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Predestination
Predestination
Dr. Harry
Ironside told of a man who gave his testimony
telling how God had sought him
and found him. How God had loved him
called him
saved him
delivered him
cleansed him
and healed him. It was a tremendous testimony to the glory of
God.
After the
meeting
one rather legalistic brother took him aside and said
“You know
I
appreciate all that you said about what God did for you
but you didn’t mention
anything about your part in it. Salvation is really part us and part god
and
you should have mentioned something about your part.”
“Oh
” the
man said
“I apologize. I’m sorry. I really should have mentioned that. My part
was running away
and God’s part was running after me until he found me.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Predestination and Election
Election is God’s deciding who gets on the plane bound for heaven.
Predestination is his charting the route the plane will take
the
schedule
the accommodations both during and after the flight
and each
passenger’s safety. With God as the pilot of the plane and the plane itself
all who board the plane make it to heaven. Predestination means God himself
makes sure the elect actually board the plane. Their response of faith in
Christ is like checking in at the gate with a boarding pass.
The gospel call
in contrast
is like advertising for the trip. The
church is commissioned to get the word to the whole world. Unfortunately most
people treat God’s free offer as “junk mail” and throw it in the trash.
However
those whom God has elected to salvation he also moves to accept his
free offer. Many are called
but few are chosen. Yet all who are chosen are
predestined to end up in heaven. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Hyper-Calvinism. In the
past
many strict Baptist Chapels have disdained even the simple notice board
outside the chapel. They feared lest one of the non-elect might slip in and be
converted. Hyper-Calvinism is a fluid term; as one pastor notes wryly
"Everyone who is more Reformed that I am is hyper-Calvinistic.
Baptism in Britain
Vol. 24
No.
7
April 4
1980.
"In the wounds of
Jesus is predestination understood and found
and nowhere else."
A History of Christian
Doctrine
p. 317.
Who says doctrine doesn't
have social effects? Try this from a staff reporter for the Wall Street
Journal: "Iran must have the wildest drivers in the Middle East. It is a
country of fatalists who believe that all accidents are preordained by Allah.
Thus highway safety is really in higher hands and not of concern to mere
motorists. Judged by the accident rate in Iran
it would seem to be a vengeful
deity indeed."
Eternity
October
1977
p. 12.
Einstein gave grudging
acceptance to "the necessity for a beginning" and eventually
to
"the presence of a superior reasoning power
" but never did he accept
the doctrine of a personal God. Two specific obstacles blocked his way.
According to his journal writings
Einstein wrestled with a deeply felt bitterness
toward the clergy
toward priests in particular
and with his inability to
resolve the paradox of God's omnipotence and man's responsibility for his
choices. "If this being is omnipotent
then every occurrence
including
every human action
every human thought
and every human feeling and aspiration
is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for
their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty being? In giving out
punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on
Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed
to Him?" Seeing no solution to this paradox
Einstein
like many other
powerful intellects through the centuries
ruled out the existence of a personal
God.
Huge Ross
The Finger
of God
Promise Pub.
1991
p. 59.
"Paul begins here to
extend as it were his hand to restrain the audacity of humans
in case they
should clamor against God's judgments. We cannot by our own faculties examine
the secrets of God
but we are admitted into a certain and clear knowledge of
them by the grace of the Holy Spirit. And just as we ought to follow the
guidance of the Spirit
so where He leaves us
we ought to stop there and fix
our standing.
"If anyone will seek
to know more than what God has revealed
he shall be overwhelmed with the
immeasurable brightness of inaccessible light. But we must bear in mind the
distinction between the secret counsel of God and His will made known in
Scripture.
"For though the whole
doctrine of Scripture surpasses in its height the mind of man
yet an access to
it is not closed against the faithful
who reverently follow the Spirit; but
with regard to God's hidden counsel
the depth and height of it cannot be
reached."
John Calvin.
The story is told of a
group of theologians who were discussing the tension between predestination and
free will. Things became so heated that the group broke up into two opposing
factions.
But one man
not knowing
which to join
stood for a moment trying to decide. At last he joined the
predestination group. "Who sent you here?" they asked. "No one
sent me
" he replied. "I came of my own free will." "Free
will!" they exclaimed. "You can't join us! You belong with the other
group!"
So he followed their
orders and went to the other clique. There someone asked
"When did you
decide to join us?" The young man replied
"Well
I didn't really
decide--I was sent here." "Sent here!" they shouted. "You
can't join us unless you have decided by your own free will!"
Today In The Word
August
1989
p. 35.
In Knowledge of the
Holy
A.W. Tozer attempts to reconcile the seemingly contradictory beliefs
of God's sovereignty and man's free will:
"An ocean liner
leaves New York bound for Liverpool. Its destination has been determined by
proper authorities. Nothing can change it. This is at least a faint picture of
sovereignty.
"On board the liner
are scores of passengers. These are not in chains
neither are their activities
determined for them by decree. They are completely free to move about as they
will. They eat
sleep
play
lounge about on the deck
read
talk
altogether
as they please; but all the while the great liner is carrying them steadily
onward toward a predetermined port.
"Both freedom and
sovereignty are present here
and they do not contradict. So it is
I believe
with man's freedom and the sovereignty of God. The mighty liner of God's
sovereign design keeps its steady course over the sea of history."
Douglas G. Gerrard.
Some have argued from
Romans 8:29 that predestination is based on God's foreknowledge in the sense
that God looked down the corridors of time and saw who would freely choose to
believe
and then predestinated them. This position assumes that foreknowledge
here only means "knows in advance." In the Bible
however
knowledge
is often used in a sense of personal intimacy
as when Adam "knew"
Eve and she conceived a son (Genesis 4:1). God's foreknowledge is linked to His
foreloving. We see in Romans 8:30 that everyone who was "foreknown"
was also "predestined
called
justified
and glorified."
Does God glorify everyone?
Does God justify everyone? No. Clearly then
in terms of what this passage is
dealing with
God does not call everyone
does not predestine everyone
and
does not foreknow everyone. In Romans 8:29-30
"foreknowledge" must
have the sense of intimacy and personal calling
and can refer only to God's
elect. God's predestination does not exist in a vacuum
and it is not simply
for the purpose of saving us from sin. Verse 29 shows us the goal or purpose of
salvation: that we might be conformed to the likeness of His Son. Ultimately
the reason God has saved you and me is for the honor and glory of His Son
"That He might be the firstborn." The goal in creation is that God
would give as a gift to His Son many who are reborn into Christ's
likeness.
R.C. Sproul
Tabletalk
1989.