Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry,
and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

Does God predestine events to occur?

Does He create some people who are predestined to become believers and go to heaven?

Does He also create some who are predestined to never become believers and therefore spend eternity in hell?

These are difficult questions for many because they do not understand what Scripture teaches us about the sovereignty of God.  As Calvin states in Institutes of the Christian Religion, III, XXI, 1 “If it is plain that it comes to pass by God’s bidding that salvation is freely offered to some while others are barred from access to it, at once great and difficult questions spring up…” These questions bring the very character of God into sharp focus.

As Calvin put it, some men “…think nothing more inconsistent than that out of the common multitude of men some should be predestined to salvation, others to destruction.” These people would accuse God of being inconsistent in His dealings with men. They accuse God of not being truthful or holy. 

The question of predestination or foreknowledge.

Others believe that God looks down the long corridor of history and “foresees” those who will believe in Him. He then saves those who will turn to Him. Calvin states in III, XXII, 1, Many “…persons consider that God distinguishes among men according as he foresees what the merits of each will be. Therefore, he adopts as sons those whom he foreknows will (be worthy) of his grace; he appoints to the damnation of death those whose dispositions he discerns will be inclined to evil intentions and ungodliness.”

 What such people need to understand is that if God foresees what the person will do, and saves on that basis, then salvation is not of grace, but of works. In this case, the salvation of God is dependent upon the work of the person. Scripture is very clear, however, that salvation is the free gift of God. It is never based on any of our works. In fact, Ephesians 2:10 testifies that “…we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (emphasis added). The good works that we do as Christians are works that God has prepared for us to do.

Scripture is consistent in its claim that it is God who chooses who will be saved and who will not. Ephesians 1:4 teaches that God “…chose us in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” In other words, we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world by God’s electing love. We were not chosen on the basis of what we had done. God chose us before we had done anything. Indeed, He chose us for the purpose of being holy and blameless. We were chosen “for good works” (Eph. 2:10) and that we should be “holy and blameless” (Eph. 1:4). Holiness is the purpose of our election to salvation by God.

Calvin states “…if he chose us that we should be holy, he did not choose us because he foresaw that we would be so. For these two notions disagree: that the godly have their holiness from election, and that they arrive at election by reason of works.” What Calvin is saying is that either we are godly because we have been elected or we are elected because we are holy. These are mutually exclusive positions. In the first condition, we are holy because God has chosen us to be so and salvation is then by grace. In the second condition, God chooses us because we are holy and salvation is then based upon our works.

The case of Jacob and Esau is very instructive in regard to the question before us. The Apostle Paul encountered the same question in the church at Rome. He writes in his letter to that church, “…Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God’s purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “the older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but esau i hated.” (Romans 9:10-13).

Notice what God teaches us through Paul. God did not hate Esau because of his wickedness or unbelief. Esau had not yet done “anything good or bad.” God’s electing love of Jacob and His hatred of Esau was not based on what they had done. His relationship to each of them was not based on what they would do in the future. It was based solely on the merciful choice of God. Paul specifically states that the choice was “not because of works…” either present or future.

Jesus is also very clear that His choice of those who will serve Him is not according to anything they have done. In John 15:16, Jesus tells the Apostles, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…” His choice of the Apostles was not based on what they would do in the future by choosing to follow Him. He clearly says the Apostles did not choose Him. His choice of them was not according to His foreknowledge that they would eventually choose to serve Him. It was only according to His gracious choice.

 The question of predestination to damnation (Reprobation).

Most people in the Christian world do not have a real problem with predestination. They are delighted to think that God chose them in love, before the foundation of the world to take their place with Him in heaven. What the majority of people actually have a problem with is the doctrine of reprobation — the predestination of some to eternal damnation. Many believe that a loving God would never intentionally condemn anyone to hell. But if God chooses those whom He will save, then those whom He passes over are surely condemned.

Calvin writes, “…those whom God passes over, he condemns; and this he does for no other reason than that he wills to exclude them from the inheritance which he predestinates for his own children.” (Institutes, III, XXIII, 1).

As the Creator, God decides who will be created for what purpose. His Word in Romans 9:22-24 teaches us that primary principle of the faith. “What if God…endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?…in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory…us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.” Paul also reminds us that it is God who decides who will be saved. “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires (Romans 9:18).

Some people have great difficulty with this doctrine. They ask, “How can a loving God create some people for destruction? Why does He create something that He is only going to destroy? That is not fair!”

 We have no right to question the Creator’s choice!

What these people fail to realize is that, as creatures, we have no right to question how God made us or for what purpose we have been created.

The Apostle Paul dealt very succinctly with these questions in his letter to the church at Rome.  He wrote, “…who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?”

As creatures, we simply do not have the right to question God at this point. However, for the sake of learning more about God’s incredibly righteous plan, let us deal with the question briefly.

 Why does God will some to destruction?

Let us first remember that God’s will is the cause for all things. Nothing happens that God is not in control of. Romans 8:28 teaches us, “…God causes all thing to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are call according to His purpose.” What we need to understand at this point is that everything God does is by definition GOOD. Everything that God does is by definition RIGHTEOUS. Calvin puts it this way, “For God’s will is so much the highest rule of righteousness that whatever he wills, by the very fact that he wills it, must be considered righteous. When therefore, one asks why God has so done, we must reply: because he has willed it. But if you proceed further to ask why he so willed, you are seeking something greater and higher than God’s will, which cannot be found.”

What Calvin is reminding us is that when we seek some cause or why for God’s actions — other than His perfect righteousness — we are really seeking a cause greater than God. There is no cause greater than God. He can not be held accountable to our definition of fairness or to any standard other than His own righteousness.

 Predestination is a great comfort.

Rather than look at the negative side of predestination, reprobation, Christians should focus on the positive aspects of the doctrine. Romans 8:29, 30 is one of the great passages of the Bible which teach the fact of God’s mercy to us in salvation. It states, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

As Christians, we can focus on the fact that God predestined us to adoption as His sons, to be conformed to the image of His Son. Those whom He predestined, He also called to Himself, to become Christians. Those whom He called, He also justified. He made us righteous and perfect in His sight. Finally, those whom He justified, He also glorified.

Notice that all the verbs in this great passage are past tense. It has already happened by God’s grace. Though we must wait through the travails of this life to see glory, in God’s merciful plan, we are already in glory with Him. There is no possibility that those whom He has predestined will not be in heaven. He has willed it. It is certain. Rather than questioning the righteousness of God in choosing how He will use those whom He has created, let us rejoice in His merciful choice of us, miserable sinners, to be vessels of honor used for His righteous purposes.