Understanding Predestination: Sovereignty, Grace, and Salvation

"I'm sure you're all aware of the fact that it's a maxim in the United States, a law of our national heritage that we never discuss religion and politics. But any time two Americans sit down and have a discussion, it inevitably leads to matters of religion and politics. And any time that there's a discussion on religion, sooner or later, and most often it's sooner, the discussion focuses on some element of the doctrine of predestination. It's one of those things that mystifies us, and at the same time it stimulates our minds and the bewilderment that we experience in the face of the concept of predestination, sometimes will encourage us to dig more deeply into theology, and it's just one of those subjects that generates a lot of interest and discussion, and also controversy." [00:00:06]

"It's a dangerous subject because the more we study it, the tendency it has to raise more questions than it answers. And I'm convinced that of all of the doctrines that we struggle with in Christendom, there's none that is more shrouded in misunderstanding and confusion than the doctrine of predestination. So that in itself calls for a certain kind of sober caution as we approach this subject. And I would add to the theologian's warning of caution, that I think it's also a doctrine that requires us an extra measure of charity as we struggle with it, and that we need to be patient with each other and with those who differ from us in our views of this particular question. Because I said there is a lot at stake here, and feelings can run very high when we discuss the matter of predestination, and we ought to be careful to manifest the fruit of God's Word." [00:01:53]

"It may come as a surprise to some of you that every church that I know of historically, every denomination that I'm aware of historically that has formulated a doctrinal statement of sorts has formulated some doctrine of predestination. There is a Roman Catholic doctrine of predestination, there is a Lutheran doctrine of predestination, there's a Presbyterian doctrine of predestination, there's a Methodist doctrine of predestination, and so on. So we need to get that clear at the beginning that there are many, many different doctrines of predestination. So there's no such thing as the doctrine of predestination, although I suspect that when people boil it down to one, usually what they have in mind is what doctrine of predestination." [00:04:43]

"The reason why so many different denominations and different churches have doctrines of predestination is because the Bible speaks about predestination. And all Christians who take the Bible seriously are therefore led to taking the concept of predestination seriously, because it's a concept and a word that we find in the New Testament. Let's just take a moment and let me read a couple of passages to refresh your memory that introduce this idea of predestination to us. I'm reading now from the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, where Paul in his opening greeting says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the kind intention of His will." [00:06:29]

"Augustine stressed the absolute dependence of the fallen sinner upon the grace of God for that sinner's salvation and really repudiated Pelagianism as an early form of sheer humanism. And Pelagianism was seen not merely as a subdivision of Christian thought, but really as sub-Christian in its thought, that is, not even worthy of being considered Christian. Now, when I say there are three basic trains of thought that have come down through the church historically, I agree with this setup here. I didn't invent this designation, but I agree. I agree with it. These are the three major generic types of theology that have influenced church history. And I see Pelagianism as the father of liberalism, Socinianism that came in the 16th century, liberalism in the 19th century." [00:11:06]

"The arguments between semi-Pelagianism and Augustinianism, semi-Pelagianism says that man cannot be saved apart from the grace of God. But there is something man must do, even in his still-fallen state, to cooperate with and assent to that grace of God before God will save him. That is to say, he can't be saved apart from grace, but it is left for man in the final analysis to either cooperate with God's grace or reject God's grace, and that becomes the convincing point. And that is the point of whether or not a person is saved or not saved." [00:12:49]

"Augustinianism says that man is so seriously fallen that he is totally dependent upon the grace of God, even for his initial response to the gospel, even for the very cooperating and assenting to the gospel of Christ in the first place. And so you can see at the outset that the debate has its roots in the question of man's ability to save. Man's ability to respond to the gospel in his fallen state. And I would say, as we enter into any discussion of predestination, that lurking always behind the scenes of discussions on predestination is this fundamental debate right here between the semi-Pelagians and the Augustinians. And I also need to warn you at the outset that I am persuaded of the Augustinian view of predestination." [00:13:37]

"And I will be setting forth the Augustinian view of predestination in these seminars. I will be trying to explain it, to clarify misunderstandings that I think abound concerning it. And I will try to respond to objections that are brought to it from semi-Pelagian brothers and sisters, and try to convince you and persuade you that the Augustinian view of predestination is the Pauline view and consequently the Biblical view and therefore a right one. But of course, not everybody believes that. Not everybody agrees with that. And I think again, we have to be honest at the outset and recognize that some tremendously important Christian leaders who have had an enormous influence for good in the Kingdom of God have not espoused the view that I will be setting forth in this seminar." [00:14:45]

"Now, remember now, we're going to be honest and fair and above board about all this. Now, if you would ask me this question, R.C., who do you think are the five greatest theologians that ever lived? Okay. I would have no difficulty identifying the five greatest theologians that ever lived. They would be Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and Edwards. And I'll tell you what, they're way ahead of the next five, whoever they may be. Now, as biased as that may be, I think there would be some... I think it's safe to say that if we asked any hundred theologians from any different denominations who the greatest ten theologians were in history, at least 98 out of that hundred would mention these five in the ten." [00:19:13]

"And if they all agree, I would say, on espousing the Augustinian view of predestination, does that mean that the Augustinian view of predestination is the correct one? Absolutely not, because these five men disagreed on many things, and though they agree on the essence of this particular matter, there is no guarantee that their views individually or collectively are the first. We carry no brief for the infallibility of human tradition, or for the infallibility of Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, none of that, or even all of them together. But I'll say this, when those five agree on something, it gets my attention." [00:20:05]

"Now when we're talking about the doctrine of predestination, we are not talking specifically about questions of whether or not God directly caused an automobile accident to take place, or if you were determined in advance to be sitting in the chair in which you are sitting right now. The doctrine of predestination is concerned specifically with the question of our ultimate destination. There are only two destinations open to us as human beings. Ultimately, they are heaven and hell. That is, to be in a state of salvation or to be in a state of damnation. And predestination proper is concerned not with those daily questions of whether or not I dropped this chalk on the floor, if that was predestined. That would fall under the theological heading of providence." [00:25:28]

"Predestination has to do with God's involvement in the ultimate outcome of our lives. Now, this may strike you as strange. But both Augustinians and semi-Pelagians agree that predestination is something that God does. Predestination has to do with God's choice regarding salvation. God's choice regarding the salvation of people. And this may also surprise you that both sides agree that God makes that choice about our ultimate destination before we are even born. Indeed, at the foundation of the world, as we just read in Ephesians, that God chose certain people. At the foundation of the world. At the foundation, before the foundation of the world." [00:26:55]