Predestination

• Before God created the world he knew everyone and everything about them. God also knew mankind was going to sin. Sin is so bad that God cannot have anything to do with it, he can’t even be in the presence of sin.
• God had a plan - wanted to save some people, send them to heaven but by doing so he also decided who was going to hell.
• Election = refers to people who have been saved
• Reprobation = refers to people who God has chosen to go to Hell
• Election is an act of God before creation in which he chooses some people to be saved, not an account of any unseen merit in them, but this because of his good pleasure

  • This is to do with God and his will, his providence
  • This is nothing to do with free will
• Reprobation is the sovereign decision of God (before creation) to pass over some people, in sorrow, deciding not to save them and punishing them for their sins.

  • This doctrine gives such horrible and eternal consequence for mankind 
  • Augustine argues that we must be careful here in our attitude towards God
• Bible Quotes FOR predestination:

  • “He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ” - Ephesians 1:5
  • “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son” - Roman 8:29
• Bible quotes AGAINST Predestination:

  • “Not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” - Peter
  • “It is God’s will that none shall perish” - 2 Peter 3:9
  • “In my father’s house there are many rooms” - John 14:2
• Our choice to follow or reject God is not a real choice


  If God says that our choice is genuine then that is what it is - for Augustine, there is no debate
• We are “robots”, not real people able to make decisions


  God has given us the ability to make genuine choices

  It is this ability to make decisions that distinguish us from animals and the lower creations - God allows us to make genuine choices
• The Doctrine of Election means that unbelievers never had a chance to believe


  People who remain in unbelief, do so because they have chosen to

  As God has given them a genuine choice, it is ultimately their fault
• Election is just unfair


  It would be perfectly fair if God didn’t save anyone

  The Bible talks about the fact that no one actually deserves to be saved as we all have sin
• The Bible says that God wills to save everyone


  God does want to save everyone but he chooses not to as he thinks that it’s best for mankind

  God believes that his own glory is more important than people who are being saved.
• The Catholic Herbert McCabe states that “predestination is a delightful and enjoyable doctrine all about the love of God”
• John Calvin believed in the sovereignty of God - God has the right to decide whether he wants to save people or not. It has nothing to do with us.
• Wayne Grudem states “It humbles us before God to think in this way. It makes us realise that we have no claim on God’s grace whatsoever.”
• Election means that we do not have a choice in whether we accept Christ or not


  Augustine argues that it’s a mistake to assume choices are completely free.

  He believes humans don’t have free will so the choice is out of their hands