Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 09:19:02 -0400 From: Alfred K Persson To: Message-Id: <419.436270.30350718aperson@unbounded.com> Subject: The Paradox of Biblical Predestination & Free Will Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com The Paradox of Biblical Predestination & Free Will Resolved, by Alfred K Persson. The paradox of Predestination by God of some to salvation and God's command to all mankind to freely choose Him over death while the opportunity genuinely exists has bedeviled both Jewish and Christian Scholars in one form or another for over 5,000 years. That paradox is has finally been resolved. Predestination of God's Elect to salvation is clearly taught in Scripture. So is Free Will. We do choose whom we will serve and God's offer to all of salvation must be genuine or He is not the righteous and just and merciful God of love revealed in Scripture. Predestination and Free Will choice stand against each other only in apparent contradiction. They can be joined by a conceptual model that resolves all the paradox—in a way that is faithful to every relevant Bible text and concept of God-- without reliance upon dubious "hair-splitting" of terms or other eisegesis. Resolution of paradox is possible because God's selection of the Elect is not arbitrary, it is based upon His foreknowledge of those predestinated. Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. KJV However God's choice was not based upon anything in the predestinated, for it is written: Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. KJV The saved do not merit salvation "lest any man should boast." Salvation is through "grace" (undeserved unmerited kindness), it is a "gift of God." Neither does God "show favoritism." (Rom.2:11 NIV) He does not discriminate according to race or sex. So "how" exactly was foreknowledge used to "predestinate" some to salvation if God does not Elect any to salvation because of who or what they are or what they do? Another aspect of the whole to consider is "why did God use "foreknowledge" anyway when it is clear that He already fully knows "all things" and He "inhabits eternity:" Isa 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity..."-KJV To God the future is "now." Time to us is linear like a tunnel, it has a beginning and an end and we travel within it. God however, inhabits eternity, every part of this tunnel is filled with the Being of God. In fact God is infinite, this time/space continuum cannot contain Him (1 Ki 8:27) for it exists within Him like a glass tube floating beneath the ocean. God "fills" all things (Jer.23:24). There is no part of this "tunnel" where God is not. To God past present and future are "now." In God's experience, the Elect are already with Him in His Kingdom. Eph 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.- NIV [Gr., indicative.] This is why it can be said that: Rev 13:8 ... the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.-NIV Once God began to create, everything future came to be, including the crucifixion. There are not infinitely possible "futures" arising from each and every free will act or event occurring within time, there is only one future, it incorporates within it the consequence of every event. To God "the future is already past." In the following passage the apostle Peter is not saying that God is unaware of the passage of time, as though He were in some kind of stupor. He derives from the truth that God inhabits eternity one aspect of how God sees time. To Him it is meaningless: 2 Pet 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.-KJV To recap: 1.) God used foreknowledge when predestinating some to salvation. 2.) Election and Rejection are not based upon what mankind actually is nor on what they do. 3.) God's use of Foreknowledge seems redundant—completely unnecessary because God already knows all things without it. God inhabits eternity. There once were two blind men trying to learn what an elephant is. One held the tail and described what it felt like. The other held the elephant's foot and of course his description was entirely different. They argued with each other continually who was "right." Being blind they just could not see the whole, how these different parts were joined to a greater whole. Rather than argue these two blind men could have taken a more brotherly and logical path that also would have been more faithful to what they both knew to be true. They could have concluded from the obvious dissimilarity of the tail and the foot that these were but lesser parts of a greater whole. The whole "Elephant" revealed: Before God created the world He foreknew everyone without "sin nature" in an "age" (Grk, aion) where the devil did not exist to mislead them. It was foreknowledge, i.e., this "aion" did not exist save in the Mind of God. All Mankind was therein given every possible choice and thoroughly put to every conceivable test to prove what kind of person they really are. This reveals their innermost inclination of their heart. Does the foreseen person love God or not? Foreknowledge was done, not for God's benefit—He already knows all things, but for our sakes that we might know His Election of some to salvation and His leaving the rest to their own willful rebellion could be seen by all as being truly "merciful" and "just." The "foreseen" us represented the innermost inclination of our hearts. It was what we should be and not what we actually are today. Hence our salvation truly is not "of ourselves" lest any should boast. Who can boast when the "hypothetical" us condemns and shames the real us, for unlike the real us, by its own power it actually did the right thing all the time without deviation. None of us come close to that reality. As "foreseeing" something does not call it into existence--this aion of testing never existed save in the Mind of God. Hence our salvation truly is not "of ourselves." Because hypothetical mankind was constructed from the essence of their heart of hearts inclination and motive, it is valid for God to use that foreseen "aion" to justify His actions in our sphere of existence to any "heavenly court." Rom 3:4 ...As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."- NIV We were all gone astray and none of us any good. Yet God in His mercy and love chose to save some, and to do that in such a way as to be gladden our hearts once we realize the magnificence of His Glory and the Righteousness and Mercy of His Judgements. He does not wrongly condemn any. The proof of that is documented. In His Kingdom we will be able to inspect that proof and get to know the truth with our own eyes. It could be said it was God's good pleasure and will to work these things out this way (cp. Eph.1:5). Those who chose God and not evil in that hypothetical aion are then predestined unto salvation in this aion. They are saved in spite of who they really are. God gives them the gift of salvation. It is completely unmerited. It is not "of themselves." Now those who under the best of circumstances still would choose evil over living with God in righteousness--He Sovereignly leaves them to their own choice. He makes no attempt to circumvent their free will rejection of Him. They are judged for their own sins (Ezek.18:4). The opportunity to choose God over sin was there in the hypothetical aion, and it truly is here now in our present time available to all. If they did choose God over evil He would accept them and heal them. However, they will not. As it truly is they themselves who choose to do wrong, their sin is on their own head: Mat 13:15 For this people's heart has become callused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'-NIV This is what Christ means when He says: John 6:65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."-NIV No one can go to Christ unless the merciful God enables them, period. It is a statement of fact regarding the sorry condition of all mankind. The reverse however is not true. Christ did not say God will prevent those not enabled from going to Him. As is clearly said elsewhere, the opportunity to choose Christ is genuinely available to all (Jn.3:15), and if they did choose God over evil He would heal them. None of us are any good (Rom.3:12) and without God's active intervention in our lives (Phil. 2:13) neither would the Elect be able to go to Christ (Jn. 6:65). However, God in His unmerited mercy chose to select some from among mankind for Himself (Rom.11:5). It was entirely by "grace" according to God's good purpose and will and not according to anything actually in us. Although our "hypothetical heart inclination" truly does represent what we could have been, in our present reality we do not possess enough "inclination" to choose Christ. Our hearts require rebirth by God's Spirit--a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) to put the proper inclination in us. There is no real connection between the two. There are no grounds for anyone boasting whatsoever. God is very merciful to do this, the Elect do not deserve such kindness at all. Among those of mankind that have freely chose to reject God's sole offer of salvation (Jesus Christ), God may assist in the hardening of their hearts lest they escape the judgment God knows they truly deserve. These are made to manifest within their short life span who they really are in order that they may fill up the full measure of their sin for all to see. All onlookers will declare God righteous in judging these severely. 2 Th 2:10 ... They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 2 Th 2:11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 2 Th 2:12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.-NIV This way the justice of God is satisfied. Unlike human justice where evil men might be charged only for minor crimes because sufficient evidence is lacking to convict, God will see to it that these reveal their true selves within their short life span in order that they may punished fully: And all creation will have to say: Rev 16:5 ... Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. Rev 16:6 ...for they are worthy. Rev 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.-KJV Argument Against this view: It is inferential and not explicitly taught in Scripture. However, some aspects of the orthodox doctrine of the Holy Trinity must be deduced from the scriptural data for the terms describing it are not as clear as we would like, for example, the Eternal Generation of the Son. So not all inferences are bad: To the Sadducees Christ inferred both life after death and the Resurrection of the righteous from the implication of the words "I AM" (not "I was"): Mark 12:24 Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? Mark 12:25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Mark 12:26 Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!" If this thesis is deemed only inference, it's a good one. The conceptual model exposited synthesizes the whole of the scriptural data in a way that removes all of the paradox. It is faithful to the whole of Scripture and to the revelation of who God is—Merciful, Just and Love: Paradox is removed, God's justice and mercy to all mankind made known therefore Christian apologetic benefited. Orthodox doctrines of Election and eternal security strengthened. The stain of eisegesis removed from theological discussion. It is completely faithful to all the relevant Biblical texts and concepts. However, lest some think more of me than is correct, I hereby confess that I believe God granted me this insight. If there be error it is mine, for I am a jar of clay, but if there be truth-- it is from Him! I beseech all in the Church Universal to consider this "conceptual model" calmly-- logically, as a scientist might any body of apparently contradictory data. Do so prayerfully. I am confident you will soon appreciate the beauty of this concept. It is sparkles like a diamond turned slowly in the light, no aspect dark. However, for many no doubt this proverb will be true: Luke 5:39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.'" NIV *******End******* A prayer: Let us put aside our differences and unite under the Lordship of Christ, and so we will prove ourselves faithful to the Great Commission Christ gave us all to do: Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Christians have my permission to reproduce my work any way they desire. Please share. Copyright (c) 1999 by Alfred K. Persson a.k.a. LetsObeyChrist.