Free Will Vs Predestination

Does God determine saved and unsaved before we are even born? Do we spend our lives living out some predetermined plan? Do we actually have any free will at all? Throughout history man has pondered these questions. There has been a long standing debate over free will versus predestination. Can free will and predestination coexist in the world?

John Calvin was a large part of spreading predestination doctrine. He came to this doctrine from the belief that God rules over everything that happens here on earth. He taught that even before we are born that God determines whether we will be a child of his or not. Predestination states that God determines who will be saved and unsaved. Let us look at the verses that seem to point to predestination.

Jeremiah would seem to be an example of predestination. Jeremiah 1:5, "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." This would seem to suggest that Jeremiah was predetermined to be a prophet. But, did Jeremiah have a choice whether or not to be a prophet?

Paul also would seem to state a predestined life. Galatians 1:15-16, “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased  to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood.” God knew that Paul would be one to obey him. God knew that his obedience would lead him to be an apostle. He even knew that it would lead him to be the one to present the gospel to the Gentiles.

Did God predestine every part of Paul’s life? Here in lies the real questions. Does God simply have the ability to know what we are going to do before we do it? Thus, using the choices we will make to plan how he can best use us. Or, does he decide what we are going to do and we have no choice at all in it?

Examining Paul’s life would answer these questions:

• Paul started life as Saul. He worked hard to persecute Christians. Acts 8:1-3, “Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.”
• He was even present at the stoning of Steven, the first martyr. Acts 7:58, “When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
• Paul required persuasion to turn him to the path God laid out for him. Acts 9:1-9, “Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3  As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4  and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" 5  And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6  but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do." 7  The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8  Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. 9  And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”

Paul always had a heart to do God’s will. However, he spent much of his life misguided. What he thought was God’s will was actually man’s misinterpretation of the scriptures. God provided the discipline to change Paul’s behavior. God knew that Paul had the abilities that he needed to preach his word. He only needed to show Paul how to use these abilities correctly.

It is clear that God has a plan for man. He chose to create us. Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."”

God chose Israel to be his chosen people. Abram, later named Abraham, was so faithful to God that he gave him the land of Canaan. Genesis 12:7, “The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.” Why would God give a gift to someone for their faithfulness? If predestination was in then they have no choice but be faithful.

God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only begotten son. God knew that Abraham would follow his will. Yet, when Abraham did follow God’s will then God rewarded him for it. Genesis 22:15-17, “Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,   indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.” Again, why reward someone that has no choice but to obey you?

Throughout the bible, God rewards those who do his will. Hebrews 11:5, “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.” If you predetermine that your child is going to be a doctor, he has no choice in the matter, then why reward him for passing medical school?

Abraham’s was justified by his faith. Hebrews 11:8, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” If we are predestined to either follow God or not then why would faith matter? Is God simply a heavenly being that likes to play with his creation? He predetermines who is going to go to heaven but still expects faith and obedience. What would be the point of this?

God does know what is going to happen. In Noah’s case, God saw that the people were turning increasingly wicked. He knew that he was going to destroy the earth. Yet, through Noah, he gave them a way to save themselves. Hebrews 11:7, “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” If God had already predestined that only Noah would be saved then why give them another chance?

God does make plans for man. God planned to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Ephesians 1:3-6, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5  He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6  to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

He made a plan for his son to die on the cross. Throughout the Old Testament, prophecies pointed to the coming of Jesus and his death on the cross. Jesus himself even Luke 24:25-27, “And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26  "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" 27  Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”

Jesus knew what was going to happen to him. Matthew 16:21, “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”

He made a plan available to us that we might turn away from sin. God’s plan begins with us hearing the gospel. That is why Christians were given the great commission. We must then believe what we have heard and repent.  Mark 1:15  and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." We must be baptized. Mark 16:16, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

God made a plan to discipline us to improve our spiritual health. Hebrews 12:11, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Here we are told that discipline with train us. If our fate is already sealed then why do we need discipline. Wouldn’t predestination mean that we are not in control at all. We can just move through our lives. Predestination would mean we are waiting to win some spiritual lottery.

God judges us based on our deeds. Ezekiel 18:30, "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct," declares the Lord GOD. "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.” Even when God sees our wickedness and must discipline us, he does not take joy in it.

Jeremiah 26:3, “Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.”

God does not plan for anyone to disobey him. In fact, we see that his will is just the opposite. God does not want anyone to be lost. Not even one sheep in the flock is an acceptable loss. Matthew 18:12-14, "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? 13  "If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 14  "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.”

“So it is not the will of your father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” (Matthew 18:14) Why would God decide who is going to heaven and hell, before we are born, then state that he does not want anyone to perish? If it is his will that no one perishes and he predestines this then why not just predestine for everyone to be saved?

God does not take pleasure in anyone being disobedient. Ezekiel 18:32, "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live." If God cares for us so then why would he create people who are predestined to disobey him? Either God cares so little that he predestines people to hell or we live with free will to choose God or not.

While it is not his will God even speaks of those who “fall away”. Hebrews 6:4-6, “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5  and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6  and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

God does have a plan for our lives. This should be comforting to each and every one of us. God does not want us to be on our own. God wants to provide us with the resources and opportunities to carry out his will. This does not mean that he will make us carry out his will. We still have to personally choose whether or not to follow his will.

If God has predestined whether or not we are saved then why give us the bible at all? Why provide us with a way to choose him? Why send his son to die on the cross? None of these actions would make any sense. However, there is a second scenario. God has the power to know the future. He is able to know the choices that every person will make. Based on these choices he plans events to give us the tools we need. This does not mean that he predetermines what will happen. This simply means God sets in motion the framework. We are still left to live our lives within this framework. We can choose to turn to God and fulfill his plan for us. We also can choose to turn our back on him.

Note: All verses are taken from the New American Standard Bible.