Charles Grandison Finney

Perhaps the most misunderstood doctrine in Christendom today is that of predestination. I say misunderstood because the doctrine as it is popularly accepted today is not the doctrine explicitly taught in the Scriptures. Predestination is clearly taught in the Bible (Romans 8.29,30; Ephesians 1.4,5,11; 1 Peter 1.2). The popular view is that God predestines to salvation those whom He foresees will choose Him. To be specific, man has free will to either choose or deny God. God does nothing to coerce man in any way to choose Him. I will show that this view has no basis in Scripture, and that the Scriptural doctrine is that God predestines to salvation unconditionally, from His own sovereign and free will. That is, man does not have the ability to choose God. It is completely up to God to decide who will be saved. First of all, however, I must lay some ground rules for our discussion.

In the study of mathematics, one must begin with what are called axioms. Order, for example. One precedes two, two precedes three, and so on. This must be true in order for the entire study of mathematics to make any sense at all. The same is true of theology. In Scripture, there are truths that are taken for granted by the Biblical authors. These truths are stated as fact and left to be believed. If we do not begin our study with these truths as our foundation, our beliefs become dubious and unstable. "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished." Exodus 34.6,7 Two primary truths we must understand are the love of God and the justice of God. In the New Testament we are given proof of God's love by Jesus' death on the cross (1 John 4.8,9). The justice of God is also proven on this cross. "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.'" Isaiah 55.8,9 The third truth we must accept before we go any further in our discussion is the unfathomable wisdom of God. When we understand these truths together, we come to the conclusion that the works of God are just, carried out in undying love, guided by infinite wisdom. I urge the reader to keep these truths in mind as we progress.

The Arminian view of predestination (name after Jacobus Arminius, a humanist) says God predestines to salvation those whom He foreknows will believe in Him by virtue of their own free will. In other words, God knows that Person A will choose to believe in Christ in the future, so God therefore predestines this person to salvation. Person A is able to accept or reject Christ, and if and when he decides to believe, God chooses him. There is a serious problem with this view of human nature. Paul the apostle has this to say about the nature of fallen man: "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Romans 8.5-8 Fallen man cannot please God, and therefore cannot believe in God, since pleasing God requires believing in Him (Hebrews 11.6). From this passage one should clearly understand that man in his unregenerate state not only will not, but cannot choose God. Let us examine another passage: "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest…For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2.1, 2, 8, 9 This passage speaks of us being dead in our trespasses and sins before we came to Christ. How can a dead man come alive? Only God can give life to the dead (Romans 4.17). Jesus describes fallen man as a slave to sin (John 8.34). This directly contradicts the idea of free will. Man cannot both be free and a slave.

So now we understand that man cannot choose God. Arminius knew the Scriptural view of the nature of man, and proposed a solution in order to salvage his theory. He proposed that God enables men to override their tendency toward sin and choose Him. In this way man is free, for now he can choose for or against God. Unfortunately, this position is lacking in Scriptural support1. The only way man has hope of ascending to heaven is by the will of God. Somebody has to decide who goes to heaven. The heart of man is so corrupt that he can and will not choose to go there. God desires our fellowship, so he must be the one who decides, otherwise, everyone goes to hell.

God's Election of the Saints is an extremely positive and glorious idea. God chooses His people for a purpose always. We can be assured that if we are children of God, then He has a purpose for us. Read what Jesus says to His disciples:" You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that you whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. John 15.16 His disciples were chosen, first of all, to bear fruit that would remain. They would accomplish things on earth that would endure for all eternity, and they have. The Bride of Christ is proof. Second of all, they were chosen to have a very intimate relationship with the Father2. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1.5 "God...had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, [He] was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him to the Gentiles." Galatians 1.15,16 It is an immense and gracious blessing to be chosen by God. We are chosen by God to bring light to the rest of those who are chosen by God.

The number 666 is commonly interpreted to signify the best that man can do, seven being the number of God3. In studying the Bible we have to beware of the trap of relying on human wisdom alone. If an idea makes sense, it is not necessarily true. It makes sense that the wicked suffer and the righteous live in happiness, but this is not always the case. To the human mind, the question "Why does a good God allow bad things to happen to good people?" does not have a simple, straight-forward, all-satisfying answer. It is the same with God's Election of the Saints. It makes sense to say that we have a free will that can choose or reject God. This is how we understand love. But this is human reasoning, with no foundation in the Word of God. It does not make sense to say that God chooses us, changes our will so that we desire Him, and appoints other living, breathing human beings to be objects of His wrath (Romans 9.14-23; 1 Peter 2.8). This does not only not make sense, it is a horrific idea to our imagination. But if we examine the Scriptures objectively, it is what we find to be true. I urge the reader to remind himself of the truths we discussed earlier. I also urge the reader to examine closely the nature of faith (Hebrews 11.1; Job 1; 2; 38-42), and of the life of faith (Romans 1.17; 4.18).

Notes

1. "The problem is that there is no clear and adequate basis in Scripture for this concept of universal enablement. The theory, appealing though it is in many ways, simply is not taught in the Bible." Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology.

2. Of course this is not exactly what the verse says. But prayer is not primarily about giving and receiving, it is about a relationship with God, and an evidence of intimacy with God is His response to our requests (1 John 5.14,15).

3. "Probably the best interpretation is that the number six is one less than the perfect number seven, and the threefold repetition of the six would indicate that for all their pretentions to deity, Satan and the two beasts were just creatures and not the Creator. That six is man's number is illustrated in many instances in the Bible, including the fact that man should work six days and rest the seventh." Bible Knowledge Commentary, comments on Revelation 13.18.

Questions and Answers

Q: If fallen man is so bad as you say, why does he do good things?

A: He does not do good things, because (1) These actions do not come from a good heart (Matthew 12.33-35; 15.19), (2) These actions are not done for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10.31), and (3) These actions are not done by faith in God (Romans 14.23). 1 John 2.29 says "everyone who ... practices righteousness is [equivalence relationship: practicing righteousness <=> born of God] born of [God]." Conversely, anyone not born of God does not practice righteousness.

Q: How can we be anything more than automatons if this doctrine is true?

A: An automaton is nothing more than a machine that receives input and responds appropriately. Anyone will tell you that he is no such machine. Fallen man does have a will, but his will is not free. He can make decisions. With regard to salvation and other moral choices, however, his will is so corrupt that he cannot choose righteousness. He is a slave to his sin. A slave has a will, but can only choose that which his master allows him to.

Q: How can a God who chooses men so arbitrarily be just?

A: The problem we have in answering this question is that God Himself has "failed" to answer it. The God Who Is is not held into account by man. The assumption this question makes is that the actions of God, i.e., the things God does, doesn't do, or allows, either prove or disprove His goodness and justice. This assumption is completely faulty, for much of the time the things we see God do and not do disprove the very things we profess to believe about God. Think of Job's story, and David's many laments in the psalms, and the suffering of the Israelites, and even the agony of Jesus Christ Himself. Before these could enjoy a full picture of God's eternal wisdom, they faltered, weakened, cried out for justice and questioned God terribly. The assumption must be that first and foremost God is love, God is good, and God is just. "God is loving and good and just, therefore the actions He makes on behalf of mankind are loving and good and just," not "God's actions on the behalf of men are loving and good and just, therefore He is loving and good and just."

Q: What about Joshua 24.15? Doesn't this verse prove that man does have free will? Why did he say that at all?

A: Joshua 24.15 says "Choose this day whom you will serve." This verse implies that man has free will. But an implication is not the same as a statement of fact. Statements of fact are stronger than implications. If we have an implication and a statement, the first implying one thing, and the second stating something contrary to the first, we will be on solid ground if we hold to the statement. I can tell a slave to choose where he will go for Christmas vacation, but this does not mean that he is able to go. Joshua may not have realized it, but he was issuing instruction for a future covenant: "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction." What was the end of their choosing? Without a godly leader (and where did the godly leaders come from?) the people chose death. Ps 53.3 Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.

Q: Why should we evangelize? What is the use if those chosen by God are going to be saved anyway? What difference does it make if I proclaim the Gospel?

A: To the person who asks this I say, "You try and stop evangelizing, and serving, and ministering to the lost. You who were created and called to do this, you try and quit." God has called us and put it in our hearts to do these things; we cannot live happily and not do these things. Again, it does not make sense that God commands us to do these things, and cause us to desire to do them, when He does the real work in bringing people to Himself—but this is what He has ordained.

Q: How are we to be held responsible if God is in control of everything anyway? Why should we do anything at all?

A: 1) We are commanded to. 2) We have been given gifts, abilities by God. We would be extremely unhappy if we sat around and did nothing the rest of our life. 3) Our relationship with God is about bringing glory to Him. This brings us happiness and satisfaction, and Him also. To not do these things is to lead an unhappy and pathetic life. But we are not accomplishing anything. No, not you. God accomplishes everything, therefore He receives all the glory. "I will not give my glory to another." Do you want to do nothing? Or do you desire to glorify God? Why ask why? Do you really believe God will reveal all to you? Or that He should?

Q: What is the use if God is sovereignly in control of all things and He foreordains everything? Why do anything? What’s the point?

A: The point is...

1. God is glorified far above all else

2. Man is brought lower than he ever dared dream. Insignificant, impotent

3. Though it is not necessary for us to do anything, because God does not need us to do anything (we are no longer obligated to "work"), we do God’s will because we love Him who chose us freely, when He was not obliged to, and we wish to bring Him glory. We do not act out of duty or necessity, but from a sincere heart of love.

The point is this is what grace is.

Q: Why evangelize at all?

A: Certainly not because God needs us to. God does not need us to say a word—Rom 10.18; Ps 19.4; Rom 1.19,20. They have all heard of God. God commands us to serve and minister and evangelize to give us purpose, to make our lives meaningful and worthwhile(?). He commands us to speak. He does not command us to ensuer the salvation of souls.

If we accomplish things in prayer, by us praying and God doing, what is God really doing? Responding to us. And what if we did not pray? What if no one prayed? Would no one be saved? Would God not work at all? There are many who pray, and many more who do not. Will God act on behalf of the people for whom the many who do not pray should be praying for? If God acts when we do not pray, why do we ever pray? Do we need to? Obviously not. If He needs us to pray before He can act, how can He call Himself sovereign? There must be something missing in Him that needs our prayers