Did God create mankind with freedom of will? Did he intentionally allow us to fall into sin so he could offer redemption? Are believers predestined to accept the gospel and be saved? These are questions that cause a fair amount of dissention within the Christian family.
John Calvin believed and taught that before creation, God chose some people to be saved. He wasn’t alone in this school of thought, as St. Augustine, and Martin Luther also believed in predestination. The premise of this belief is that because man is dead in sin, he is unable to initiate a response to God, therefore, in eternity past God elected certain people to salvation. Election and predestination are unconditional. They are not based on man’s response because man is unable to respond, nor does he want to (Romans 8:29-30, 9:11, Ephesians 1:4-6, 11-12).
Also contained in the rationale is the concept that because God determined who would be saved, Christ died for the elect alone. (Mathew 1:21, John 10:11, 17:9, Acts 20:28, Romans 8:32, Ephesians 5:25). However, the good shepherd lays his life down for the sheep, including the stray sheep (Mathew 18:14-14). The apostle Paul made it clear in Romans 6:10, that Jesus died for all. “The death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.” If all mankind was predestined, Jesus never would have said, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. ” Luke 15:17.
The prophet Jeremiah is often used as an example of predestination in that he was predestined to be a prophet before he was born. Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, I set you apart, I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” has often been misinterpreted as meaning predestination, however, the language, when examined closely, intimates choice. The verse correctly translates as “I summoned you,” rather than “I formed you.” denoting choice, not predestination.
Similarly, God’s sanctification or consecration of something doesn’t necessarily mean predetermined. In 1 Kings 9:3, the Lord states, “I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting my name on it forever.” Then he follows up by saying, but if you or your sons indeed turn away from following me…. Then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight.” 1 Kings 9:6-7. So if the condition was not met, the consecration became void.
In Jeremiah 1:5, God appointed him to be a prophet to the nations. Appointment does not automatically translate into the occupation of the position. In order to occupy the appointed position, the appointment must be accepted.
Further indications that Jeremiah’s destiny was not predetermined are found in Jeremiah 1:17-18. God’s proclamation that he will make Jeremiah like a fortified city is qualified by the caveat that, “Do not be dismayed before them or I will dismay you before them.” Jeremiah’s impenetrability hinges upon how he handles himself and is not guaranteed. If Jeremiah had been predestined to be like a fortified city, then, the Lord’s promise to dismay him is nonsensical.
Were the disciples that Jesus chose predestined? Jesus had the foreknowledge of who would or would not willingly follow him. He didn’t randomly choose men, but rather chose disciples he knew intimately beforehand. His choices for disciples were intentional and planned. Not that these men were predestined to be apostles, but that Jesus knew how they would respond to being called ahead of calling them. In the same way, God knew each and every one of us before we were formed in our mother’s womb, therefore he knew who was destined to accept Jesus Christ as their savior and who wouldn’t.
Throughout her history Israel has existed in a cycle of being blessed by God, falling away and worshipping idols, being cursed by God, repenting and turning back to God, being blessed and then falling away again. The fact that the nation was given the opportunity to respond to God is evidence they had the freedom of choice. In Deuteronomy 30:19, God gives the Israelites the choice of life or death. “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
At the foot of Mt. Sinai, Moses gave the people a choice when he saw them worshipping the golden calf. “So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.’ And all the Levites rallied to him.” Exodus 32:26. Three thousand Israelites died that day because they chose their sin over God.
The nation of Israel was given the chance to accept Jesus as their Messiah, however, they rejected him and killed him, just as they had done to God’s prophets throughout their history. Jesus knew this in advance and predicted that the blessings of God’s kingdom would be taken away from Israel and given to the Gentiles. “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” Mathew 21:43.
The Apostle Paul illustrates this by pointing out that because of Israel’s rejection of Jesus, the promise to Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him was fulfilled. In the same way that Israel forfeited their favor with God, the Church is also warned that they are simply grafted in branches and they too could lose the blessings if they do not continue to bear good fruit.
As our Sovereign, eternal Creator, God knows the end at the same time as the beginning. He created time, is outside of time and therefore not only knows future outcomes, he also knows potential outcomes of everything that could possibly happen.
God is love. In order to facilitate love, God by his own ethical premise must provide freedom of will. A person that is predestined to a certain outcome cannot contain or express love as an intrinsic and sincere sentiment. Jesus said believers are to love God with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul and love your neighbor as yourself. He said all of the Law and the Prophets were summed up in these two commands. (Mathew 22:37-40). If love tops the list of God’s commands and free will is required to facilitate it, then for God to not provide free will he would violate the necessary component for love to flourish.
So why does God allow evil and suffering if he is a loving God? Because if he were to protect us from evil, he would have to remove free will and then we lose the freedom to love. If God were to take the necessary actions to remove all evil from the earth, he would have to eliminate all of mankind as he did in the days of Noah, and he promised not to flood the world again.
God will bring an end to all evil in due time, however, as Jesus promised to return, he must first facilitate love and grace. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. Belief is a choice. Repentance is a choice. And the choice is ours.
