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In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul reminded the Ephesians that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).
As if his point wasn’t clear enough, Paul in the very next verse adds that “In love he [God] predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:5). This is far from the only time Paul mentions predestination. In Romans 8:29 Paul talks about those who are “predestined to be conformed to the image of his son.”
The doctrine of predestination is not limited to Paul’s letters. Acts 4:27-28 teaches that the death of Jesus at the hands of Pontius Pilate was predestined to take place. Meanwhile, the Old Testament is filled with passages that speak about God foreordaining things that were yet to come (Genesis 3:15; Genesis 12:1-3; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 46:9-10). No Christian can study the Bible and fail to recognize that God is sovereign over the past, present, and future.
And yet the Bible also makes it clear that not only do humans have real choices to make, but God also holds us morally accountable for our decisions. In his final speech to the Israelites, Joshua famously reminded his listeners that they must “choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Many years later, when Israel’s first king offered up an unlawful sacrifice, God told Saul that because of his disobedience, his kingdom would be taken away and given to someone else (1 Samuel 13:13-14). Shortly afterwards, David was anointed king in Saul’s place.
There are plenty of choices made by people in the New Testament as well. Peter, one of the most prominent disciples, had the unique ability to say something profoundly true and then follow it up with something so profoundly false that it elicited a sharp rebuke from Jesus (Matthew 16:13-23). And, of course, one can never forget the tragic choice made by Ananias and Sapphira that resulted in their deaths (Acts 5:1-11). Lying to the Holy Spirit was a serious offence and both Ananias and Sapphira were judged for their sin.
Balancing the clear teaching of Scripture about God’s sovereignty over the entire universe with the equally clear teaching that humans are morally accountable for the choices we make is no easy task. It is something that Christian scholars have wrestled with for centuries.
Broadly speaking, Christian scholars have answered this question in one of three ways. Christians in the Reformed tradition (often referred to as Calvinists) place great emphasis on God’s sovereignty. They argue that all events, including our future free choices, are predetermined by God, and are used by God to bring glory to himself. Simply put, God knows the future because he decreed from eternity past everything that would happen. Presbyterian pastor R. C. Sproul, who passed away a few years ago, was one of the best-known proponents of this view.
Another large group of Christian scholars take a different approach. Classical Arminians argue that while God knows everything that will happen, he does not predetermine our decisions. Rather, God bases his actions on his absolute knowledge of our future free choices. In other words, biblical passages about predestination describe how God uses his foreknowledge to perfectly predict the future. Baptist scholar Roger Olson is a well-known proponent of this view.
An interesting offshoot of classical Arminianism is known as Molinism. Molinists argue that not only does God perfectly know everything that will happen, but he also knows everything that could have happened in every possible situation. In other words, God knows counterfactuals. In this view, God uses his knowledge of all possible scenarios to create a universe where everything that happens accords with his plans. Apologist William Lane Craig is a prominent spokesperson for this view.
Finally, some Christian scholars take a different approach entirely and redefine the meaning of foreknowledge. They argue that just as omnipotence does not mean God can do logically impossible things (such as making a rock so big that he can’t move it), omniscience does not mean knowing things that cannot logically be known (such as future free choices). Open theists argue that it is time we accept that our future is open, not predetermined. Pastor and scholar Gregory Boyd has emerged as a prominent defender of this perspective.
Unsurprisingly, debates about this topic often get heated. As tempting as it might be to bury our heads in the sand and avoid discussing this topic, we cannot afford to do so. Rather, we must learn how to engage with other Christians in a respectful and productive way.
This fall, I’m teaching a course at Steinbach Bible College that hopes to bring greater understanding to this issue. Each major perspective will be thoroughly explored by examining the writings of some of its most prominent advocates. The goal is not to change minds, but rather to help participants better understand why other Christians believe what they believe about predestination and free will.
While Christians disagree on the precise meaning of predestination, we all agree that God is sovereign over the universe and that we are morally accountable for the individual choices we make. We must remember that there is far more in the Bible that unites us than divides us.
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Michael Zwaagstra, BEd, PBCE, MEd, MA, is a public high school teacher and a member of Steinbach Mennonite Brethren Church, Manitoba. He will be teaching the Three Views on Predestination and Free Will course at Steinbach Bible College this fall. This course is open to the public. To learn more, visit sbcollege.ca.
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