Theology Thursday: Predestination/Election

Theology is the study of God, his relation to the world, and our relation to him.

Welcome to Theology Thursday!

Today's question:
Does God pick and choose who is saved? What is predestination/election?

Pastor Brady's thoughts:
Predestination, or “election,” is the idea that God identifies a particular group of people - or individual persons - to be saved from sin for everlasting salvation.

This idea comes from a number of passages in the Bible, including:

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will… (Ephesians 1:4)

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood… (1 Peter 1:1-2)

For the most part, all evangelical Christians believe in election; it’s the nature or definition of election that has caused much division and disagreement in the church over the centuries.

Those in the Reformed Calvinist tradition believe in what’s called “unconditional election,” which means God in his perfect sovereignty and omniscient (all-knowing) power not only knows who will come to faith, but actively causes those whom he chooses - the elect - to unavoidably come to saving faith. Election - salvation - is “unconditional” in that it is not based on any decision the individual makes, but is purely a result of God’s pre-determinism. Saving faith is not our choice, but God’s.

For Calvinists, those whom God chooses will come to saving faith and must come to saving faith. And those whom he doesn’t won’t and cannot.

In short, God says who’s in and who’s out. God picks who will and who won’t be saved. Human free will has nothing to do with it.

This understanding of scripture and God’s saving grace has been around for several hundred years, and has been found appealing by millions of believers, including a good portion of popular Christians and churches in the U.S. (and elsewhere) today.

Many find the Calvinist understanding of unconditional election comforting and compelling because, to them, it represents a powerful God who controls every aspect of life in his world, and is the full and natural extrapolation of the important doctrine of justification (salvation) by grace and grace alone.

Many others, though, find this to be a disturbing and dangerous misinterpretation and misapplication of scripture, because of its logical conclusion: if God decides whom he will save, that also means he decides whom he will not.

To accept that God actively saves some but not all means that God intentionally and purposefully condemns those whom he doesn’t save. People are in hell, forever separated from life in glory, because God put them there.

To believe this is to believe that God has witnessed repentance, confession of faith, belief in and commitment to Jesus, even baptism…and said “No.” It means God has turned his back on those who have earnestly sought him.

Can this be the case? Is salvation a matter of unconditional election? Does God predestine some for heaven and others for hell?

Getting this right matters because pinning down a proper definition of predestination and election influences our understanding of salvation, faith, and the very character of God. And, as always, the priority here should not be what we want to be true but what we believe the Bible to be telling us is the truth.

Opponents to the Calvinist view argue that the unconditional election understanding of salvation cannot be squared with the scriptures that elevate love as God’s preeminent characteristic: “God is love” and “God [does not want] anyone to perish” (1 John 4:8, 16; 2 Peter 3:9).

Most of all, it cannot be reconciled with the character of God revealed through Jesus, who wept over Jerusalem when its people did not accept him as their Messiah (Luke 19:41-44).

Historically, the Christian Church tradition (to which Minier Christian Church belongs) has joined the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition and several others in rejecting the doctrine of unconditional election for (at least) the following reasons:

1. We do not think it is consistent with our understanding of the character of God to believe he has created an impenetrable “in” group and barred the “outs” from entry and participation in the Kingdom, regardless of desire for or acceptance of the gospel.
2. We do not think it is consistent with the doctrine of salvation to believe it excludes those who sincerely and actively seek to participate in God’s glory by following the process outlined for us in the New Testament.
3. We do not think it is consistent with the teaching of the whole of scripture. Without the rest of the Bible, we could understand these verses being read that way. But we do have the rest of the Bible, and all over the New Testament is evidence that God welcomes all who choose to believe and follow Christ Jesus.

Let’s take that verse from Ephesians (1:4), for example:

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will…

Directly after these verses, Paul clarifies what he means.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-14)

When we “believed” we were “included in Christ.” This is hugely important.

What we understand Paul to be saying here is that God knows who will choose him and who won’t, and that he has designated his church to be his agents of discipleship and evangelism in his world through his Holy Spirit.

And, crucially, that the invitation to join the Jesus family is open and available to all who believe and follow.

Don’t miss this important explanation of two important biblical texts dealing with election from Bible scholar and professor Roger Olsen:

“Romans 8-11 does not form a biblical commentary on the truth of individual election. Rather, it is a commentary on the inviolability of God’s election of [Old Testament] Israel as a nation. Election to what? To service in blessing the nations with producing Jesus Christ - the real subject and object of God’s electing grace. Ephesians 1, which speaks much about election, is not about individuals and their eternal destinies but about the people of God. The “you” repeated throughout the chapter as God’s chosen is plural: God’s new people, the church.”

What’s true of Romans 8-11 and Ephesians 1 is true of the other New Testament passages regarding election: God has elected - he has predestined - that those who choose him will constitute the church and be the recipients of his saving grace and enjoy his presence in eternal glory, and he knows who this will be.

If God is love, and God in his love desires for all people to come to saving faith in him, how can God ordain many people to Hell for eternity when he could save them? If God picks and chooses, how is it that God wants all people to be saved while at the same time choosing not to save all people?

It’s not that we don’t believe in election, but that we believe God’s elect are those who have responded to his grace and placed their faith in him. He knows who this will be, but does not dictate who this will be.

Bible professor and theologian Jack Cottrell explains: "God predestines believers to go to heaven, just as he predestines unbelievers to go to hell. But he does not predestine anyone to become and remain a believer, or to remain an unbeliever. This is a choice made by each individual, a choice that is foreknown by God."

Put another way: God does indeed predestine individuals for salvation. Who? All who freely and of their own volition come to faith in him.

We don’t have to buy into the definition of predestination that says God marks some for salvation and others for damnation. We don’t believe God plays favorites, except with those who have chosen him!  

Salvation is by grace through faith; we cannot earn our way to heaven. We cannot work hard enough or be good enough or avoid sin enough or give enough money to the church to earn God’s favor. When we have faith in the atoning death of Christ Jesus, we already have God’s favor.

We have a God who wants us to be with him. [God} wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4)

But faith requires something of us. It requires a response to the grace God has offered. God’s grace is a gift to be accepted or rejected.

We do not and cannot earn salvation, but we do participate in faith. God offers us everything, and asks for everything in return. The reward is an eternity in unimaginable glory.

This is quite a deal! We should take him up on it.

To know Him and to make Him known!
- Pastor Brady

Have a question for Theology Thursday? Send an email to minierccstaff@gmail.com and we'll respond, or we'll include in a future Theology Thursday Buffet.