ANST - The Paradox of Biblical Predestination & Free Will

[Alfred K Persson]

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.


============================================================================
Go to http://lists.ansteorra.org/lists.html to perform mailing list tasks.