Predestination

 Predestination

By Richard P. Joseph

I am not a Calvinist scholar but am familiar with the Calvinist view called predestination.  John Calvin’s interpretation of scripture led him to form the predestination model in that God predetermines our salvation status completely.   This includes sending babies to hell if they are not among the elect.  Some people get around this doctrine by eliminating hell as a heretical teaching altogether thus the condemned souls just “perish” instead of forgoing eternal punishment.  While I still hold to some sort of eternal punishment, I cannot prove one side or the other necessarily at this point.  I also know some who hold to the view that there is neither heaven or hell, which would make Calvinism even more palatable.  In this article, I will attempt to present a third option.

All conscientious scholarly preterists hold to the hermeneutic of “Context is King”.  I have heard many preterist teachers make that statement and then in the next breath promote Calvinism.  I have recently read over Romans 9-11 with the goal of establishing a context and what I found changes everything.  These three chapters ( and many more) are concerned mainly with the mystery of the gospel wherein some of the original branches of the olive tree will be pruned off and replaced with wild olive branches.  In 9:6 Paul declares that “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel”.  Paul is clearly making a distinction between the true believers and the unbelievers.  Once faith is established as the avenue for salvation, the Jew-Gentile scenario becomes of no effect.  This is the mystery of the gospel.  It is this interaction that became a major issue for the first century church as the Judaizers were a constant plague to Paul.  Everywhere Paul traveled, the Judaizers were close behind causing havoc on the newly established churches.   As Paul was establishing a “faith” based salvation, the Judaizers were undermining him by teaching a “law” based salvation.  That is why Paul wrote in Romans 9:32-33  Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, [e]by the works of the law.  

Paul continues with this Jew-Gentile context throughout these three chapters and much more.  It is as if the predestination question has something to do with the idea that the gentiles were predestined to enter in as brothers in Christ through faith, not through works, through belief, not through the law.  Those that were prepared for destruction appear to be the “unbelievers”, both Jew and gentile.  Pharaoh's salvation wasn’t what was predetermined, it was his actions against the Israelites.  It is a false narrative that has permeated the pulpit that Pharaoh was predetermined to be an unbeliever; that was his choice.  He was used and hardened against the sons of Israel to show God’s power to the world.  I am convinced that if you reread Romans and pay close attention to the context, you may very well come up with a new perspective on predestination.  John Calvin was not a preterist and, though very smart, he perhaps did not pay close enough attention to context.  If he did, he would have become a preterist!

I therefore do not fully accept that God determines the salvation status of people exclusively.  We must respond to his call by faith and not by works.  He calls and he alone provides the salvation but we must accept or reject his free gift.  I don’t believe anyone should blame God for their own stiff neck.  If you go to hell, you asked for it.  Jesus paid the price and does the calling.  If you are of faith then God will open your ears to hear the words of the Good Shepherd and you will be saved.  

And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. [a]But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.  Just as it is written:

“God has given them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes that they should not see
And ears that they should not hear,
To this very day.”    Romans 11;6-8