Predestination, Election, & Free Will

                         Predestination, Election, & Free Will
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Does God predestine everything so that we are no more than robots? Do we make free decisions so that we rightfully deserve the consequences? Is God somehow unfair with the non-elect? Can we reconcile these concepts, or are they a hopeless contradiction? What does the Bible teach and can we believe it?

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Does God Predestine Everything So That We Are No  More Than Robots?
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God in infinite wisdom and power chose the best plan to create and continue the universe. Existing before creation outside time, God can act anywhere anytime within it to accomplish His will. As Primary Cause God knows the exact spot, direction, and speed of everything--it all depends upon His sustaining power and will.  So, "in Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:17;  Acts 17:28). So God enables His natural laws and His creatures  to work precisely as He designed them to do. If it were not so, anything could happen without rime or reason, the world would be utter chaos and irrational confusion. 

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Further, the Bible mentions  terms that mean God knows things are certain to happen before they occur.  These words are: predestination (Rom. 8:29-30; Ephesians. 1:5, 11), foreordaination (Acts 4:28; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:20; Jude 4) foreknowledge (Acts 2:23; Rom. 11:2) and calling (1 Cor. 1:9; 7:17, 24; 15:9). These are plain undeniable Bible teachings.
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 God, as Alpha and Omega and the eternal I Am, knows past, present, and future all at once with no surprises. And what He knows will happen, will happen, or He couldn't know it. "I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning" (Isa. 46:10). "Known to God from eternity are all His works" (Acts 15:18). So the all-knowing timeless God took within His plan before creation human decisions, sin, Satan, unbelief, suffering, prayer, salvation, Heaven and Hell.  It's proven by numerous details of fulfilled prophecies concerning individuals, nations, and the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:4). God's knowing everything in advance means that they will occur, and that from His perspective everything is in fact fixed or predestinated. But what does it mean from man's limited perspective within time?
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Do We Make Free Decisions So That We Rightfully Deserve The Consequences?
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Yes, the infinite God acts to uphold everything and has ultimate control,  but He allows finite persons control in a secondary sense. God created man in His mental, moral, immortal image (Gen. 1:26).  This means man unlike other creatures and nature is a thinking willing moral person made for relationship with His Creator. Like God, man's mind and will transcend the natural order of the world. People are more than mindless stones or instinctive animals--mind transcends matter, thought controls things. We can understand causes, consequences, and make contrary choices as needed. We see a cloud darkening overhead, the wind stirring things up on the ground, and know if we don't seek shelter we will soon get wet. Unlike the most intelligent animal, we create art, science, literature, philosophy, law, prayer, and worship of God.. While heredity and environment influence us, our decisions are our own. We have a degree of unforced libertarian freedom.

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Throughout the Bible, God's  every command, warning, invitation, and judgment  imply our freedom to obey. Likewise, every human rejection, excuse, and neglect suggest we are   responsible to obey. No, we are not programmed robots--being in God's image we  can make free choices  knowing they  have consequences and we bear responsibility. Conditions and persons do influence us, yet our choices are neither uncaused, nor caused by another--we decide as free moral agents otherwise praise and blame make no sense. There's no eternal regress of causes as God gives us freedom being in His image.

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The Bible teaches that we are free moral agents in many texts. The best known is John 3:16, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Consider the whosoever texts--John 3:18; 6:37; Rev. 22:17. The believe on Jesus texts--John 6:69; 8:24; 9:36, 38; 10:25; Acts 16:31.  Free agency is shown in other texts--Deut. 30:19; Josh. 24:15; 2 Sam. 24:12. We have texts showing people freely reject God--Jer. 7:23-26; Matt. 23:37; John 6:46; 7:30; 2 Peter 3:5). "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, as your fathers" (Acts 7:51).  All these plain texts are difficult to deny and show that with man it's free will and responsibility.
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Is God Somehow Unfair With The Non-elect?
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We can quickly dismiss that God is the Author of sin. For God created a good world  and tempts no one to sin (Gen. 1:31; Jam. 1:13-14).  Lucifer in prideful disobedience to God brought sin into the universe and our first parents Adam and Eve listened to him in disobedience to God and brought it into our world. Sin separates us from a holy or morally perfect God. We are born with a sinful nature and commit sins, thus needing a Savior to cleanse us, make us acceptable to God, and fit for Heaven (Ps.51:5; Isa. 59:2). As sinners, we all deserve death and Hell, but for God's grace (Rom. 6:23). Besides, God knows things we don't and can't know. God doesn't have to save any of us.

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The Bible does teach God chooses some persons to be saved which means others are not chosen. We read in Ephesians 1:4-5, "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."  Election is mentioned also in Deut. 7:6; Isaiah 45:4; John 6:44: Acts 13:48; 1 Thessalonians. 1:4.
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Persons have serious problems with election that we must address. Don't our differences mean election is somewhat unavoidable?  Christians are given different spiritual gifts. The body of Christ has differing members--the hand, foot, eye? We're not all the same in ability, opportunity, mindset--wouldn't it be a dull world if we were? There are even different degrees of reward in Heaven and punishments in Hell. Aren't these things a kind of divine election?
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Several things need mention here. It's not God's will that anyone perish but God knew that in creating a moral world that allowed free choice some would reject Him and righteousness (2 Peter 3:9). He knew this would not be the best world, but the best way to the best world--Heaven. That would assure our dignity and give Him the greatest glory. We could not otherwise know of His forgiveness, grace, justice, mercy, and our utter need of Him. And unrepentant rebels must have their own kind of place--darkness, evil.
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God gives abundant testimony of Himself and the relationship He desires with us. Design in creation speaks of a great Designer (Rom. 1:20). Human conscience speaks of a Moral Lawgiver and makes no sense with an all-knowing Judge (Rom. 2:14-15). God has acted throughout history in supernatural ways and through His messengers the prophets, apostles and witnesses. God's Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11). The Bible says we are without excuse suppressing the truth and loving sin rather than righteousness (John. 3:19-21; 7:17; Rom. 1:18-20). God may even speak to us in dreams and visions (Gen. 20:7; 41:1-7; Numbers 12:6; Matt.27:19). God promises throughout Scripture that those who fervently seek the Lord will find Him (Deut. 429; Isa. 55:6; Jer. 29:11; Matt. 7:7-8; Heb. 11:6). We have examples of some who did--Wise Men, Matt. 2:1-12; Nicodemus, John 3; Ethiopian, Acts 8:26-39; Cornelius, Acts 10.
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Some person object to election. They say election makes evangelism unnecessary. If the chosen will be saved anyway, why bother to tell people of the Savior.  Answer. We don't know who the chosen are. People are saved through our sharing the gospel. Not to tell others of the Savior is disobedience to God. It's loss of spiritual and eternal rewards. Election is unfair to those not chosen.  But some persons hate a holy God, right living, and love their sin. Answer. We mentioned above that God promised all who seek Him will find Him. Even with repeated opportunities they prefer their sin and despise right living.  God can't force persons to love Him. Election would encourage moral laxity. Why struggle to be good if you're going to Heaven anyway? Answer. It results in loss of joy and peace in the Lord. Brings condemnation, guilt, and shame.  Bad influence for Christ. God disciplines sons even to physical death. Again, a loss of Heaven's rewards. Election seems arbitrary or without good reason. Our knowledge is but a dot in the universe of knowledge. Answer. It's a decision based upon our all-knowing, wise, good, just, and loving Creator.
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Can We Reconcile Predestination With Free Will, Or Are They A Hopeless Contradiction?
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Scripture teaches that in God's timeless plan He alone saves by grace through faith. It seems God initiates it by convicting, drawing and enabling persons to be saved (John 1:12-13; 6:44; 16:8-11; Acts 13:48; 16:14). But, we do the coming, believing, and receiving salvation as God's gift (John 5:24; 6:29, 37; Acts 16:31; Rom. 6:23; Ephesian.2:8-9).  For a truly loving God can't force love on the unwilling--it's a contradiction. But an all-knowing God knows who will come to love Him in their own time--it's predestined! God upholds human existence, humans decide their fate.

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I don't have all the answers. But I pray God will use U and I as His ambassadors to tell the world of our Savior, Lord, and Guide. I pray we will see many persons living a Godly life and in Heaven that He has used us to go tell the gospel. Lord enable us to be Your true obedient followers as fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). God bless U.

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