In Part 3 of this series on predestination, I challenged you to do a little homework and search for the word “predestination” using your favorite Bible app.  If you did this, you discovered that the word “predestination” isn’t actually in the Bible!  What the Bible does talk about, however, are people and events being “predestined” or “foreordained” by God.

This may seem like a trivial distinction, but it’s an important one.  For although our eternal “destination” is clearly of paramount significance, we do both God and ourselves a disservice if we fail to marvel at the God-ordained “destiny” that gets us there.  Because ultimately, fixating on the result of the process not only truncates our understanding of salvation in general, but quite frankly, also robs God of His deserved glory.

To draw an analogy, imagine Beethoven sitting down to compose his timeless 5th symphony.  Before penning the first measure, he already knew how he wanted to open the piece, how it was going to conclude, and which themes he planned to develop throughout all four movements.  At the same time, he determined the instrumentation, dynamics, and harmonies that would bring his vision to life when the piece was performed.  In every sense of the word, Beethoven “predestined” the entire composition.  Every note is intentional, and every musician has a unique part to play, such that audiences today are still awed by the genius of Beethoven’s masterpiece whenever it is performed. 

Similarly, God has ordained a “symphony” for all of history which begins with…and eventually culminates in…the establishment of His eternal kingdom.  We see the wonder of His vision on full display in the opening chapters of Genesis, wherein He inaugurates an earthly kingdom predicated upon the themes of boundless love, perfect righteousness, and matchless glory.  Then, in the final pages of Revelation, we see the supreme glory of God’s Kingdom under the eternal reign of His chosen King, Jesus Christ.

But unlike Beethoven, who had every reason to expect that the orchestra would faithfully realize his vision when his symphony was performed, God foresaw that His “musicians” weren’t going to play the notes as they were written.  In fact, He knew that mankind would utterly destroy the sublime harmonies of His magnificent score, preferring selfishness over love, evil instead of righteousness, and shame in place of glory! 

Furthermore, whereas Beethoven would have likely thrown up his hands in disgust and stormed off the stage, God did precisely the opposite.  For rather than firing every inept musician, God intentionally chose to work every wrong note and miscue into the score.  And in the end, when God’s masterpiece finally reaches its climax, we will stand in awe before our gracious God who has brought His Kingdom to fruition…in spite of all of the forces that conspired against it.  It’s the very essence of Romans 8:28:

If you’ve heard this verse once, I’m sure you’ve heard it 1,000 times. Unfortunately, though, whenever we read this passage through the eyes and ears of 21^st century, western Christianity, we reduce it to little more than a mantra and miss its intended impact.  But try to grasp the significance of this verse to the fledgling church in Rome! In the years following Paul’s letter, they would need to cling to the truth of Romans 8:28 as their lives would be marked by relentless persecution, suffering, and martyrdom:

• First century Christians were thrown into prison simply for upholding the name of Christ.
• They were used as human torches in Nero’s gardens, burned alive for their testimony.
• They were torn to pieces by wild beasts in the Coliseum on account of their faith.

In fact, the entirety of Romans 8 reads like an apostolic “half-time speech” given to a battered, demoralized team that has had a rough first half. Paul is essentially encouraging the 1st century church—and by association, us today—to stick to the game plan and play hard in the second half. Because although things may look bleak, Paul wants us to know that our faith is not futile, and that God is still in control. He wants us to remember that the victory has already been won, so that even in the face of overwhelming adversity, we can persevere in the knowledge that nothing can separate God’s children from His love!

Without a doubt, Romans 8 was written to assure every believer that our suffering is never in vain. For since God is in control of every situation—including our trials—we know that everything happens for a reason, “according to His purpose” (v. 28):

Furthermore, since we trust that God is good, we can press on in the full assurance that God’s reasons for allowing our afflictions are also good. Or to put it differently, since God works through all things to advance His kingdom—even when we can’t see it—whatever is good for His kingdom is clearly good for His faithful servants, “those who love God.”

So, is the end of the story—the “destination”—important?  Absolutely!  Is Christ worthy of the glory, power, and honor that we see Him receive in the final chapters of Revelation?  Without question!  But if we don’t contemplate the mess between Genesis 3 and Revelation 20, we completely miss the profound love of a Holy, righteous God who was not willing to abandon creation and leave His “orchestra” to its own chaotic, discordant devices; moreover, Christ’s glory is diminished, and His sacrifice effectively becomes little more than a footnote.  It’s like listening to only the last 15 seconds of Beethoven’s 5^th symphony and thinking we know anything about his masterpiece. 

As such, even though knowing that Christ will one day reign in righteousness is what guarantees our future hope, we dare not discount the price that was paid to get there.  Jesus is both the Lion and the Lamb, and we cannot separate one from the other.  We cannot merely focus on how things ultimately “end up”, because we will fail to apprehend the wisdom and mercy of our God who somehow brings everything together even when it seems that the composition is about to fall apart.  This probably seems like common sense, and yet we make this very mistake when we talk about doctrines of “predestination.”

So how does this notion of “God working all things together for good” in Romans 8:28 inform our understanding of what it means for us to be individually “predestined”?  Quite simply, it is the key to understanding the next two verses:

To this point in our series, we have been hyper-focused on the events and circumstances that contribute to our conversion, but in these two verses we essentially get “the rest of the story”.  Known as the ordo salutis, which is Latin for the “order of salvation”, these verses provide an outline of the steps in a person’s salvation…and being “predestined” takes center stage.  Consequently, this passage has spurred endless debate between Calvinists and Arminians, because when Calvinists read it, it sounds something like this:

Arminians, on the other hand, read the passage this way:

If you just consider the bold, italicized words in the Arminian rendering, Calvinists object that Arminians get things “out of order”.  For whereas Paul clearly puts God’s “calling” of “those whom God foreknew” after He has already “predestined” them, Arminians apparently reverse the chain of events.  For that reason alone, Calvinists declare that the Arminian view of salvation is fatally flawed; moreover, they contend that Arminians actually rob God of His sovereignty by turning “predestination” into little more than a divine “rubber stamp”.  (And on this latter point, I’m inclined to agree…) 

Conversely, Arminians critique the way in which Calvinists constrain God’s foreknowledge, not to mention the issue of free will in general…hence the cycle continues.  And quite frankly, as long as we accept the premise that these two verses are primarily concerned with helping us understand how someone “gets saved”, then this debate is doomed (dare I say…destined?) to continue. 

The problem is that even though the moment of someone’s conversion isn’t explicitly mentioned, Calvinists and Arminians alike distort this crucial passage by reducing God’s act of “predestining” His children to mean “the cause of their conversion”; accordingly, they will never agree on what the passage means.  Because practically speaking, this perspective inherently restricts what it means to be “predestined”, “called”, and “justified” to a single point in time, all focused on the moment that someone accepts Christ.  Not that this moment isn’t of utmost importance, but this narrow view of being “predestined” ignores the fact that our justification is ultimately tied to a lifetime of obedience and daily repentance…not a single decision, or even a “good start”: 

Indeed, Calvinist and Arminian interpretations of this passage make sense only if you de-couple these two verses from the surrounding context, which ignores the fact that Paul is writing Romans 8 to believers who are experiencing unimaginable persecution. 

Once again, try to put yourself in their shoes!  The believers in Rome were probably wondering if God had rejected them, or if He was punishing them; yet, we have already seen that Paul is assuring them of precisely the opposite.  They are in the center of His will, their suffering is for the sake of His kingdom and His glory, and they can persevere in the knowledge that their salvation is indeed secure.  Therefore, Paul is urging the believers to remain faithful to the name of Christ, to endure the persecution by holding fast to their eternal hope, and to trust that their suffering is not in vain.  As such, perhaps the broader context of Romans 8:18-39 should really be referred to as the patientia fidelium—”the endurance of the faithful”—with the so-called ordo salutis being simply a reminder that those who remain faithful to God can also trust that He will be faithful to keep His promise to receive them into Heaven.  Consequently, when we read Romans 8:18-39 in the correct light, it sounds more like this:

As God’s children, then, we need to recognize that what is good for God’s kingdom often means that we will be called to sacrifice for His sake and for His glory.  This reality runs contrary to much of contemporary preaching that treats Christ more like a genie than The Lord; however, it should not come as a surprise.  For not only did Jesus warn that His disciples should expect persecution, but the apostles repeatedly admonish us to rejoice in our trials because they strengthen our faith even as they develop the character of Christ within us:  

Here again, it’s all too easy to put ourselves and our own “good” at the heart of Romans 8:28, but this only leads to confusion and discouragement when pain and suffering inevitably comes our way. On the other hand, when we start from the standpoint of God’s kingdom and His glory, then this verse becomes a source of strength during those times when our lives aren’t meeting up to our “expectations.” Accordingly, maybe the NIV gets more to the heart of the matter:

Furthermore, if we are truly “those who love God,” then our response to His call upon our lives—regardless of the personal cost—will be one of willing obedience and devotion. Just like the first century martyrs who died for the name of Christ. Or like those who are dying yet today. Or like Jesus Himself on the eve of His crucifixion. They gave their lives in the certain hope that their heavenly reward is secure for all eternity.

So while it is doubtful that those early martyrs fully grasped the reason that God allowed their intense pain and suffering, it seems clear that God used their vicious persecution to establish an enduring testimony to the truthfulness of the Gospel. It is sheer credulity to assert that so many people would have suffered so intensely for something that they knew to be a mere myth or a lie, so the “good” that God brought out of their affliction was clearly the building up of His church! The blood of the martyrs glorified God by proclaiming the truth of the Gospel then…and it still shouts to us today.

Similarly, while we may not fully comprehend how God is working in the midst of our own tribulations, one day it will be clear to us, and we will praise God for His wisdom and His goodness. We will finally understand how even our most agonizing trials fit into God’s plan; we will see the good that God brought out of every situation; and we will realize that He never let us face anything beyond what we were able to bear:

When we read this passage, our minds naturally gravitate towards those things we are tempted to do which would constitute sin; however, disobedience also manifests itself whenever we yield to temptations that prompt us to avoid the things that God is actually calling us to do, especially things that are difficult, painful, or costly.  And given the suffering that Paul continually appeals to throughout Romans 8, this latter kind of temptation is probably the thrust of Romans 8:29-30.  For although they could have escaped persecution and death by simply renouncing the name of Christ, God was calling the believers in Rome to stay faithful to Him and to trust in His goodness.  They don’t need to understand His plan, they don’t need to approve of it, they simply need to obey.  Those that do are the ones who will be justified and ultimately glorified, while those who renounce God’s calling, will not:

Accordingly, until the day that we are finally called home to spend eternity with our Lord and Savior, we need to learn to emulate the many heroes of our faith—both past and present—who persevered through excruciating circumstances despite the cost. We need to learn to live by faith and not by sight, because it is our willingness to trust in God’s plan that demonstrates the depth of our faith and truly glorifies Him. Just like Abraham’s decision to leave his homeland…or his willingness to sacrifice Isaac. Not to mention the dedication of Peter, Paul, James, and John, who gave their lives for the Gospel. And don’t forget about the faithfulness of Noah, David, and Job!  Then, of course, there is Jesus’ supreme act of obedience to the Father when He went to the cross:

In conclusion, while our individual “destination” is certainly the overarching goal of God’s plan for each of us, the “end result” of His plan is really just that: the inevitable outcome of a sequence of carefully planned events and circumstances that God decreed before time began.  For just as Beethoven prescribed the part that each musician would contribute to his symphony, God foreknew all those who would surrender their hearts to Him, and He subsequently gave them unique parts to play in His masterpiece.  He mapped out our individual destinies, for our eternal good as well as His glory, such that even the things that seem to be contrary to His plan are nonetheless being integrated by God towards a greater purpose.  And along the way, as we faithfully and consistently submit to whatever cross that God has asked us to carry, our obedience not only glorifies the name of Christ, but it simultaneously conforms us to His image:

In short, God doesn’t merely predestinate our glorified “end”—which is the emphasis of both Calvinists and Arminians—but He orchestrates the “means” of our sanctification as well.  For although God accepts us as we are when we initially come to Christ, He never leaves us as we were.  Conversion is simply the first step in God’s broader plan for each of His children, our individual sanctification: 

The heart of “predestination”, then, is really the unique part that God has written for each one of us to play in the drama of redemptive history.  His Son is clearly the featured soloist, but God has nonetheless given each of His children supporting parts to play as His Kingdom advances towards its eventual fulfillment.  And as we learn to increasingly trust and obey, our wrong notes are fewer, our miscues less frequent, and our parts take on more and more of the Concertmaster’s majestic melody:

Thus, when we consider what it means to be predestined by our wise, loving, Father, we need to remember that the journey from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22…including our part in it…is the emphasis of the Father’s sovereign plan.  It’s about redeeming what was lost…and glorifying the One who died to redeem it.  It’s about establishing His glorious Kingdom upon the earth…even as it is in Heaven.  It’s about transformation, reconciliation, and restoration, such that any understanding of “predestination” that skips over the glory of that transformation—for everything…and everyone—simply misses the point.

Read Part 1 – Overview

There is a wealth of information available on the topic of predestination, and so rather than try to re-hash everything as part of this series, I would encourage you to do your own investigation into the perspectives on this contentious doctrine.  That way, as we grapple with the thorny issues and questions about predestination which invariably result, you’ll be able to tell if I’m somehow distorting a particular point of view…not to mention Scripture.  For while it’s certainly not my intention to misrepresent information for the sake of making a point, I also know that iron sharpens iron.  And so my hope is that we—like the Bereans—are more interested in pursuing the truth about predestination, versus simply “having an answer”.

Accordingly, in this post we are going to focus on the singular issue that ultimately divides Calvinists and Arminians: our ability (or lack thereof) to repent and turn to Christ.  Because when you sift through all of the verses, arguments, and assumptions that underlie both positions, the pivotal question is simply this: as those who are born under Adam’s curse, are we capable of seeing our need for Christ and subsequently confessing a desire to be saved from certain judgment?

The Calvinist response to this question is an emphatic “no”, which is why they contend that before we are able to repent and embrace Christ, God must change our hearts…first.  Put differently, the grip of sin upon our hearts, minds, and wills has rendered us utterly incapable of desiring to receive salvation and responding to God in faith, at least not without His express intervention.  Our hearts have become so hardened, and our hatred for God runs so deep, that we would rather perish in our sin than even think about turning from it:

This assertion tends to shock / offend most people…at least initially…but if we are being honest it is hard to deny how intransigent our hearts naturally are.  Don’t we all look for ways to justify our behavior? Haven’t we all pursued our own agendas while minimizing the impact of our choices upon those around us?  It’s our nature to be self-centered and stubborn, and the last thing we want is anyone—especially God—calling us out.  And quite frankly, not only does our own experience testify to the depth of our sin, but Scripture is also replete with verses that collectively speak to our inherent inability to bring ourselves before God and repent in faith:

These verses, and others like them, seem to paint a pretty stark picture: apart from God taking the initiative to rescue anyone, we would all naturally remain in a state of rebellion against Him and under His righteous wrath.  After all, these passages don’t tell us that “some are righteous,” that “some seek God,” or that “some can come to Christ of their own accord.”  To the contrary, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” such that “no one is righteous.” They declare there is “no one who seeks God,” there is “no one who does good, not even one,” and as Paul tells us in Ephesians, even our faith is a gift from God! 

This being the case, how can we manage to bring ourselves to God in repentant faith before He first condescends to give us that faith?  It’s logically impossible, which is why Calvinists deny the Arminian assertion that God predestines all those who willingly come before Him and throw themselves upon the mercy of Christ. We simply will never choose to do it of our own accord! Indeed, why else would Jesus proclaim that “no one can come to Him unless the Father draws them to Him”…first?

Simply put, Calvinists insist that our hearts and wills are so fundamentally corrupted by sin that we are incapable of even feeling remorse for our actions, let alone bending our knees to Christ as Lord and Savior.  Moreover, as any Calvinist will surely tell you, the Greek word translated as “draws” in John 6:44 is the same word used to describe someone “drawing” water up from the bottom of a well.  The water is not capable of contributing anything to the process, and it is only on account of the person who is “drawing” that the water moves at all.  In fact, the same word can also be used to describe “dragging” someone against their will!  Hence Calvinists categorically reject any notion of salvation that depends upon our ability to respond positively to the Gospel…prior to regeneration.

So what’s the Arminian response to all this?  In a nutshell, Arminianism contends that God pours out His grace upon all people as He draws them to Christ, and that ultimately we bear the responsibility for accepting or rejecting the overtures of the Holy Spirit as God convicts us of sin and calls us to repent.  They concur with Calvinists that apart from God drawing us to Christ, no one would ever repent; where they differ is in the scope of those whom the Holy Spirit actually draws.  Because whereas Calvinists believe that God draws only those whom He has predestined to save (i.e. the “elect”) Arminians believe that salvation is available to all:

In other words, Arminians believe that not only does God’s grace demand a response, but that we retain the ability to make a choice either way…in spite of sin’s pernicious impact upon our hearts and wills.  As C.S. Lewis put it in “The Great Divorce”:

Methodists refer to this grace which draws us to Christ as God’s “prevenient grace,” but Calvinists are quick to recant the “no ones” listed above as proof that no matter how much grace God pours out upon sinners, we simply aren’t capable of responding to it positively.  Rather, they acknowledge God’s “common grace” that benefits all people—redeemed or otherwise—while rejecting the notion that sinners will ever act upon that grace in a way that leads someone to submit to Christ.   Calvinists maintain that unless God changes our hearts and gives us the faith to come to Christ, per Ephesians 2:8-9, no one will respond to the Holy Spirit with anything but contempt.

And what about John 6:44?  Doesn’t the fact that no one can come to Christ unless the Father first draws them (or drags them!) settle the debate?  Calvinists would certainly assert that it does, but the verse doesn’t actually say that God draws only those whom He has sovereignly predestined / chosen to regenerate.  Accordingly, while declaring that God draws only those whom He intends to save (i.e. the “elect”) is a possible interpretation of this passage, there’s actually nothing to preclude the Arminian notion that God potentially draws everyone—since as Peter already told us, God wants everyone to come to repentance—and that in the final analysis those who ultimately respond in repentance are actually saved.

Thus the lines are pretty clearly drawn, and it would appear that we have something of a stalemate.  But we’re just getting started, and next time we’ll look at how the doctrine of God’s sovereignty plays into the equation. 

When you consider the vast array of Christian denominations that have come into existence over the past 400 years, one thing becomes clear: just about any issue can be perceived as sufficient justification for creating yet another faction within the Church. Every doctrine is a potential source of discord, and rather than clinging to the essential truths of our faith that should unite us, all too often we have allowed nuance to divide us. That being said, there are clearly some doctrinal matters where the issues at stake are fundamental, transcending both subtlety and opinion. And of all the doctrines that separate us, predestination is arguably the most controversial and divisive of all.

Two views of predestination have historically been offered, the first associated most closely with the teachings of John Calvin in the 1500s, and the other with those of Jacobus Arminius, a monk whose ideas subsequently repudiated those of Calvin. Referred to as “Calvinism” and “Arminianism” respectively, they differ on the basic question of how someone comes to be “saved”. For although both would agree that you cannot be “saved” apart from God’s work of regeneration (whereby He changes your heart and you are “born again”), the question is whether or not our choices have any part to play in this process. Arminians would say “yes!”, while Calvinists say “absolutely not!”

Essentially, the Calvinist stance on salvation is that all those who come to saving faith in Jesus Christ do so because God has chosen to supernaturally change their hearts, at which point their eyes are opened to His majesty and they willingly embrace the Lord and Savior whom they previously held only in contempt. Arminians, on the other hand, contend that God supernaturally changes a person’s heart at the moment they admit their need for Christ…and not before. In short, Calvinists believe that regeneration precedes faith, whereas Arminians believe that regeneration is what happens once someone acknowledges their need for Christ. For Calvinists, regeneration happens because of God’s choice…and no one else’s, while Arminians maintain that being “born again” is what happens at the moment we choose to fall upon Christ as our Savior and Lord.

So with regards to the doctrine of predestination, also known as election, the Calvinist position is that since our sovereign God chooses those whom He intends to save, He is the one responsible for predestining all who will be saved. The point is that God decides whom He is going to save – apart from anything that we do or decide – moreover, not all are chosen. Regeneration happens by God’s choice…and His alone…and since we all stand before Him as condemned sinners who deserve only judgment, the fact that He chooses to regenerate anyone (a.k.a. “save” them) is a demonstration of His mercy and His grace.

Alternatively, the Arminian understanding of predestination focuses on the fact that since God is all-knowing, He has known from all eternity those of us who will cry out to Him to be saved.  As such, these are the ones whom God has predestined to regenerate and save. This is commonly referred to as the “foreknowledge” or “prescient” view of election, whereby our status as one of the “elect” comes down to our choice to embrace Christ…or not.

If you’ve never wrestled with this doctrine before, you can probably see why this question of predestination / election is so contentious. On the other hand, if you have spent any time considering the question of election, chances are good that you are already firmly entrenched on one side or the other of this debate. Regardless of where you stand, though, I am persuaded that Calvinists and Arminians alike have essentially missed the point when it comes to this perplexing, enigmatic doctrine. There is a better answer to what predestination / election is really all about, one that neither destroys the doctrine of human free-will (as Calvinism is often accused of) nor undermines or otherwise diminishes the sovereignty of God (as Arminianism is typically accused of).  And in the next installment of this series, we’ll consider the fundamental question that sits at the heart of the debate: are we capable of choosing to embrace Christ?