Predestination?

What is predestination? Is it the same as foreknowledge?

Predestination is different from foreknowledge. Foreknowledge (in its usual sense) means knowing what will happen in the future. To predestine means “to fix upon, decide, or decree in advance.”

Is predestination the same as fate?

Both ideas refer to “the ultimate agency that predetermines the course of events.” But the ultimate agency in fate is an impersonal force whereas it’s a personal Being, the God of the Bible, in predestination.

Does the Bible actually teach predestination?

Yes. For example, Ephesians 1:4-5 says, “In love [God] predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will....”

Does it teach that God predestined all things or just some things?

If not explicitly stated, it strongly implies that God predestined all things. God is described as the One “who works all things according to the counsel of his will...” (Ephesians 1:11). “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

Does “all things” include our actions, too?

“All things” means all things, including all our actions.

Does the Bible deny man’s free will, then?

No, the Bible affirms man’s free will and his responsibility: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

How can man be free if God predestined everything?

This question arises because of a common misconception about man’s free will as “uncaused self-determination”—that is, at any moment of his willing something, he should be able to do the opposite; his will is always in a state of complete neutrality. But is such freedom possible? We are all born with certain genetic makeup, growing up in families with different relational dynamics. Both through nature and nurture, we all develop our particular dispositions, which make us prefer certain things over others. So, most people are “predictable” in many ways. We may not always eat or do the same thing all the time. But there is a common dispositional thread that is behind all the different choices we make in different circumstances.

This suggests that free will does not consist in perpetual neutrality but in our ability to do what we choose to do according to our disposition or character. We may do a lot of things against our desire(s), but we never do anything against our will.

Also, the presence of restraint or influence does not take away from the freedom of our will. Is there any time we are without any restraint or influence from the moment of our birth? But we freely exercise our will amid many (competing) influences and limiting restraints.

But how about when someone puts a gun to our heads and forces us to do something? Existentialist philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre would say that we are still free either to comply or to resist even at the risk of getting killed. How about the algorithms that social media use? Can we be free when they affect our access to information so much? Even if they did not exist, we would still have limited access to information since we are not omniscient. God’s predestination includes, and works with, our free will to accomplish its purpose.

If so, God’s predestination does not negate our responsibility. One day, we will have to give an account of all that we have done before God. Do you think you can defend your innocence? We believe that you are predestined to read this flyer so you can trust Jesus Christ, who came into this world to lay down His life for all those who would accept and trust Him as God’s appointed Savior. That’s our prayer.