Question for Christians ? Do you believe in predestination ?

Question

Do you believe that God chooses who is saved and who is damned from the beginning, or is salvation a choice open to everyone ?

I have heard that these two opposing doctrines are called Calvinism (pre-destination) and Arminianism.

Also, I have heard some peopel describe Calvinism as God just knowing beforehand who will accept salvation and who will not, and I have seen pretty heated debates on that aspect alone.

So which is it ? Salvation by acceptance of Jesus Christ as your personal salvation, or a gift for the elect only ? (and NOTHING anyone can do, will change what God ordained before any of us were even born)

Answer 1

I think that it is a choice. God wills all to be saved, but we have free will. God knows who will choose.

Answer 2

If you don't look at man as damaged, you have to make God weak. Most people prefer it this way, I can't figure out why. You would think that this school of thought would have disappeared a long, long time ago and credit given to God as being the better, more logical view. I haven't seen it though, Calvinism is a minority view nowadays.

Your premise that Calvinism is "God just knowing beforehand who will accept salvation" is not correct. Yes, God knows, but it's not rocket science. We are born into sin, guilty from the start, due to our federal representation under Adam and having long since lost the ability to have fellowship with God. It takes an intervention exterior to ourselves, we cannot change our own nature. This "exterior force" is of course God, who can not only change our hearts, but can do so at any time he wishes, and the Bible says exactly what he has done so. He has chosen his own before the foundations of the world were laid.

This puts the power of "choice" where it rightfully belongs, in God's hands, not ours. If you want to claim freedom of any decisions at all, claim the ability to do anything that drives you away from God, only the Holy Spirit working inside your heart will provide that struggle that Christians have and atheists don't.

Or, just claim free will as a "gift" and deal with all the logical difficulties that result -- or just deny them as many people do, calling it a mystery or affirming both omniscience and free will without a second thought as to the implications of that kind of thinking.

Answer 3

this is a lose-lose any way you look at it. notwithstanding if unfastened-will existed, this is an extremely very susceptible stress. Our strikes and judgements have been put in place by utilising the previous activities. If circumstances were a fragment of a fragment diverse, then we would have made a diverse determination. this suggests we've an extremely constrained sphere of administration over who we are, or what we do. With this in techniques, predestination could make respectable experience--different than that God creates souls knowingly to deliver to hell. does not look that merciful and loving. on the different hand, God isn't omniscient or prescient. God -can not- see the destiny, or comprehend which direction humanity will take. that could desire to certainly be a strike against an all-useful, all understanding writer. the extra beneficial assumption is that there is not any Hell. There can not be if God is conscious each and every thing and is merely and righteous, while you evaluate that could desire to propose that he created billions of souls to torture for eternity, understanding completely properly that they have got been going there. the appropriate assumption is that God does not exist as you think of of him.

Answer 4

Yes I do, because its in the Bible.

"Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy... having PREDESTINED us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His His will" Ephesians. 1:4-5

"For those God foreknew he also PREDESTINED to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, …and those he PREDESTINED, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." Romans 8:29-30

“Predestination is the doctrine that God alone chooses (elects) who is saved. He makes His choice independent of any quality or condition in sinful man. He does not look into a person and recognize something good nor does He look into the future to see who would choose Him. He elects people to salvation purely on the basis of His good pleasure. Those not elected are not saved. He does this because He is sovereign. He has the right to elect some to salvation and let all the rest go their natural way: to hell. This is predestination."

Answer 5

This is a very interesting question.

I believe it is a little bit of both.

GOD gave us free will. However, GOD knows how this book we call "existance" reads from the beginning to the end.

I believe that GOD knows us so well that HE knows what choices we will make before we make them. Choosing salvation is up to us. HE knows what we'll do.

However, it does make you wonder if free will is only an illusion. I don't want to second guess GOD or anything, but if free will is real and GOD knows how everything is going to play out despite that, is it truly free will?

Answer 6

Yes it is entirely biblical. There are SO many verses that point to predestination ( Romans 8 and 9 and Ephesians 1-2 and not to mention Jesus even speaking about it in the gospels)
See God is in control yes? Always has been right? Jesus says that we cannot come to him unless the Father draws us ( John 6:44)
God has so draw us, which means God is the one who chooses us- Jesus also says this, that we did not choose Him but he chose us. God is the one who deserves ALL the glory- man has NO glory in salvation, for he did not do anything, it is not a work- it is a free gift that God gives to those whom He has chosen. Those whom God has not chosen, yes many people have said it is because He knew they would be hard at heart, therefore he hardened their hearts at one point on--- because they would never receive Him anyway, for God knows ALL things yes? When you truly think about this- and it is not hard to realize yes God is in control and knows who are His and who are not His, and has predestined many to come to Him. He created everything- He created us! So therefore He created us knowing FULL well who we would be, because He created us that way....it was HIS creation.
Romans 9 is good when it says "Who are we to answer back to God? What right does the clay have to say to the potter, why have you made me like this?"

Answer 7

Both: Salvation is still our choice, but God is omnipotent.Yes, he clearly knows all things. He knew that lucifer would betray him in Heaven and that he would create havoc in the Garden of Eden.God provided a plan to save man inspite of Man's failures. He loves us.

John 3:16

Answer 8

I believe and the bible teaches that Salvation by acceptance of Jesus Christ as your personal Savior is the only way. He doesn't predestine anybody for Heaven or Hell.

Answer 9

The bible says that, before the foundations of the world were even laid, God chose us to be found holy and righteous in His son. That means God knows who will be His. We do not have omniscience, so we don't know ahead of time who will be saved and who will not. That knowledge, however, does not absolve a person of the responsibility of saying "yes" to Jesus as savior. That is, at judgment, saying, "well I wasn't predestined to be saved, so why are you holding me accountable" isn't going to fly.

Answer 10

Calvinism and Armenianism are isms - man-made doctrines.

The bible says that God chooses us. Do we have any say in it?

A man chooses the woman he wants to marry. But she chooses whether or not to marry him.

God foreknew those who would believe, and them he called and predestinated to be conformed to the image of his dear son.

God is not willing that any should perish, and, working all things after the counsel of his own will, he saves those who come to him by faith.