^13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.

 

Predestination vs. Free Will – Is It One or the Other?
by Rich Deem

One of the major controversies among Christians is the extent of predestination that God has ordained. At the extremes are those who claim that God uses only one to the exclusion of the other. Either extreme is wrong, since the Bible clearly indicates that both predestination and free will are in operation.

Predestination

In order to fulfill His prophecies, God must predestine history to a certain degree. The Bible clearly indicates that God predestined redemptive history, specifically, the coming of the Messiah. Jesus clearly indicated that His coming was planned, including His death:

• But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” (Luke 4:43)
• “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. (John 12:27)

Other verses indicate that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was “predetermined” and “foreknown” by God¹ and fulfilled part of God’s eternal purpose.²

The Bible indicates that God’s role in redemptive history extends beyond the Messiah to God’s role in the redemption of Israel. Isaiah and Jeremiah claim that God used foreign rulers to alter history and free the Jews from Babylonian captivity:

• Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’; Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. (Isaiah 46:10-11)
• Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers! The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, Because His purpose is against Babylon to destroy it; For it is the vengeance of the LORD, vengeance for His temple. (Jeremiah 51:11)
• People chosen by God for salvation

The Bible indicates that certain people are chosen by God for His purposes. Examples include King David,³ the Levites as the priests of God,⁴ Abraham,⁵ and the tribe of Judah.⁶

The New Testament says that God has elected or chosen people for salvation. Jesus used the Greek word eklektos⁷ to refer to those who were chosen by God during the end times.⁸ Jesus indicated that He chose the apostles for God’s work and that it was not their own choice.⁹

Paul also uses the term “elect” to describe those who follow Jesus Christ.¹⁰ Paul tells us that we were chosen “before the foundation of the world,”¹¹ which is reaffirmed by John in the book of Revelation.¹² Paul also tells us that we were predestined by God to follow Jesus Christ.¹³ In addition, good works were prepared for us “that we might walk in them.”¹⁴ Jesus Himself indicated that He had chosen Paul as a minister of the gospel.¹⁵ James indicates that God has chosen the poor people of the world for salvation.¹⁶

Some Christians claim that God predestines people for hell. This concept is never stated directly, although the Bible indicates that God does use evil people to accomplish His purposes.¹⁷ Paul indicates in the book of Romans that evil Pharaoh was “raised up” to demonstrate God’s power.18 Paul goes on to say that God chose Jacob over his brother Esau,¹⁹ and that He chooses to have mercy on some people over others.²⁰ John says that God will give the kingdom of Israel to the beast to fulfill His word.²¹

Jesus indicated that He chose the apostles, including the one who would betray Him.²² Even Judas, as a worker of evil, was fulfilling part of the redemptive purpose of God. Luke, in the book of Acts indicates that evil Herod and Pontius Pilate, who condemned Jesus, were serving God’s purposes.²³

Presumably, evil people who are predestined to serve the purposes of God through their evil will eventually go to hell. However, they still possessed free will and would have done evil under any circumstances. So, the Bible indicates that God placed them in history to fulfill His purposes, knowing that they would do evil. God did not cause them to do evil, since God is not the author of evil. James says not to blame God for temptation:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. (James 1:13)

Free will

There are many verses that specifically state that people have free will to execute their own choices. In the book of Deuteronomy, God Himself tells the people to choose to follow Him to receive His blessings:

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Joshua tells the people to choose to serve God or the idols of their neighbors.

“And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

Many other Old Testament verses tell us to choose to follow the Lord.²⁴ Obviously, choice is not possible if everything is predestined.

Besides the verses that tells us directly to make choices, there are hundreds of verses that tell us how we are to live. Obviously, following this advice requires free will and the ability to choose. So, the Bible indicates pretty clearly that we are to make choices. If everything is predestined, then choice is not possible.

Some in the radical predestination camp claim that Jesus Christ died only for the elect. However, the Bible teaches quite clearly that Jesus Christ died for the sins of all people and wants all people to come to repentance. This does not mean that Jesus’ death provides salvation for those who resist God’s call.

• “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
• “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” (John 12:32)
• For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. (Romans 6:10)
• For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22)
• For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. (2 Corinthians 5:15)
• For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. (1 Timothy 4:10)
• For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, (Titus 2:11)
• The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
• For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; (1 Peter 3:18)
• Heb 7:26-27, 9:11-12, 10:10 and I Pet 3:18

I have tried to present a balanced examination of the issues regarding free will and predestination. It is obvious that the Bible teaches both concepts. Ultimately, I believe that God directs history. However, I do not believe that He micro-manages history. In other words, I think God places people in history so that His will is accomplished. This includes putting His followers, in addition to those who oppose Him, at strategic points in history. The Bible encourages us to use our free will to choose good over evil.

…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)