PREDESTINATION: A “MYSTERY”

EPHESIANS 1:4–6

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will

(Ephesians 1:4–5).

During the next two weeks we will systematically consider the doctrine of predestination. The Westminster Confession of Faith states that “the doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care” (WCF 3:8). Let us bear in mind these wise words. The doctrine of God’s providence has to do with His overall maintenance of history, while what we call the doctrine of predestination proper has to do with personal, individual salvation.

Different Views of Predestination

There are three approaches to predestination of which we need to be aware. The first is called Pelagianism, after the early church heretic Pelagius. His fundamental assumption was that the natural man has within himself the capacity to keep the commandments of God to such a degree as to be redeemed without any help from divine grace. Against Pelagius, Augustine stressed the absolute dependence of the sinner upon the grace of God for salvation. He repudiated Pelagianism as an early form of humanism.

Within Christianity there are two views. The first is called semi-Pelagianism or Arminianism, and it holds that God does indeed predestine the saints to salvation, and that His grace is necessary, but that God’s predestination is based on the fact that He knows who will and who will not freely respond to His general grace.

Augustinianism, which is my position, holds that God’s choice is based solely in His sovereign good pleasure, because man is so sinful that apart from electing grace, no one would ever exercise faith. Some of the great Augustinian theologians, besides Augustine himself, are Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards.

CORAM DEO

The fact that such great men held to the doctrine of predestination does not make it true, but it surely makes it necessary for us to give it serious consideration. If you are inclined against the doctrine of predestination, resist the temptation to dismiss it without further study. Ask God to give you a teachable spirit in these matters.

For further study: John 15:5–19; 1 Peter 2:4–12

thursday

september