The Bible Doctrine of Predestination Defined  (Part 7)

Having seen then, as I think we have, that neither Extreme Calvinism nor Free Agency contain any real substance we return to the subject of predestination and will attempt to approach it in the Bible way to try to find the truth. The word PREDESTINATE means “to ordain beforehand by an unchangeable purpose.” The word “ORDAIN” means “to appoint.” Therefore whom God did predestinate He did actually appoint beforehand by an unchangeable purpose. And folks who are predestinated are folks who were appointed beforehand by unchangeable purpose.

Now let us inquire as to what they were appointed unto, and when and I think the truth will present itself as clear as a bell. To do this let us copy again from Ephesians one: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Emphasis added G.W.)

Now unto what were the “us” of the text chosen? That in Christ Jesus we should be holy and without blame. Unto what were we predestinated? To the adoption of children. Before the foundation of the world. The reader would do well to note here that the same “us” that was chosen was also predestinated and made accepted in the beloved, and are (verse 3) blessed with Spiritual blessings according to that choice and predestination.

Some will argue that it is only the Apostles who were predestinated. Some argue that it was the Jews. But such arguments are so invalid that they do not merit a reply. The letter is addressed to the Saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. To say the least of it the term embraces the faithful, not just the apostles or the Jews.

According to these texts the proposition is simply this: God did before the foundation of the world choose a portion of the human race to salvation, having, as the Scripture says, appointed them before hand by an unchangeable purpose (predestinated) to the adoption of children to Himself by Jesus Christ. The time element is before the foundation of the world. That was before man had an existence and therefore he could not have had anything to do with it.    

The end to which they were at that time predestinated was to the adoption of children. The act was an act of God. It was not an act of man. The act was to appoint people before hand by an unchangeable purpose to the adoption of children unto Himself. Notice, appointed before hand, to the adoption of children, and that by an unchangeable purpose. It is unchangeable. If it is unchangeable what can keep it from being successfully executed? Once again, the answer is simple: Nothing can.

In Romans it says” “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son,” etc. So, once again it is people that are said to have been predestinated, and that, not only to the adoption of children, but also to be conformed to the image of His Son.

This is important, so let us briefly recapitulate” “Predestinate” means, “To appoint before hand by an unchangeable purpose.” It is God that did predestinate, and it is people that was predestinated. They were predestinated, or if you prefer, appointed before hand to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto God, and to be conformed to the image of Christ. The time was before the foundation of the world. So the doctrine of predestination is simply this: Before time began, God choose at least a portion of the human race that in Christ Jesus they should be holy and without blame before Him in Love. He appointed them unto the adoption of children to Himself. He predestinated them to be conformed to the image of Christ, and did so by an unchangeable purpose. That, in my judgment, is predestination, nothing more and nothing less.

The question now presents itself: “Upon what condition did God predestinate them unto the adoption of children?” The church bulletin says upon the condition that they repent and believe. The Bible mentions no condition whatever. Therefore a doctrine that predicates predestination upon any action of man is foreign to the Bible. It is a doctrine of man and not the doctrine of God.

To examine this error let us now return to the church bulletin. The writer says: “Paul indicates that (1) since God foreknows all future events including the conduct of every individual man, he takes into account his repentance and faith; (2) He then predestinates him to be conformed in the image of His Son,” etc. As to how anyone can get the idea that Paul indicates that God takes into account the sinner’s repentance and faith is not quite clear to me. He certainly did not say anything to that effect.

Let us notice the time element in the church bulletin. It says that God takes into account his repentance and faith and then predestinates him. According to this doctrine when does predestination take place? After God takes into account the repentance and faith of the sinner. In other words, if this be true, predestination is a continuing process, and is predicated upon the repentance and faith of the sinner.

That is, God is predestinating people today provided they repent and believe. This fixes predestination as of today, after and only after they repent and believe. Paul spoke of predestination in the past tense as having taken place before the foundation of the world. Here we find quite a difference in the time element. The Bible says, before time began. The church bulletin says, today. The church bulletin is therefore more than 6,000 years off – too late.

Another thing, never in this world would the young brother in the bulletin admit that repentance and faith can be produced in any way other then through the gospel. Thus with him it is the gospel call – then predestination. But Paul says just the opposite; “whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called.” The bulletin says that predestinates whom He calls; the Bible says He calls whom He did predestinate. Please remember that.

Now something else, if election and predestination are predicated upon repentance and faith, they are predicated upon good works. But the Bible teaches that election is of grace, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace,” – Paul. Grace is an unmerited favor bestowed upon a person. Repentance and faith contain merit. Election and predestination are therefore not predicated upon repentance and faith.

To prove that I have not misrepresented anyone and to show that the doctrine of the church bulletin is substantially that of all the advocates of free agency, I now copy from the Book of Theodicy by Albert Taylor Bledsoe, LL.D., professor of mathematics in the University of Virginia. This is the finest defense of free agency I have ever read.

The writer did a splendid piece of work. He used some 360 pages trying to prove free agency and trying to harmonize it with the perfections of God, and Bible teaching. But in the end he paid the usual penalty for trying to establish a false doctrine – he contradicted himself. From page 330 I copy two statements and if the reader will read them carefully I am sure he will detect a glaring contradiction in them:

No. I
“We cannot suppose God elected anyone because He foresaw his good works, so as to make election depend upon them, instead of making them depend upon election.”

No. II
“And we also suppose that such is the overflowing goodness of God, that all were elected by Him, and had their names written in the Book of Life, who He foresaw would yield to the influence of His grace, and by cooperating therewith, ‘make their calling and election sure’.”

In statement number one, Professor Bledsoe says that election does not depend upon good works, but rather good works depend on election. But in statement number two he says election does depend upon good works. There obviously is not room for compromise on this proposition. It is either one way or the other. If statement number one is true, and I think it is, then statement number two is not true.

On the other hand if statement number two is true, then statement number one is wrong. Without further discussion I shall now dispose of this point by simply affirming that there is no place in the Bible where it is stated that election and predestination of God’s people to eternal glory is dependent upon human activity of any description. There is not one.

The failure to recognize the condition of man is basically the cause of most of this misunderstanding. Man by nature is an alien sinner. He is dead in sin. He cannot act in a spiritual way. He cannot repent and believe. And furthermore he has neither the will nor desire to do so. If election and predestination had been conditioned upon the repentance and faith of the sinner there would never have been a soul saved in all the history of mankind.

Predestination is predicated upon and is an outgrowth of God’s love and mercy for His people, and His purpose is to save them from their sins. Every object of God’s love was, before time began, predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ. Christ was sent to redeem and did redeem all who were predestinated, being every object of God’s love. And here in time God, by the Holy Spirit, through spiritual life and belief in Him. And everyone of them will finally be housed home in heaven with the God that loves them. There will not be one of them lost.

I don’t believe there is a man on earth that can take the Bible and prove that even one single person for whom Christ died will spend eternity in torment. To do so he would have to pick out a person, prove that Christ died for that person and then prove that that person will go to torment forever. I do not believe it can be done.