PREDESTINATION & FREE WILL

A. The Issue
Predestination and free will are two biblical doctrines that believers often struggle to reconcile. How can God be sovereign and yet hold man responsible for his choices, particularly the choosing of his eternal destiny? A common viewpoint is that God predestines certain individuals for faith and salvation and others for unbelief and condemnation, the paramount issue being God's unconditional choosing of selected individuals whom He wants to save. A contrasting viewpoint says that God extends an invitation to all men and that each person can freely accept or reject His offer of salvation. The key issue in this position is man's ability to respond to God's gracious way of salvation.

B. What the Bible Says
Diligent Bible study is required to find consistency in the passages that appear to support both of the views mentioned. In our study, we believe that God, in His sovereignty, has given man the ability and responsibility to respond to God. While predestination is a biblical doctrine, it has to do with God's plans for Christians, those who have responded to the gospel by an act of their will. That plan begins with adoption into His family (Eph. 1:5) and continues through growth and glorification (Rom. 8:29,30). The fact that God does not pre-determine man's decisions yet has given him a free will is evident in both Salvation and Growth.

In Salvation
In the act of Creation, God gave Adam and Eve the responsibility of tending the Garden of Eden. God's sovereignty saw fit to give mankind the capacity of a free will, one that can choose to respond in obedience or disobedience. In violation of God's will, Adam and Eve chose to disobey His command and consequently received a curse. Like these original parents, all of us have followed in their footsteps by turning away from God by our own choosing (Is. 53:6; Rom. 3:12,23). Likewise, our sin has earned us the penalty of death (Ezek. 18:19-24; Rom. 6:23).

In response to sin, God put into action a plan of redemption. He loves everyone and does not show favoritism (Jn. 3:16; Ac. 10:34,35). His love was demonstrated through Christ's death on the cross, where He experienced death for everyone and became the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world (Heb. 2:9; 1 Jn. 2:2). God desires all men to come to a knowledge of the truth, to repent and be saved (1 Tim. 4:2; 2 Pet. 3:9). He invites all to believe in the Lord and call upon His name for salvation (Jn. 3:16; Ac. 2:21). Whoever responds to the gospel by believing, repenting and being baptized will be saved (Mk. 16:16; Ac. 2:38).

Human response must be possible because God commands all men to repent and to be reconciled to Himself (2 Cor. 5:20; Ac. 17:30). He rewards those who seek Him and comes near to those who draw near to Him (Heb. 11:6; Jas. 4:8). The truth is, the gospel of Christ would not be "good news to all men" unless it was truly available to everyone (Lk. 2:10).

Doesn't God draw people to Christ? Those who come to Christ are drawn by God through the gospel message, which is power for salvation for all who believe (Jn. 6:44, 12:32; Rom. 1:16). Faith is birthed through hearing the word of Christ and leads one to call upon the Lord for salvation (Rom. 10:9-17). The purpose of the gospel is to convince people "that Jesus is the Christ" and to believe in Him (Jn. 20:31). Only when the message is combined with faith is it of any use (Heb. 4:2).

Can a spiritually dead person choose to believe? Indeed, the Bible says that sinners are spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1), yet spiritual death does not imply the inability to respond. It refers to the inability to "resurrect" or save oneself. As in the parable of the Prodigal Son, the young man who was "dead" due to his rebellion came to his senses and returned to his father where he found "life" (Lk. 15:24). Spiritually dead people can look to God, and are thus raised through faith in the power of God (Col. 2:11-12). Salvation is a gift of God, given to all who respond in faith (Eph. 2:8,9).

Aren't the elect the ones whom God saves? God does not elect, or chose, specific individuals for salvation. Salvation means to be "in Christ," the Elect One. All who believe are in Christ and are God's chosen people (1 Pet. 2:9). According to Jesus, many are called but few are chosen. As Jesus' parable of the banquet proved, the chosen ones are not those who are invited but those who accept His invitation (Mt. 22:14). This was the case of the nation of Israel. Though they were God's chosen nation, individuals had to choose to believe in order to be true "children of Abraham." Though the nation was chosen, not every child of Israel was saved. Jesus wept over Israel because He longed to gather them to Himself, but they were not willing (Rom. 10:21; Mt. 23:37).

The choice has been given to man to either receive or reject Christ. It is his responsibility to respond with faith. Those who reject Christ and do not believe will stand condemned (Jn. 3:18). Those who resist the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and reject God's purpose for their lives are sternly warned (Ac. 7:51; Jn. 5:39; Lk. 7:30). Yet God is patient, not willing that any perish but waiting for all to come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).

In Spiritual Growth
Predestination does not refer to salvation but to God's plan for believers, a growth plan that takes them from conversion to full maturity in Christ. His plan is for believers to be adopted as children of God (Eph. 1:5) and conformed into the likeness of Christ (Rom. 8:28,29) for the praise of his glory (Eph. 1:12). Predestination is based on God's foreknowledge (Rom. 8:;29; 1 Pet. 1:2) What does God know beforehand? The Scripture does not say specifically, but we know this much. Because He is omniscient, He knows how each individual will respond to the gospel invitation. He also knows His plan for believers.

But knowing does not determine all that will happen. Believers continue to possess the capacity to accept or reject God's plan for them. It is God's will that believers abstain from sexual impurity; that they rejoice always and pray without ceasing. Yet the fulfillment of these is left to the believer's choosing. While everything does happen according to God's overall plan, not every individual decision is in agreement with His desires. God predetermined man's free will, but he does not determine his choices.

We believe it is inconsistent to hold the position that one can respond to God's call through an exercise of free will, but following conversion, loses that freedom. Just as we are saved by faith, we must continue to walk in faith (Rom. 1:17). God's Spirit works to provide direction and power, but just like in conversion, we must respond to the call by keeping in step with the Spirit and sowing to please the Spirit (Gal. 5:25; 6:8). We must be careful not to grieve the Spirit nor quench His work in our lives (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thes. 5:19). There are many serious warnings given to believers to remain faithful and to grow in their faith to make their election clear (2 Tim. 2:12; Heb. 3:12; 1 Pet. 1:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-21). Each believer will be held accountable for how he builds on the foundation of Christ (1 Cor. 3:10-15). Eternal rewards will be based on how a believer lives (2 Cor. 5:10). To those who overcome, God promises he will never blot their name from the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5). But to those who return to unbelief, they will be cut off from God (Rom. 11:20).

God not only responds to the faith of those who call upon the Lord for salvation, but He also responds to faith as it is expressed in prayer (1 Chron. 5:20; Mt. 21:22; 2 Cor. 1:10,11). Prayer can change the outcome of situations. This does not violate God's sovereignty, because He has established this as His chosen way of working through believers in this world.

C. Conclusions
In conclusion, we believe that God is sovereign, but in His sovereignty He has given man the great ability and responsibility to respond to His Word. This position is consistent with the character of God, Who in love offers salvation to everyone, and in justice holds each man accountable for his own choices. Knowing that persons and history are not predetermined encourages believers to be actively involved in the work of the kingdom.

1. Because salvation is of God, we will worship Him humbly and gratefully. We will praise Jesus Christ for His atoning death and thank God for his patient love for us.

2. Because we believe God issues His call to unbelievers through the Gospel, and because He desires all to be saved, we will be fervent in sharing the biblical message of God's universal love with everyone we can and give them the opportunity to respond with faith, for faith comes by hearing the word of Christ. We will be aggressive in missionary work that takes the gospel to other nations.

3. Because of our ultimate accountability, we will challenge believers to live responsively and responsibly. We have been given "everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him" (2 Pet. 1:3). We will teach people to be responsive to the Holy Spirit and the Word. God is faithful to provide a way of escape from sin, but we are responsible to take that path (1 Cor. 10:13). We can do all he asks through the strength He provides 
(Phil. 4:13).

4. Because our prayers move the hand of God, we will pray boldly and continually as a church. We will pray believing we can impact people near and far through the power of intercession.