Such is the dilemma. So does free will trump predestination? Or does God's predestination trump human free will?
And now: FreeWill stands up again to step into the ring - Predestination then stands up, and we realize that he's about two feet taller... Predestination enters the ring, and the round begins... Have at it boys!!!
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Alright, let's start with the fact that predestination is a given. God chooses our destinies. Let us take that at face value. We do not have power or control over our eternal destiny. That has to do with power and not will; we can wish for whatever destiny we want; I'm sure Hilter didn't want to be condemned to hell, but he didn't have the power to enforce that desire. God chooses what our eternal destinies will be: whether heaven or hell.
So far there is no conflict between will and destiny.
One chooses to wave, and God has chosen he goes to hell.
Another chooses to jump, and God has chosen that he goes to heaven.
They both co-exist peacefully.
We determine our choices.
He determines our destiny.
Or conversely:
He determines our destiny.
We determine our choices.
Still no conflict.
Getting in deeper now...
We determine whether to believe on Christ.
[Pause: Perhaps humans by themselves will freely never believe on Christ, just like God freely will never sin. That is not the debate. The debate is, if humans could freely determine to believe, would that conflict with predestination? The question right now is "do humans have free will," but rather "would human free will conflict with God's predestination?]
He determines whether to save those who believe.
Or conversely:
He determines the eternity destiny of those who He specifically knows will determine to believe.
We determine whether to believe on Christ.
Still no conflict.
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And now an often-asked question: Wouldn't that mean that we determine our destiny?
Well, for the moment, let's assume that there is a one to one correlation between our free choice to trust Christ as Savior, and our eternal destiny being heaven.
Every time A happens, B happens. That proves correlation. It does not prove causality. A person could say "every time A happens, B happens. Therefore, A causes B!" But that is known as the logical fallacy entitled "post hoc ergo propter hoc." (Seriously - look it up) Generally the fallacy states "After this, therefore because of this," but according to my book, "The Fallacy Detective," "this fallacy is also being commited when someone says that since A and B are seen together, one must have caused the other." So basically, if a person says because predestination happened first, it must have caused the later choice, that person would be using the "post hoc ergo propter hoc" fallacy. Or if a person says that since every time a person believes, they are saved, the believe must have caused the salvation, that person would also have been using the "post hoc ergo propter hoc" fallacy.
The answer to the question is: God determines our destinies in a way that makes Him happy:
If God has promised to save those who believe, it is not that He is miserably tied to a promise. No. Rather, it means that God wants to save those who believe, and that is why He made that commitment. He determined to make that promise. Secondly, He freely determines whether or not to keep that promise. God did not have to dictate this one to one correlation of belief and salvation. He could have been like the big blue guy from "Watchmen:"
"...the world will look up and shout "save us" and I'll whisper 'no'"
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God freely chooses who to predestine.
He can choose based on any condition, or lack thereof, that He likes. He could look throughout all of time for those that He feels like predestining. He can see those who will choose to ask Him for help, without causing them to ask Him for help. He can see those who will spit in His face, without causing them to spit in His face. He can determine the fate of each, according to His good pleasure. If He wanted to send villains to heaven, and condemn to hell those who believe in Christ - He could!
To answer the questions put forward at the start:
So, if God chose ahead of time where we would end up eternally, then how do we have any control over that? We do not have control over where we spend eternity.
Even more so, if everyone who believes on Christ is promised eternal life, then are the non-elect unable to believe? The non-elect are not those who are unable to believe, but those who God knows WILL NOT believe.
How is that freedom? It is freedom because they determined their choice.
On the other hand, if everyone is able to believe, then would God break His promise to save those who believe?
God saves those who believe, and the non-elect will never choose to believe. He will not break His promise.
Then would He change the pre-determined destinies?
Why would He change anything after the fact? He knew what would happen before He predestined them the first time!
He will not change what He has predestined.
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Let me say again that in this blog, I am not trying to prove that the world works this way.
I am only trying to say that it could work this way. I am not trying to prove that predestination and free will co-exist, but merely that it is possible that they could both exist and not contradict each other. We could freely determine our own actions, and another Being could, be able to look into the future, see what each person will choose and be like, and determine their destinies according to how it pleases Him.
FreeWill and Predestination shake hands, leave the ring, and sit down together as brothers...
Be Here For Round 3!!!
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