Free will vs. Predestination

How much of what happens in the world is pre-ordained by God? How much free will do humans have? Does God simply know what decisions we will make? Or are we pre-programmed to make those decisions? Many great theologians have debated this topic. You can find all sorts of research online about this. It’s important to understand that both sides of this debate agree on the salvific work of Jesus Christ. It is in Him and through Him that we have found life. The disagreement comes in how much God has pre-selected individual people who would or would not be saved? Here are three things to help unpack this conversation with your teenagers…

Corporate Predestination vs. Individual Predestination

Predestination is the divine foreordaining of all that will happen, especially with regard to the salvation of some and not others. The Bible is clear that predestination is at work in the world. The question is to what extent? We would contend that corporate predestination is a tool God uses. For example, Jesus predestined in Matthew 16:18 that the, “Gates of hades will not overcome” the Church or Peter’s confession on which it stands. Jesus decided that Hell won’t win. There’s no free will that can be exerted to change what Jesus decided. Or Mark 16:16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” Jesus decided that the group of people that believe and are baptized will be saved. We would contend that Jesus did not decide who would believe, but rather that “whoever” believes and is baptized would be saved. Therefore, God is not pre-electing or pre-ordaining individual human’s decisions, but there are things He’s written in stone that the free will of humans can’t change because of His sovereignty.

What is free will?

Free will is the basic principle that humans can make decisions for themselves. Imagine the characters in a video game. They only do what the controller tells them to do. The character in the game does not have free will. But the person holding the controller does. Those who believe in individual predestination would argue that you are more like the character in the game than you are like the person holding the controller. While the Bible does not directly talk about “free will” we see countless examples of people’s decisions changing the course of their lives. We also see God reacting in anger or frustration towards the wickedness of His creation. How could He be frustrated or angry if He was the one that decided they would be wicked? As a whole the Bible seems clear that our decisions matter. That our choices matter.

How can God know everything, but not be deciding everything?

It’s not all that different than a parent knowing what decision their child will make, but also not forcing them to make that decision. If parents can know their kids that well, how much more would God know those He’s created. If we were robots, how would that bring glory to God? It is our free-will that allows us to choose Jesus that is at the heart of God’s creation. He never forced us to love Him but rejoices when we turn to Him (Luke 15:7).

Summary: Corporate predestination is a tool God uses to advance His mission, but we have free will to choose to be a part of the family and mission of God. God did not decide in advance who would be saved, but rather that whoever believes in Jesus would be saved.

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