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.
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