Freedom and Grace
Projective treatment of predestination tends to over-spiritualize specific biblical passages and overstate God’s relationship with humanity.
My interest in discussing this subject arose from a conversation about Christians who seem to struggle with have a cup of tea if they haven’t consulted God about whether Dilmar or bushels would be the Choicer tipple of the day! On the other hand, it seems that God’s influence is often claimed for many outcomes which are more the result of being in the right place at the wrong time or the consequences of our own decisions. Further, we like to think that if we pray for a fine day and get one, this must be the hand of God. If the weather is inclement, it must be Satan’s fault, we didn’t pray enough, or there’s a sin to contend with.
What is the extent of God’s influence? The writer suggests that God’s influence and control are far less than some might like to imagine. From salvation to the ebb and flow of the universe, God has set in place the preconditions by which humanity lives and dies. When creation was finished God said, “It is finished”. Global warming is irrelevant in the greater scheme of things. In the meantime, we’re subject to the uncertainties of our environment. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and established how all humanity might be saved. We choose to accept Christ, not the reverse, and here lies a paradox.
Where is “Individual free will” positioned within a theology on predestination? Firstly, there’s little definitive scripture to suggest God maintains direct and constant control, as opposed to the evidence that suggests his sovereign foreknowledge of events is a more definitive means of interpreting predestination. What little evidence does exist is often interpreted according to denominational proclivities and in many cases, this appears somewhat skewered. Hopefully, this letter takes a more pragmatic if not brief approach to the subject. I would suggest that predestination is best interpreted in the context of God’s foreknowledge, as the alternative creates tension with passages about free will, God’s purpose for creation, or indeed the life, and the purpose of Jesus himself. A fresh debate about the way we interpret predestination might be necessary.
If God controls everything and everyone, to the extent that he decides determines, and presides over every situation, decision and circumstance, including conditions beyond our control; then free will and the natural laws of creation allow no room for grace as the bible defines it! This view would paint a somewhat hypocritical and controlling God, who lies and discriminates about who will suffer and who will be healthy; who will be wealthy and who will be poor. Proponents of this type of God often impose legalistic contract doctrines, such as Prosperity Doctrines, Covering Doctrines, and Submission Doctrines.
Sovereign Will - Humanity has a free will to choose within the limitations God created by his “Sovereign Will”. For example, humanity cannot remove the existence of gravity; we can only work under its limitations. Likewise, God created the universe and decides when it will cease (Acts 1:7) God decided that humanity is appointed "once to die". We have choices inside these perimeters, but we cannot change the boundaries of God’s creation. God decided, to send himself into the world as a man, to provide a way for reconciliation. From outside his creation, God watches over us. In this context, it could be debated that he has indeed predestined the future. However, defining these boundaries does not mean he controls our decisions within the creation, and this is where “individual will” finds its authority.
The temptations of life have always tested the choices of free will, and it appears reasonable that a God who created free will would know its weakness to temptation and rebellion. It’s sensible to presume that presenting "a tree of the knowledge of good and evil" was no accident. The detail about God’s overall reasoning is not clear in its entirety, but what is clear is that if God wanted slaves and servants, he could have created them without encouraging the opposite. God wants a relationship defined by mutual respect (John 15:15), not the rules and regulations often taught by religions. A slave is controlled by a “contract”, whereas a friend is defined by a “covenant”. Friendship with God is only possible if humanity has absolute freedom to choose it in the first place. Conditional freedom is problematic because there’s always an element of coercion which means that humanity could never say no in the first place.
Moral Will - The universe was also created as a perfect reflection of God’s “Moral Will”; complete with the laws by which all things function in perfect relationship with himself. Man’s rebellion resulted in separation from God, but God’s moral law has never changed. Predestination can be seen in the actions of God’s “Moral will” working in perfect unity, inside his creation, such as under-girding the reconciliation of Man to through Jesus Christ. It appears intellectually and biblically difficult to sustain a view of predestination that says God has already decided who he will save. In this view, he alone decides irrespective of free will. If this were the case then the “doctrine of Christ” is a lie. It would seem to suggest that God deceived us by allowing us to think that we can choose salvation by faith. It appears more consistent with the overall context of the relevant texts that God is justifying those “he knew” would respond as if they already had. Therefore, predestination is best understood through a foundation of “God's knowing”. His involvement in and over the creation is always through his overseeing foreknowledge of past and future events.
God’s prophetic statements about “what will be”, as if they were already, apply to individuals, people groups and events (Hosea 2:23). This does not always mean that prophetic statements about future events apply directly to those who receive them. For example, God led the Israelites out of Egypt with a prophetic promise that he would provide a land of milk and honey. However, the Israelites turned away from God, which resulted in their demise, before entering the land. But God had predestined a people for himself, not specific individuals. Joshua led the children of Israel into the Promised Land. God knew this would happen, but the Israelites chose to turn away from him. God didn’t cause, or manipulate that decision. In Genesis 17 God said to Abraham that Sarah would have a child, and through this child, Abraham would become the Father of many nations, and the whole land of Canaan was to be his inheritance. This predestined sequence of events (or prophecy), was only possible if it came from God “knowing” what Abraham and his children would do. Without God’s “knowing”, all prophecy is nothing more than a game of chance. If free will was a lie, the morality of God could be questioned.
Sovereign Intervention – There’s a distinct difference between God's all-knowing and controlling of events. God can, and does impact the circumstances that surround our lives. However, how he does this has changed from the Old Testament law of obedience and punishment to New Testament grace, free choice, and forgiveness through the Holy Spirit. Many passages of scripture illustrate God’s abrupt intervention. I doubt that Adam was a willing party when put to sleep and part of his side extracted for Eve (although I imagine he was pleased with the dynamic implications), Ananias and Sapphira didn’t have much choice in their abrupt removal from this world. Job didn’t have any choice when God gave the Devil license to bring distress into his life, and the Apostle Paul had no choice about receiving God’s unsolicited authority on the Damascus road.
Conclusion – The function of free will can be likened to children in the playground of God’s creation. They can play with everything in the playground. There’s freedom to choose and move whatever they want to play with. They can build, design and create anything, within the confines and rules of the playground. They can rebel against the rules of the playground but the rules remain the same. (Gen 1:26-30, Gen 2:15-17). Humanity has been given the playground of creation and from within its boundaries we have the freedom to choose anything we want, but we’re encouraged to make right choices because wrong choices still have repercussions. However, God doesn’t judge and punish us, we judge and punish ourselves by our choices. The choices that faced Adam and Eve and the repercussions of eternal separation, remain the same now as they were then. However, to dispute God’s fairness is only rational if we hold the view that God exists, but illogical if we understand what that represents!
Finally, concerning decisions we make such as having a cup of tea! If we believe in a Sovereign God then submitting our will to his will is a given. God gave us free will so we might be friends with him, living our lives by faith, without expecting him to rule on every decision or circumstance. We’ve been given the authority to make decisions. God works with our choices even if they’re wrong, and promises to work all things together for the good of those who love him. Within this playground of creation; agonizing over a cup of tea is of little importance to God as long as our decisions don't lead us away from him, thereby separating ourselves from his presence. Yes, it is wise to “submit all our plans to God” but this doesn’t mean we have to hear from him before we act. God can present himself, but it’s not conditional to prayer, where we go to Church, when we worship, or any other event that ultimately stems from contract theology. Anointing is little more than the residing and unrestrained presence of the Holy Spirit, living in those God has accepted as friends. He goes with us to Church, and he’s there with others as well. God knows our decisions before we’ve made them, and he’s in our sadness before we feel it. God gave us the means to test our decisions, not necessarily against making mistakes. Walking in faith is a choice, and predestination is the insurance of what God knew before we were born.
