I find it astonishing that anyone who knows God would subscribe to a
doctrine of predestination. But this is precisely what Paul does in his
epistles. He maintains God predestines some people to salvation and
others to condemnation: “God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy,
and he hardens whom he wants to harden.” (Rom. 9:18). I beg, most
sincerely, to disagree.
God is not capricious or unjust. Abraham asks: “Shall not the Judge
of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen. 18:25). Of course, he
will. Therefore, predestination must be anathema to him. Indeed, Paul
soon contradicts his own thesis.
While insisting God hardens those he wants to harden; he goes on to
say in the same epistle: “God has consigned all men to disobedience,
that he may have mercy upon all.” (Rom. 11: 32). But if God would have
mercy on all, why then would he harden anybody? If he would have mercy
on all, it cannot be said at the same time that he would only have mercy
on so-me. This kind of contradiction does not come by the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit. (II Tim. 3:16).
Esau and Jacob
Paul fabricates scripture in support of his fla-wed theory. He says
while Rebecca was still pregnant, God had already chosen Jacob in
preference to Esau: “For the children not yet being born, nor having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works but of Him who calls, it was said to her, ‘The
older shall serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I have loved,
but Esau I have hated.’” (Rom. 9:11-13).
This is not true. Nowhere in the scriptures is it written that God
loved Jacob and hated Esau before they were born. In order to give this
false impression, Paul combines Moses with Malachi. According to Moses,
the Lord said to Rebecca while she was still pregnant: “Two NATIONS are
in your womb, two PEOPLES shall be separated from your body; one people
shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the
younger.” (Gen. 25:23).
There is absolutely nothing here to suggest God loved Jacob and hated
Esau before they were born. But over 1,000 years later, Malachi looks
back and reports God as saying: “Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have
hated.” (Mal. 1:2-3). However, it is clear that Malachi’s “Jacob” and
“Esau” are not individuals but PEOPLES. “Esau” refers to the
descendants of Esau; while “Jacob” refers to the descendants of
Jacob. Thus, Malachi calls Esau: “the people against whom the LORD will
have indignation forever.” (Mal. 1:4).
Malachi says God has loved the people of Jacob and has hated the
people of Esau. The individuals were not loved and hated from the womb
as Paul would have us believe. The peoples were loved and hated because
God had seen their works for over 1,000 years. Indeed, for a long time,
“Esau” was favoured and blessed of the Lord. God even gave Mount Seir
to his descendants. (Deut. 2:4-5).
A bankrupt doctrine
Predestination has no place in Jesus’ doctrine. Nowhere does Jesus say
God saves by a selection he makes before we are born. Instead, he says
salvation is by works: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall
enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in
heaven.” (Matt. 7:21). Jesus says to Jewish religious leaders: “A man
had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in
my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he
regretted it and went.
Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and
said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of
his father?” They said to Him, ‘The first.’ Jesus then replied:
‘Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the
kingdom of God before you.’” (Matt. 21:28-31).
This means salvation is contingent upon our freewill action. It has
nothing to do with predestination. Tax-collectors and harlots will enter
the kingdom of God before the pastors because the former repent of
their sins while the latter become sinners. What Jesus gives here is a
prophecy, which should not be confused with predestination. The
prophecy says: “The last (tax-collectors) will be first and the first
(pastors) last.” (Matt. 20:16). Adam and Eve were not predestined to eat
the forbidden fruit. They did so of their own free will.
Measure for measure
God is impartial. Jesus says: “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on
the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matt.
5:45). Peter, who learnt at the feet of Jesus, echoes this, affirming
that: “God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him
and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” (Acts 10:34-35). As far as
salvation is concerned, Jesus maintains we only receive from God what we
deserve. He says in the kingdom of God: “With the same measure you use,
it will be measured to you.” (Mark 4:24).
Thus, Jesus enjoins us: “Forgive anyone you are holding a grudge
against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins
too.”(Mark 11:25). He also says in his beatitudes: “Blessed are the
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matt. 5:7). The merciful obtain
mercy because they are merciful and not because of predestination.
Paul’s fallacy
Paul says some people are created for salvation while others are created
for damnation. Anticipating that some would question the injustice
here, Paul goes into pre-emptive overdrive. He asks: “Who are you to
reply against God?” But Paul is not God. He then asks: “What if God,
wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that
He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy,
which He had prepared beforehand for glory?’” (Rom. 9:22-23).
However, if salvation were by gratuitous predestination, Jesus’
ministry would have been a complete waste of ti-me. Jesus says: “I have
not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Luke 5:32)
But what would be the point if, according to Paul, there are vessels of
wrath already prepared beforehand for destruction; and vessels of mercy
prepared beforehand for glory? What is the point of preaching the
gospel to Jews if, according to Paul, “all Israel will be saved” in any
case? (Rom. 11:26).
Jesus’ salvation
Jesus says: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws
him.” (John 6: 44). This is often used in support of predestination,
forgetting that Jesus then says: “I, if I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all peoples to myself.” (John 12:32) Since Christ was lifted
up on the cross, this means he draws all men to himself. However, most
refuse to be drawn.
Paul says: “Whom (God) predestined, these He also called; whom He
called, these He also justified.” (Rom. 8:30) But Jesus disagrees. He
says: “Many are called but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:14). Definitely,
God would not bother to call those he had predetermined not to choose.
On the contrary, Jesus’ position shows God does not choose anybody
beforehand; otherwise he would automatically choose whoever he
calls. Judas was called but he was ultimately not chosen. Jesus’ major
principle of salvation says: “Whoever desires to save his life will lose
it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matt. 16:25)
The conditionality makes it up to us, and not up to God, whether we are
heirs of salvation.
In effect, Paul’s predestination doctrine is a fallacy inclined to
make Christians fatalistic and complacent. Beware. This can lead to
condemnation.
By Femi Aribisala
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