Predestination
Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the "paradox of free will", whereby God's omniscience seems incompatible with human free will. Freewill may be at the core of God's gift of love to man and His Divine hope for man to choose to love Him back.
Predestination as a doctrine in Calvinism deals with the question of the control that God exercises over the world. In the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith, God "freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass."
"This terrible doctrine of predestination was taken up again in various forms at various ages by Cathars, Albigenses, Calvinists and Jansenists, and was also to play a curious part in the theological struggles of Kepler and Galileo."
One simple question should put to rest all the arguments that there is no free will and that is Why are we told about all the times in the Bible where we are given choices, warnings, and rebukes, none of which would be needed in a universe without choice.
Freewill offerings are mentioned dozens of time[1] which we are told were offered "willingly".[2]
We are told to choose and are given choices hundreds of times in the Bible.
- "choose you this day whom ye will serve;"
Every choice is not yours to make. You are only predestined based on those fundamental choices you make. You are supposed to choose to repent and seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, or you can "choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15 most people choose to serve those gods many,
Predestination as a theology seems to be constructed from the use of one word that appears in two places in the epistle to the Romans and Ephesians.
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 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.
Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will... 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
- ↑ 05071 ^הבדנ^ nᵉdabah \@ned-aw-baw’\@ NunDaletBeitHey from 05068 NunDaletBeit offer willingly; n f; {See TWOT on 1299 @@ "1299a"} AV-freewill offering 15, offerings 9, free offering 2, freely 2, willing offering 1, voluntary offering 1, plentiful 1, voluntarily 1, voluntary 1, willing 1, willingly 1; 26
- 1) voluntariness, free-will offering
- 1a) voluntariness
- 1b) freewill, voluntary, offering
- 1) voluntariness, free-will offering
- ↑ 05068 ^בדנ^ nadab \@naw-dab’\@ a primitive root BeitDaletNun; v; {See TWOT on 1299} AV-offered willingly 6, willingly offered 5, willing 2, offered 1, willing 1, offered freely 1, give willingly 1; 17
- 1) to incite, impel, make willing
- 1a) (Qal) to incite, impel
- 1b) (Hithpael)
- 1b1) to volunteer
- 1b2) to offer free-will offerings
- See also 05069 בדנ nᵉdab translated AV-freely offered, freewill offering, offering willingly, minded of their own freewill; defined
- 1) to incite, impel, make willing