Monday, April 13, 2009

Predestination of Free Will

After completing a few great Reformed theology courses at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada, other than getting the earful from the department about its North American rivalry with both the Knights of Calvin in Grand Rapids, Michigan with its track and field and the Defenders of Dordt in Sioux Center, Iowa with its football and baseball, the big issue was always the five complete points of Calvinism from the Canons of Dort, sometimes referred to by the acronym T.U.L.I.P. It would seem that some Calvinists of the Reformed faith believe the the limited atonement should be an unlimited kind, though unconditional election remains, as none can believe on their own, thus must be elected into faith in Christ. Many it would seem, coming into the 500th anniversary of the birth of the French born but Dutch adopted Reformer Jean Cauvin ou John Calvin soon, see predestination and free will as two separate entities, however, I think it truly is both through the free will of predestination or perhaps the predestination of free will.

I know this seems impossible, but if I can try and explain it, I believe God allows for both within His plan.

God is sovereign over all, including over His created, ordered and predestined world, humanity's creation and the cultural mandate, however with it, He gave His own humanity complete and total freedom of choice to do good and right or wrong and evil. Though He knows the big picture script, metanarrative or worldview by His ultimate determination, our small picture lives are still decided by us, as He knows what hardwiredwise we are going to do by His creation of us, therefore we do not really change things, as they were already going to be changed. In other words, the future will depend on what we do in the present, but the present was determined by what we did in the past, all within the sovereignty of the almighty God. Looking at the early church fathers, as Augustine answered, God, being Omniscient, made the future thus knew in advance the saved and the not, furthered by Luther's Salvation by Faith Alone not Good Works and extended by Calvin's belief that God, not only knew through grace, but decided what choice every person would make in his life, as people had no free choice or will. However, individual free will and choice must be allowed, for all of those, with their hearts known to God, to make their final choice by themselves. So, I hope that solves that mystery, as many have asked me what I thought on the issue, took awhile to get it out there, but just before exam week seems the right time now to speak on the issue.