Predestination - A Survey of Scripture

By John Michael Hauck

A survey of Scripture relating to predestination from the Arminian and Calvinist viewpoints. The argument is made that the Calvinist position is the Scriptural one.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781105997853

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Predestination - A Survey of Scripture

Predestination – A Survey of Scripture

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Copyright

Version 3

Copyright © 2012 John Michael Hauck

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ISBN: 978-1-105-99785-3

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Introduction

The topic of predestination has challenged Christians for hundreds of years.  Consider researching the exchanges between Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther in the 15th century and between John Wesley and George Whitefield in the 18th century.

At the risk of oversimplifying today’s landscape, I will refer to those who believe man has a free will to accept or reject the Gospel of Christ through faith as Arminians, and I will refer to those who believe man’s will and salvation are in the hands of God as Calvinists.  Another way to state this is that Arminians believe in conditional election and Calvinists believe in unconditional election.

Arminians and Calvinists both agree that God is sovereign.  That is, God’s decrees will be accomplished.  Both groups agree that God knows all future events with certainty.  If God knows the outcome of a future event, then that outcome is inevitable.

With respect to salvation of souls, the distinction between the two groups is that of cause.  The Arminian believes that God looks into the future to see what his creatures will do and predestinates on the basis of this prescience.  The Calvinist believes that God made and controls His creatures in a way that will fulfill what He first decreed.

The point not to be missed is that there is no way to reconcile these two positions – they are at odds with each other.

Arminianism

The Arminian view of predestination can easily begin with a purely sovereign God.  In His sovereignty, God endowed man with a free will to make choices in all aspects of life, including choices that determine salvation.

There are vast quantities of verses in Scripture that urge sinners to repent and have faith in Christ or else suffer endless torment in hell.  These verses are the surest form of evidence that God has given man the ability to make real choices.

Deu 30:19  I call Heaven and earth to record today against you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, so that both you and your seed may live

Jos 24:15  But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

1Ki 18:21  Elijah went before the people and said, How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. But the people said nothing.

Psa 119:30  I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.

Psa 119:173  May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.

Pro 1:29-31  Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD,  (30)  since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,  (31)  they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

Isa 56:4-5 For this is what the LORD says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant— (5) to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.

Luk 10:41-42 Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, (42)  but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.

Act 11:23  When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.

If God were to force us to accept Him, or force us to reject Him, then our choices would not be real choices at all.  Since Calvinism removes our freedom to decide for ourselves, Calvinism is therefore wrong.  For, if we cannot decide for ourselves, then Scripture would not urge us to choose.

God Desires All to be Saved

There are many verses in Scripture that clearly show God wants the entire world to be saved.  If some are not saved, that is not God’s fault.  The fault of every lost soul lies with the sinner.  God does not make people sin.  In fact, God pleads with us and urges us to choose life.  God’s desire is that all would be saved, but he won’t force any to choose him.

Eze 18:32  For I have no delight in the death of him who dies, says the Lord Jehovah. Therefore turn and live.

Pro 1:24 Because I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention;

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!

Joh 12:32  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to Myself.

1Ti 2:3-4  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not purposing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Responsibility

We are responsible for our decisions.  If we choose to have faith in Christ, our salvation is assured.  If we reject Christ, then God will sadly let us go our own way.  The simple fact that there are consequences to our choices means that we have the ability to decide for ourselves.  This is because God is just, and it would be unjust to punish someone for making a bad choice if they did not have a free will to choose otherwise.  This is a basic common-sense truth, and it is a truth that is presupposed in Scripture.

Prayer

Another topic in Scripture that illustrates the truth of the Arminian position is the fact that we are called to prayer.  We see numerous examples of prayers of intercession for others, and at least in one verse, we have an example of a prayer for the salvation of souls.  We are also instructed to pray expectantly for all things.

Since we are instructed to pray expectantly for the salvation of souls, how can we do this if we know God has already pre-determined who will be saved and who will be lost?  It seems fruitless to pray for someone who is predestined to damnation, and pointless to pray for the salvation of someone who is already saved.

Rom 10:1  Brothers, truly my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is for it to be saved.

Mar 11:24  Therefore I say to you, All things, whatever you ask, praying, believe that you shall receive them, and it will be to you.

Conclusion

Arminians point out that if God controls the human mind to the extent that He causes us to think certain thoughts, make certain choices, and act a certain way, then our choices are not real choices at all.  If God exerted this control this would reduce humans to mere puppets – or to lowly pawns on a chess board – or to a programmed robot.  Clearly, man is much more than a puppet, pawn, and robot.

The Calvinist advocates a form of predestination where it does not matter what we try to believe, because God already determined our fate.  It does not matter who we pray for because God has already selected who will be saved.  There is nothing we can do.  Under Calvinism, we have no hope of controlling our fate.  All we can do is wander the Earth, hoping that God has already arbitrarily chosen us.

In fact, the Calvinist position ultimately removes our responsible for our choices.  Any bad decisions we make are not our fault.  We could not help sinning, since God made us do it.  Therefore we would no longer be responsible for the choices we make – since in reality we were not the ones who made them.

It is obvious to everyone that we make choices every day.  It certainly does not seem like God chooses what house each person lives in.  Choices like these are left to each man’s free will.  Nowhere in the Bible does it say God controls everything man does.  It is our common experience that we make our own choices, from selecting pepperoni to choosing to accept