. It is a crimson thread that can be seen amidst the many good and bad choices I have made, and the many events that have happened around me. He has done an amazing work and I am confident that God will continue to do so. While I do not believe in a determinist God, I do believe in an omni-present, omni-holy and just, omni-loving God who is at work to do his will on planet earth. You and I then have the opportunity to be part of his great work. As we love and follow the LORD with all our hearts, our souls, our strength and our minds and love our neighbor as ourselves, we indeed are transformed from glory to glory and become more and more like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is our destiny, a destiny God has planned for you and me since the beginning of the world, a destiny he wants for every one he has created. And you and I get the awesome privilege of sharing with people how they can be part of that destiny. Wow! Have a great week, you child of destiny.