Predestination

Is God Responsible?
By D. Allen

Many have asked, why is there pain and death in a world created by a perfect loving all-powerful all-knowing God? Many have conclude that God created some for eternal life and some for destruction -Predestination. Since God created everything and knew what His creatures would do beforehand is He responsible for sin?

There are two ideas on how God predicts the future. The view held dramatically effect how we understand the subject of Predestination and the character of God.

The first view is called the mechanical model. If someone flips a coin in the air it is theoretically possible to predict whither it will land with the "head" up or down, if you know a "few" fact. Some of these facts or variables would be upward acceleration, velocity of rotation, gravity, weight of the coin, point of impact, rotation of the earth, etc.. In this model God therefore knows the future because He knows everything including the biochemistry of the brain, environmental factor, actions of others around, Satan's actions, His actions and the countless billions of variable involved in every decision God's creatures make. It is an infinitely complex puzzle but God is infinitely smart and can do it. In the mechanical model God predicts the future.

The second view is called the time model. God is eternal. God was before every created thing. This view does not bind God in time. Time is a creation of God. ( We can not comprehend this truth, but neither can an evolutionist explain where the matter for the "Big Bang" came from.) In the time model God knows the future.

In the mechanical model the creatures destiny is set and predictable because of the way it is made and the environment it is in. In contrast in the time model the creature has a free will to choose right or wrong. His destiny is not set or predictable. Without His foreknowledge God could not predict everyone's choice. This free will is the ultimate creations of God.

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did foreknowledge to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Rom 8:29,30
Paul here see foreknowledge as different from predestination. Predestination is God's plan. There is no eternal plan (predestination) for those who God foreknew would reject His love. There is only a empty spot in the mind of God - what might have been. There is a temporary plan (predestination) for the wicked, the Pharaoh in Moses time is an example.
"For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." Rom 9:17,18

God did not create some to be lost and some to be saved. He created all with the ability and freedom to choose salvation. He has done every thing possible to bring all to salvation and eternal life except one thing - force. He protects our free will , our freedom to choose.

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." Titus 2:11
All are given the opportunity of salvation.

"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." 1 Tim 2:3+4
It is God's will for all to be saved. The only thing that can prevent this is a foolish choice.

" For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." 1 Tim 2:5+6 "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." John 1:9 Jesus died for all not just the ones that God foreknow.

"And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." Gal 3:8
God is not a uninvolved bystander but a active participate in the effort to save man. He is free to use His foreknowledge to save man, but will not interfere with our freedom of choice. God persuades mankind with love not force.

"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."
"Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." 2 Tim 1:9 Acts 2:23
God foresaw the disaster of wrong choices and created a plan of rescue for all who would choose rescue.

Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Conclusions
1. God has a plan for his universe. He is a active participant.
2. God knows the future because He is the creator of time and is not bound in time therefore can see the future. He does not know the future because He created being who are predictable if all the biochemistry and variables are known.
3. God eternal plan (Predestination) is for all to be saved and He is working with all His might to obtain this Goal.
4. Gods supreme act in creation is to create beings (angels, mankind etc) with a free will. Their free will is not under the control of the Creator.
5. God saw the future (he was/is not locked in time). He knew that sin would take the life of His Son. He desired for His creatures to have this higher level of existent (free will) and chose not to remove freedom from the universe, but to give His only Son for us.
6. The existence of sin is proof either of the existence of free will and falseness of the idea of predetermination of salvation or it demonstrates a flawed creation.

For further discussion on predestination - See article by Erwin R. Gane.