Let us start with the meaning of the word “predestination” (or “predestined” as we find it in the Bible). Romans 8:29 reads, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren” (NASB). There are at least three points we should notice here: (1) predestination is based on God’s foreknowledge, (2) predestination here is towards moral conformity to the likeness of His Son, and (3) the reason God foreknew, predestined and conformed believers to Christ’s likeness is so that the Son might hold the position of highest honor in the great family of God (See Zondervan NASB Study Bible, Ed. Kenneth Barker, Zondervan Publishing House, 1999, p. 1647; Also John A. Witmer, “Romans” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Chariot Victor Publishing, 1983, p. 474). Romans 8:30 gives the sequence, based entirely upon God’s foreknowledge (the first point of the previous verse), by which God carries out His predestination.
To study about predestination as it relates to the doctrine of election in Christianity, I would recommend that you read some passages of the Bible, such as Ephesians (Chapter 1) and Romans (Chapters 8 and 9), and consult some theological references. Now, when one tries to understand the word “predestination” in its theological sense, he or she would immediately think of Calvinism or Reformed belief. However, the term predestination is known not only to the Calvinism but also to other theological segments of Christianity including Roman Catholicism. As a matter of fact, there are other religions (non Christian), which have some sort of strong teaching on predestination (in their understanding of course).
The Church has been divided over the issue of election for ages, and the main divisions within Christianity are known as Calvinism and Arminianism. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary states, “Calvinism holds that God offers irresistible grace to those whom He elects to save. Arminianism, on the other hand, insists that God’s grace is the source of redemption but that it can be resisted by people through free choice.” People often think that you have to be in either one of these two extreme positions, i.e., either strongly in favor of the idea of God’s sovereignty and violently opposed to man’s free will or strongly in favor of man’s free will and violently opposed to the idea of God’s sovereignty. But the fact is that there is a middle ground in between the two sides of the continuum; people do not necessarily have to be in either point of extremes. The reason for that is because both positions could produce strong biblical passages to support their views. And for Christians who believe that the Bible is the word of God and, therefore, does not contradict itself, seeking a middle ground is a commendable endeavor in hope of reconciling these seeming contradictions.
Those who are in favor of God’s sovereignty believe that, in the eternity past, God has chosen who will be in heaven (and who will be in hell) apart from any human merit. Salvation is solely from God and believing (or responding positively to the offer of salvation), which the elect would exercise when they hear the gospel, is also a gift from God. In other words, God regenerates the elect before they could have faith in Him. The reason for God to do all of the works is because all men are sinners and they are in the condition of spiritually dead (totally depraved). There is no way for fallen men to make a positive decision or response to God’s call. They would quote Romans 8:30, for example, and show you the sequence: God predestined first, and then called those who have been predestined.
With the above understanding in mind, one would also understand that there is no place for human endeavor in the process of salvation. Therefore, salvation must be certain and permanent because once a person has been elected by God in the eternity past, God will regenerate him, then call him, then justify him, then finally glorify him. Notice that there is no possibility of falling away, and as far as one’s salvation is concerned, there is no place for praying, confessing, repenting or whatsoever needed from human’s side. Some may do one or all of those things, but such activities have nothing to do with their salvation or their being saved permanently—i.e., being elected.
In other words, an elect should have the assurance of salvation and that salvation must be secured (or in their term, “perseverance of the believers”). The problem here is that there is no one who is really sure that he or she is among the elect. Yes, you may say that you believe in Jesus Christ, but how would you know that you were elected in the eternity past? You may quote John 3:16 or other passages that assure God’s love to all, but the above teaching begins with the idea that God has only saved some, and that election has taken place in the eternity past. God has predestined the elect apart from anything you do or believe. Then you may come to those passages that tell you that God has saved the elect and rejected others (See Romans 9:7-18; Cf. Exodus 33:19). That is right, but now the question is still there, “How do you know that you are one of the elect?” With this condition, you have no assurance of salvation at all.
One writer admits, “Some of the major debates about salvation center around the question ‘Can I be sure I’m saved?’” With this approach to God’s predestination, if one wants to know about someone else’s salvation, then all Christians would agree that it’s impossible. There is no way of being sure whether someone else is saved, including your spouse, your parents or your children, because no one can be sure if he or she or someone else has been included in the elect. The same writer continued by saying, “You may have fairly good evidence. Christ said you will know His followers by the fruit that they bear. In a few cases there may be essentially no doubt. But most commonly, we simply can’t be sure. And we should be happy to leave such decisions up to God.” With that, you could very clearly see why in many Christian churches, although the assurance of salvation is being taught (as you may read their confession of faith and listen to their preachers’ sermons and the hymns they sing), some members and elders and deacons and even pastors do not have the assurance of salvation.
Not to complicate the matter, but it is important to know that there are two kinds of predestination, at least in the mind of those who teach this doctrine. First, double predestination teaches that God has predestined some to be saved and some others to be damned. Second, single predestination teaches that God has chosen those who are going to be saved and has passed over others. Also, in terms of the order of God’s decrees, there are at least two views, and some theologians even advocate a third view. These three views (namely supralapsarian, infralapsarian, and sublapsarian) constitute the so-called Lapsarian controversy (See Charles F. Baker, Dispensational Theology, Grace Bible College Publications, 1971, p.383).
Supralapsarian view believes that election comes first in God’s order of decrees, and then followed consecutively by the creation, the fall and the provision for salvation. Logically, this view is inferring that God created men and decreed the fall so that He would have sinners to save. Also, by placing the decree of election before the decree of provision of salvation, this view is logically inferring that salvation is provided only for the elect.
Infralapsarian view, on the other hand, places the decrees of creation and the fall before the decree of election. Logically then, this view is inferring that God provided salvation because of the fall, not that He caused man to fall so that there would be sinners to save. This view agrees with supralapsarian on placing the election before the provision of salvation with the inference that salvation is provided for the elect only.
The third position is called sublapsarian, which agrees with infralapsarian in placing election after the creation and the fall, but disagrees on placing election before the provision of salvation. Instead, sublapsarian places election after the provision of salvation. Hence, this view logically infers that salvation has been provided for the whole world, and that God has determined that certain ones, the elect, should be saved. I hope that, up to this point, the person who asked about this topic would now have some ideas of what and how predestination has been taught and studied in Christianity. More importantly, I hope that you (all the readers) are more enlightened rather than be more confused.
Let us now see about those who are in favor of man’s free will. In the other end of the continuum, there are people who believe that man not only is responsible for responding positively to the gospel of the grace of God in order to be saved, but he is also responsible to keep his salvation secured. Failure to respond positively to the grace of God by faith would result in no salvation. If a person believes that he was saved by the grace of God through faith in some point of his life, but somehow failed to live a life of conformity with the Gospel, according to this understanding, his salvation is lost. Of course, this would be reasonable if you put much emphasis on both human ability and free will to obtain salvation and to keep it secured. But it’s more likely that you would end up with no assurance of salvation at all.
That leaves us with those who are trying hard to place themselves between the two extremes in the continuum. These people understand predestination based on God’s foreknowledge. God knew from the beginning those who would response positively to the gospel, and He predestined them to become conformed to the likeness of His Son. The phrase “in Christ” (found over and over in Paul’s epistles, especially in Ephesians Chapter 1) tells us about how God, in His eternal plan, chose Christ as the way of salvation and those who respond positively to the gospel believe in Christ.
This middle ground (or in-between position) also puts all the works in God’s hand—salvation is the grace of God apart from human merit; there is nothing man can contribute to the perfect and finished work of Christ. Salvation is by the grace of God alone. However, in order to benefit from what God has done, man is responsible to believe in Him—i.e., man would have a part in exercising his free will either to accept God’s grace or to reject it. When a person believes in Christ, he or she is baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ’s body and, therefore, he becomes one of the elect in Christ. So the offer of salvation by grace is universal—not only to some, i.e. the elect.
Quoting Romans 1:16, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible concludes, “Thus no person deserves salvation, but God’s grace is universal, His salvation is for ‘everyone who believes.”’ Salvation is also conditional, meaning that man has to respond and he has to say, “Yes, I believe.” These people who choose the middle ground will also believe in the assurance of salvation for the reason that it is God who began, God who continues, and God who will end the process of sanctification of the believers to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. The same question may now be asked, “How do these people know for sure that they are among the Elect?”
Of course, they will not go back to the idea that God has chosen every saved individual in the eternity past because doing that would end up like what has been described above. Instead, they will point to Christ as God’s predestined way of salvation, and they will tell you that they have listened to the gospel and that they believed in Him. Based on Bible passages such as John 3:16, John 10:28-29 and Colossians 3:3, they will tell you that they now have the assurance of salvation, and they believe that their salvation is secured in Christ, in God. Even Karl Barth, who was known as a theologian of the Reformed tradition and shared with Calvin the conviction concerning God’s sovereignty and the reality of sin, interpreted election as “accomplished through Jesus Christ, who is the elect of God” (Leanne VanDyke, “Predestination,” in Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible, edited by David Noel Freedman, 2000, p. 1080).
Well, I have to stop here. I encourage you to read the Bible more, study relevant sources, and ask your pastors or teachers. There are ample sources out there; what is needed is only time and commitment from your part. God bless you.
