THE PROBLEM OF PREDESTINATION

By: Ray Shelton

THE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.
The doctrine of predestination, sometimes called the doctrine of double predestination, was formulated historically by the Christian theologians Augustine of Hippo and John Calvin. The doctrine has been a constant cause of discussion and controversy, since many Christians have not been willing to accept it in any form. Pelagius in the early church and John Wesley in the eighteenth century are two examples of those who did not accept it in any form.
What is predestination?
Predestination is the doctrine that in eternity God foreordained all things.
There are two forms of the doctrine: a wide form and a narrow form.
1. In the wide form, it refers to the fact that the Triune God foreordains whatsoever comes to pass in history. That is, in eternity God has sovereignly determined whatsoever shall happen in history.
2. In the narrow form, it refers to the act of God who in eternity has chosen for Himself a body of people, called "the elect", that they should be brought into fellowship with Himself, while at the same time He has ordained that the rest of humanity should be allowed to go their own way, which is the way of sin, to ultimate eternal punishment. These two aspects of God's choice are known as the doctrines of election and rebrobation. Some theologians, while accepting the idea of God choosing some to eternal life, completely reject any decree of eternal rebrobation and the doctrine of double predistination.
THE ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM.
1. Linguistic Analysis.
2. Historical Analysis.
THE CLUE TO THE SOLUTION.
Calvinism misinterprets God's sovereignty deterministically in such passages of Scripture as Rom. 8:28-30, Eph. 1:3-6, and Eph. 1:11-12.
THE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE SOLUTION.
THE SUMMARY OF THE SOLUTION.
THE CONCLUSION OF THE PROBLEM.
In conclusion, the following statements will summarize our findings concerning the problem of predestination.
1. The problem of predestination is a pseudo problem arising from a misunderstanding of the Biblical teaching concerning the need for salvation.
  This misunderstanding arises from legalistic concept of salvation as something to be earned by meritorious works and a legalistic misinterpretation of Scripture, particularly of Rom. 5:12 and of Rom. 8:29-30.
2. Augustine introduced into Christian theology a determinism of the human sinful nature (the doctrine of original sin) and a divine determinism (predestination) which completely eliminated the free will of the creatures.
3. The sinful nature was introduced into Christian theology by Augustine to explain why man could not save himself by his meritorious works. But since man cannot save himself by his meritorious works, because they cannot make him alive (Gal. 3:21; that is, salvation is not something that can be earned by meritorious works but is the gift of life to be received by faith), the doctrine of the sinful nature is unnecessary and unbiblical. The sinful nature is not taught in the Scriptures.
4. Augustine was and Calvinism is wrong in interpreting the slavery of sin as a determinism of the sinful nature. The slavery of sin is not a sinful nature but the result of the choices made in following a false god; it is not a determinism by one's nature but the self-determinism by one's personal choice according to one's false ultimate criterion.
5. The analysis of human freedom shows that man must have a god as the ultimate criterion of his choices.
6. Because man is spiritually dead and does not personally know the true God as a living reality, man choses a substitute for the true God as his god. That is, man sins because he is spiritually dead (Rom. 5:12d ERS).
  "¹² Therefore, as through one man
  sin entered into the world,
  and death through sin,
  and so death passed unto all men,
  because of which all sinned: --
  (Rom. 5:12 ERS).
7. Thus the origin of sin is twofold:
  1. the historical origin of sin is the sin of Adam, the Fall of man,
  2. the immediate, contemporary and personal origin of the sin for each of Adam's descendants is the transmitted death (spiritual death as well as physical death) from Adam to his descendants.
8. Man has not lost his freedom to choose as the result of the Fall of man in the sin of Adam; man is able not to sin. But since he cannot make himself alive to God and set himself free from the bondage of sin, he cannot save himself.
9. Salvation is basically and primarily from death, both spiritual and physical; salvation from death is man's primary need.
10. Because salvation is basically and primarily from death, salvation from sin (trust in a false god, idolatry) is secondary. That is, since man sins because of death (Rom. 5:12d ERS), the result of salvation from death is salvation from sin.
11. Salvation is not something to be earned by meritorious works but is the gift of a personal relationship with the true God - spiritual life - to be received by faith (Eph. 2:8-9).
  "⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith;
  and this is not of yourselves, it [salvation] is the gift of God;
  ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast."
  (Eph. 2:8-9 ERS).
12. According to the Scriptures, man cannot save himself because he cannot make himself alive, not because he cannot do meritorious works. The law cannot deliver one from death or sin, neither can the law produce life or righteousness. The law cannot make alive.
  "Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not;
  for if a law had been given which could make alive,
  then righteousness would indeed be by the law." (Gal. 3:21)
  There is no salvation by the law. And because the law cannot make alive, salvation by meritorious works is in principle not possible and is non-biblical; man cannot earn salvation by meritorious works.
13. Augustine was and Calvinism is also wrong in asserting that only those chosen by God in eternity [the Elect] are enabled to accept the gift of God and cannot resist and refuse the gift. On the contrary, man does not have a sinful nature that must be changed by God's grace in order that the men (and women) chosen by God in eternity can accept the gift of God.
14. The grace of God is not a divine determinism (predestination) that must overcome the determinism of the sinful nature, but is the love of God in action to save man from death to life (Eph. 2:4-5).
  "⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy,
  out of the great love with which he loved us,
  ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses,
  made us alive together with Christ
  (by grace you have been saved),"
  (Eph. 2:4-5; see Rom. 6:8).
  Neither is the grace of God just the favor of God that imputes to the believer's account the merits earned by Christ's active obedience, so that he will receive eternal life at the last judgment. But eternal life is the person, Jesus Christ (John 14:6), and He is not the reward earned by the merits of Christ. Whoever receives Jesus Christ by faith now has eternal life (I John 5:11-12).
  "¹¹ And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life,
  and this life is in His Son.
  ¹² He who has the Son has life;
  he who has not the Son of God has not life" (I John 5:11-12).
15. God has chosen to save all men, if they will receive that salvation. God has not chosen just a few to be saved [the Elect], but all men. But not all men will be saved, not because God has not chosen them, but they have not chosen Him. Each man must make his own choice of which god he will have as his ultimate criterion of choice, to be his god and lord. God does not make that choice for him.
16. In the preaching of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the spiritually blind and sets their wills free from the slavery of sin to their false god, so that they can choose the true God. Then if they finally refuse to choose the true God and to receive His gift of eternal life by faith, they are left in spiritual death and in their sin for eternity.