What Is Predestination? --Part 1

When bombs were falling on London during World War II, H. G. Wells said, “Either God has the power and does not care, or God cares and does not have the power.” This statement originated in the mind of a person who was willfully ignorant. The word “willful” suggests a stubborn persistence in doing or saying what one wishes in opposition to what God has said, which is eternally recorded in heaven. Christ’s public ministry was formally brought to a close in John 12:37-50. In verse 48, Christ said, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day” (NASB). That day will be a frightful one to every person who dies in his sins.

Predestination presents no difficulty to the Christian because he is a willing learner. On the other hand, difficulty with predestination arises from the unwillingness of persons to be at the disposal of another. Depraved men wish to be at their own disposal. The fact is each person is controlled whether he admits it or not. Solomon said, “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps” (Prov. 16:9 NASB). Jeremiah said, “I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jer. 10:23 NASB). Solomon also said, “The King’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Prov. 21:1 NASB).

Many rulers and people in civil authority consider themselves absolute and unaccountable to anyone, but they are overruled by God who is higher than the highest. Scripture says, “If you see oppression of the poor and denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight, for one official watches over another official, and there are higher officials over them” (Eccl. 5:8 NASB). God’s heart is not in the King’s hand as religionists believe. The LORD does not change the quality of the stream, but He does change its current. The stream continues to run according to its natural tendency, but it runs under God’s guidance and subservience to His pleasure. While men are following their own inclinations, they are fulfilling God’s purpose.

The fact that God’s purpose is being fulfilled by wicked people is misunderstood by many. Solomon said, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the LORD, it will stand” (Prov. 19:21 NASB). The difference between terms is self-evident. Man is finite, but God is infinite. Man is dependent, but God is independent, sovereign, and absolute. God’s absolute sovereignty can be embraced mentally without being personally experienced. However, when one is placed in similar positions of such persons as Job, Jeremiah, and Paul, he can know the extent of his assent to God’s sovereignty.

Man’s devices are many, but God’s purpose is one. Man’s devices are changeable, but God’s purpose is one perfect and unchangeable counsel. With God there is no after-counsel to correct errors of the former. Job said, “But He is unique and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does” (Job 23:13 NASB). It was better for Job to go before God, even though he did not know where to find Him (Job 23:1-9), than to be like the wicked who say, “Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Thy ways” (Job 21:14 NASB). Sighs and groans are not improper. They are prompted by nature in a believer, and they furnish some relief to a sufferer. However, they should not be mixed with a spirit of murmuring or complaining. Although Job’s character was attacked and his motives were impugned, he felt that God alone could justify him. When believers lose their sensible presence of God, they turn to self-occupation.

These are some of man’s devices: (1) Desiring to live long and enjoy wealth—but God says, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared? So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20, 21 NASB). (2) Setting himself up against Christ—but He who sits in the heavens shall laugh, “Why are the nations in an uproar, And the people devising a vain thing? The Kings of the earth take their stand, And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed: Let us tear their fetters apart, And cast away their cords from us! He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury: But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain” (Ps. 2:1-6 NASB). (3) Contriving methods of salvation—other than by grace (Gal. 1:8-10; II Cor. 11:1-4 NASB). (4) Seeking in the future to usurp the place of the rightful King—but Christ Jesus shall smite him with the brightness of His coming (II Thess. 2:7-11). Let it be understood that judgment which begins at God’s house will not end there.

It is deplorable to see weak, dependent, and short-sighted men confidently taking on themselves to counsel and execute their man-made schemes in contempt of the all-wise and almighty Counselor. Haman devised to destroy the Jews, but God purposed to destroy Haman by the rope he had prepared for Mordecai (Esther 9). Joseph’s brethren meant evil against him, but God meant it for good—“to preserve many people alive” (Gen. 50:20). Pharaoh devised to kill all male babies, but God purposed otherwise (Ex. 1-2).

God has an all-inclusive purpose. Therefore, we must be able to see through some particular incident and embrace God’s comprehensive plan. There are two ways of looking at the events of the world. The scientific way looks at defects of things in the world and stops with things. On the other hand, the Christian looks through the defects of the world and beholds the counsel of God that accomplishes His eternal purpose. All things work together for the fulfillment of His purpose. This is why God could be “Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure” (Is. 46:10 NASB).

People who are opposed to predestination usually ask, “Do you believe what is to be will be?” This is the answer—“I do not believe what is to be will not be.” Informed Christians never think of predestination as a mechanical, pagan destiny, but it is used as the sure purpose of the living and loving God. The Greek verb prooridzo is a compound word made up of the preposition pro—meaning before or in front of, and horidzo—meaning to mark out, appoint, determine, or ordain. Therefore, the compound verb means “to predetermine or appoint beforehand.” The genius of the word is that of placing limitations, thus bringing a person within the sphere of a certain future or destiny. (See Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:29, 30; I Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:5, 11.) Therefore, the foreknown (proginosko) have had limitations put around them, which bring them within the sphere of becoming God’s sons (Eph. 1:5) and of being conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).

Predestination is called “destination” because it comprehends a determined order of the means to the conclusion. It is called “pre”destination because God appointed this order before the actual existence of those things so ordered. Many confuse the Biblical doctrine of “predestination” with the heathen doctrine of “fatalism.” Fatalism does away with mind and purpose, but predestination holds that God created all things that providence extends to all His works and that men are free within the limits of their natures in Adam and in Christ.

No one can be a consistent fatalist. In order to be consistent, man would have to reason like this: “If I am to die in thirty days, it will not do me any good to eat because I will die anyway. Furthermore, if I am going to live five years it will not be needful for me to eat because I shall live anyway. Therefore, I will not eat.” Needless to say, if God foreordained that a person will live five years, He also foreordained that he shall be kept from the suicidal folly of refusing to eat.

The certainty of the salvation of some should not be any hindrance to the ones not interested in being saved. This is greater than being told that God decreed the possible salvation of all, but has not secured the salvation of any.

Arminians believe predestination is like a train going from Houston to St. Louis. It is destined to arrive there, but that does not mean that passengers do not get off and on between Houston and St. Louis. They say the church is predestinated, but individuals are not predestinated. They say individuals are predestinated to believe or to reject the gospel, or else God could not will that all men be saved.

There are three principal views of this subject. (1) PRE-destination is the Biblical view. (2) CO-destination is the view that one is elected by his faith. (3) POST-destination means that no one can be sure of salvation until after his demise. The first view is pre-temporal; the second is co-temporal; and the third is post-temporal.

Purpose, foreknowledge, and predestination occupy the affections of God’s heart. Calling, justification, and glorification engage the activities of His hand. In Romans 8:29-30, there are five aorist active indicative verbs—foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified. The word “whom” restricts the foreknown to those who are the called according to His purpose of verse 28. If “foreknown” means God’s intelligence of all men, then all men are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. Therefore, Arminians seek to make God like themselves (Ps. 50:21). They define foreknowledge as being no more than knowledge of all men in advance. They forget that God is eternal. However, God does not know the non-elect in the same sense He knows His sheep (Matt. 7:23; John 10:2-27; Heb. 13:20). Scripture teaches that foreknowledge is an advanced determination to carry out God’s eternal purpose. This forever abolishes the false doctrine that election refers to either a “plan” or the “faith” of the believer.