The Doctrine of Unlimited Predestination Examined (Part 3)
Since this article first appeared in THE PRIMITIVE
BAPTIST LIGHT, I have received a question from a distant
state asking if I did not think that God knew these
folks would offer their sons and daughters in idol
worship, to which I reply: Certainly I think He knew it.
But did He predestinate it? That “He did not." As I have
pointed out foreknowledge and predestination are not the
same things. He knew they would do it because He knew
the nature of the people and knew about their
temptations and knew the mitigating circumstances. But
that is not saying that He predestinated it. He knew it
would happen because He knew why it would happen.
Also in this connection, what I wrote
about the church bells ringing, I wrote yesterday. This
morning they chimed at exactly eight o’clock just as I
said they would. I knew they would, but I did not
predestinate it. I did not even care whether they chimed
or not. I knew they would chime because I knew why they
would chime.
Again from the book of Jeremiah I
should like to copy as follows: “At what instant I
shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a
kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy
it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn
from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I
thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall
speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to
build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that
it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good,
wherewith I said I would benefit them.” Jer.
18:7-10.
Here we see a law concerning nations
and kingdoms that if they, having done evil, turn from
the evil which He purposes doing them: on the contrary,
if they persist in disobedience, they will suffer the
consequences, even to extermination. Hence,
circumstances have never varied in God’s dealing with
men. This could not be true if He had unconditionally
and eternally predestinated everything that comes to
pass.
By the way, while on this unworthy
theme, when God drove Adam from the Garden of Eden, He
did so, as the scripture says, “Lest he put forth his
hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and
live forever.” Now I wonder if God had predestinated
for Adam to take of the tree of life, and eat, ands live
forever? According to the “unlimited predestination of
all things” theory, if God had not predestinated it He
could not have done it, so, if that be the case, it was
useless for God to drive him out, seeing as how he could
not have taken of the tree of life and eaten and lived
forever, had God not predestinated for him to.
On the other hand, if God did
predestinate for him to put forth his hand and take of
the tree of life, and eat, and live forever, then when
He drove him out He defeated His own predestination. If
God did predestinate for Adam to put forth his hand and
take of the tree of life and eat, and live forever, that
predestination has never come to pass, and since Adam
has been dead for thousands of years, I feel safe in
assuming that it never will. Dispose of this proposition
who may I affirm that the advocates of the absolute and
unlimited predestination of all things never can.
At this point I am reminded of the
“Absolute” defender with whom I was once in
correspondence. This brother was criticizing me for
being elected to the office of County Judge, saying, in
effect, that the office of a Minister is more important
than political office, and that ministers should stay
out of politics. Now all this may or may not be true, I
do not profess to know. But what becomes of the theory?
According to the theory, I was elected
County Judge because God did, before time began,
absolutely, eternally and unconditionally predestinate
me to that end, and it could not be otherwise. Also, the
folks who voted for me did so because God predestinated
for them to and they could not do otherwise. All this, I
remind you, is according to the theory, and not
according to the Bible. The office of a minister is of
course the highest and most important on earth. As to
whether or not ministers should hold public office, as I
said, I do not profess to know.
I do believe, however, that when
opportunity affords, the political condition of the
country having in many instances fallen to the low level
which it has, we need humble, honest and God fearing men
in positions of public leadership to set good examples
before the people and to help guide their feet into the
way of peace. For that reason alone, I try to serve. And
to that end I desire the prayers of God’s people.
But now, let us turn back to the
predestination: if God predestinated for me to be
elected to office, then I suppose that is the way it had
to be. Make no mistake about it, gentle reader, the
unlimited predestination will never admit that anything
that God predestinated can fail to come to pass, nor
will he admit that anything can come to pass unless God
did predestinate it. Why should the defender of
unlimited predestination find fault with my being
elected to public office? According to the theory,
because he couldn’t help it.
If God predestinated everything, then
He predestinated for him to find fault with me for doing
what God predestinated for me to do. This is just one of
the absurdities to which this false doctrine reduces
itself when examined. The truth of the matter is I
announced as a candidate for the County Judge once and
then withdrew. Two years later I announced again and
finished the race. I explained this to the great
defender and called his attention to the fact that I
could either run or not run as I chose, and therefore he
could not tell for certain whether God predestinated for
me to run or not.
I asked him to explain this and then harmonize his
explanation with his theory. He evidently is still
laboring with it because over two years have passed and
such an explanation has as yet not been forthcoming.
Thus we dispose of the unlimited predestination of all
things, and to the question, “has God already mapped out
our life,” we answer, “No.”
|