# Questions to Explore Predestination and Free Will
1. How do you reconcile the idea of a sovereign God (Psalm 139:16, Proverbs 16:9) with human free will (Joshua 24:15, Romans 2:6-8)? Do you think one takes precedence over the other, or is there a balance between the two?
Reconciling God’s Sovereignty and Human Free Will
The Bible presents both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man as parallel truths. God created man as a free moral agent, He tested it, but with Satan's deceitful and subtle attacks, they failed and suffered the consequences. Jesus, solved the problem by His promised payment for man's sin. Man as a person will always have the totality of the will, emotions, and knowledge like God, in His image.
God’s Sovereignty is evident in verses like Psalm 139:16, which shows God’s foreknowledge of our days, and Proverbs 16:9, which says, “A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.”
Human Free Will is also clearly emphasized. Joshua 24:15 calls people to choose whom they will serve, and Romans 2:6-8 affirms that God will render to every man according to his deeds.
Rather than one truth canceling the other, they seem to work in harmony. God, in His omniscience, knows all choices we will make, but this foreknowledge does not negate our ability to choose. Theologians often describe this as compatibilism—the idea that divine sovereignty and human responsibility are compatible and coexisting truths.
So, is there a balance? Yes, but it's a divine mystery—God is fully in control, yet He allows real human decisions with real consequences. A helpful analogy is a master author writing a story where characters have meaningful choices, yet the author knows the end from the beginning.
Has God from eternity past foreordained all things that come to pass?
If the Lord directs the steps of a man, is this not proof that he is being controlled or governed by God? ‘A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’(Proverbs 16:9,1,33). ‘The King’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water:
he turneth it whithersoever he will.’ (Proverbs 21:1). Calvinists think that God has foreordained every thought, word, deed and motive of all people in history.
Note: When Calvinists see the words ‘preparations’, ‘answers’ (Proverbs 16:1), ‘steps’ (Prov. 16:4), ‘goings’ (Prov. 20:24), ‘judgments’ (Prov. 29:26), they see this as proof that God has foreordained all things. ‘The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.’ Prov. 16:1.
Does God foreordain the following answers, steps, goings and judgments?
a)What if a man prepared (Prov.16:1) to commit murder & rape? Did God foreordain this? Of course not.
b)What if a man’s answer (Proverbs 16:1) was blasphemous and filthy?
c)Was the answer of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:25) from the Lord?
d)What about the steps (Proverbs 16:9) of a man as he steals or viciously beats innocent victims?
e)What about a man’s goings (Proverbs 20:24) into a pub or brothel?
f)What if a man judged (Proverbs 29:26) that sodomy and incest were OK? Did God ordain these? No!
That God does not foreordain these events contradicts and disproves the Calvinists’ claim of God’s all-encompassing, eternal, sovereign decree. Paul asks: ‘Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.’ (Romans 9:14).
2. If God has already determined the course of events (Isaiah 46:10, Ephesians 1:11), what's the purpose of human effort and decision-making (Proverbs 16:3, Philippians 2:12-13)? Is it still meaningful to make choices and take actions?
If God Has Already Determined Events, Is Human Effort Still Meaningful?
Isaiah 46:10 declares that God knows “the end from the beginning,” and Ephesians 1:11 says He “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” These affirm that God has a divine plan and nothing catches Him by surprise. Yet, this doesn’t make human choices meaningless.
Proverbs 16:3 encourages us to “commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Philippians 2:12-13 also reveals a dual truth: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” because “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
This shows a divine partnership. God is sovereign, but He invites us into active participation in His will. Human effort matters—not because it overrides God’s will—but because God uses our choices as part of His plan. Our obedience, faith, and decisions are the means through which God's purposes unfold in the world.
In short, human effort is not meaningless but divinely significant. Our decisions matter because they reflect our relationship with God, shape our character, and impact others. While God ordains the ultimate outcome, He honors the process of our willing cooperation.
How do we explain Proverbs 16:4, another pillar of Calvinist reprobation?
“The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.”
This verse discusses the use God makes of his creation, not the decisions he makes for them.
Calvinists think that God made certain men wicked to fulfil the “counsel of his own will.” (Eph.1:11).
Since God does all his pleasure (Isaiah 46:10), and has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), then he could not have created a man wicked to show his power by damning him.
If God sovereignly make man to think and do things, Why make a man obedient to do evil, and make him suffer because he obeyed?
Note: God has made all men the same in the sense of, “He fashioneth their hearts alike” Psalm 33:13-15.
Key:Although God does not make a man wicked, he makes the wicked serve his own glory & purposes.
“Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee…” (Psalm 76:10).
What does the Bible say we are predestined to? Answer: a) Son-placing in heaven: ‘Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children (Greek:
huiothesia = son placing) by Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.’ (Ephesians 1:5).
b) Praise his glory: ‘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: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.’ (Ephesians 1:11,12).
c) Conformed to the image of his Son in heaven: ‘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. 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.’ (Romans 8:29,30).
Notice how these verses refute the Calvinist position:
a) Predestination is never called a decree of God;
b) Predestination is never said to take place before the foundation of the world;
c) No-one is said to be predestined to salvation;
d) No-one is said to be predestined to hell, condemnation, judgment or everlasting death;
e) None of these verses mention predestination of angels.
Conclusion: Hence, what the Bible says about predestination is irreconcilable with what Calvinists say about it. Predestination only concerns our destiny as Christians.
3. How do you understand passages that suggest a universal desire for salvation (1 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9) alongside others that speak of a chosen or elect group (Romans 8:29-30, Ephesians 1:4-5)? Do you think this desire is conditional or unconditional?
How Can God Desire All to Be Saved, Yet Choose an Elect?
1 Timothy 2:3-4 says God “will have all men to be saved”, and 2 Peter 3:9 affirms He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” These clearly show God’s heart for all people—His desire is universal, extending to every individual.
On the other hand, Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:4-5 speak of those whom God foreknew, predestinated, called, justified, and glorified—His “elect” whom He chose “before the foundation of the world.”
So how do we reconcile this?
One way to understand it is by recognizing the difference between God’s will of desire (or compassion) and God’s will of purpose (or decree):
God's desire is that all be saved—this reflects His love, mercy, and the value He places on human freedom.
God's purpose includes the choosing of certain individuals to fulfill His plan—this reflects His sovereignty and foreknowledge.
God elect ISRAEL.
Isa 45:4: "4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me."
Israel was decreed to be where Jesus Christ lineage will pass, and be born as decreed, that is God's will of purpose, but it does not mean Israelites cannot not choose whom to serve, believe, and be saved.
Israel has lost sheep, rejected the Messiah, and Jesus, prioritize them with the limited commission before He launched the Great Commission.
Mat 10:6: "6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Mat 15:24: "24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Mat 23:37: "37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"
ELECTION IS NOT SALVATION, IT IS A PURPOSE OF GOD FOR ISRAEL AS THE LINEAGE OF THE SAVIOR.
Is the desire for salvation conditional or unconditional?
It depends on how you define “desire”:
If we're talking about God's love and invitation, it's unconditional—offered freely to all through the gospel.
But receiving salvation is conditional—based on repentance and faith in Christ (John 3:16-18). Those who believe are saved; those who reject remain condemned.
Ultimately, both truths exist in harmony:
God genuinely desires all to be saved (universal call).
God sovereignly works through an elect people (specific fulfillment).
Rather than a contradiction, it’s a beautiful mystery of divine mercy and justice woven together.
Election Not to salvation, but to Godly living.
God chooses and elects every Christian to holiness and Godliness in this life. God predestines that every Christian will be conformed to the image of Christ in heaven.
Romans 8:29.
“he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, THAT we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” Ephesians 1:4.
“Having predestinated us…to the praise of the glory of his grace…” Ephesians 1:5,6.
“The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, THAT thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.” Acts 22:14.
God chose Paul to know God’s will for his life. God chooses that we should know His will for our lives.
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people:
THAT ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9.
Here God chooses us to praise him by our life.
“I have chosen you out of the world.” John 15:19.
Here Christ chooses us to come out of the worldly way of living of unbelievers. The Greek word for church is “ekklesia” meaning “called out of the world to live for God.”
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to to confound the things which are mighty; and God hath chosen the base things of the world, yea and the things which are not to bring to nought the things that are: THAT no flesh should glory in his presence.” 1 Corinthians 1:27-29.
Here God chooses foolish, weak and base things of this world to bring to nought the things that are, so that no flesh should glory in God’s presence.
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son…” Romans 8:29. Here God foreknew who would receive Christ as Saviour, and those people he predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ in heaven.
Of Israel, not to salvation, but to Serve God, bring Christ into the world, preserve the Scriptures, and proclaim to the world the truth of One Almighty Creator God.
- “As concerning the gospel, they (Israel) are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the Father’s sakes.” Romans 11:28.
- “at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” Romans 11:5,7.
Those of Israel who became Christians, did so because of faith and God’s foreknowledge.
(1 Peter 1:2).
4. Can you explain how God's will or plan interacts with human decision-making (Proverbs 19:21, Philippians 2:13)? Is it a collaborative process, or does one take precedence over the other?
How Does God’s Will Interact with Human Decision-Making?
Proverbs 19:21 says, “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.” This reminds us that while humans make plans, ultimately, God's purpose prevails.
Philippians 2:13 adds another layer: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Here, we see God working within human will and actions to fulfill His desires.
So, how does this interaction work?
It’s best described as a collaborative process—not in the sense that God needs our help, but that He chooses to work through our decisions, shaping us as participants in His plan. We make real choices, and God uses those choices (whether wise or foolish) to accomplish His greater purposes (Genesis 50:20 is a good example).
However, while it's collaborative in expression, God’s will takes ultimate precedence. He remains sovereign and is never surprised or frustrated by human actions. Yet, He invites us into partnership, where our choices have real significance and consequences.
This tension invites us to live responsibly, knowing that:
God is sovereign and His plan will succeed.
Our choices matter and are used by God to fulfill His will. Christians are disciplined and rewarded by how we respond.
5. How do you respond to the critique that a deterministic view of the universe can make God seem arbitrary or unloving (Romans 9:14-15, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14)? Are there ways to reconcile this tension?
Why does God give the new birth to people?
God gives the new birth to ‘as many as received him.’ John 1:12 .
Romans 9:16 ‘So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.’ Calvinists claim that man does not have the will to receive Christ and salvation.
Man does have the ability to receive Christ, while in a state of depravity.
- If ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine.’ (Romans 6:17).
- ‘Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.’ (John 5:40).
- ‘Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.’ (Revelation 22:7).
Key: The reason men don’t receive Christ is because they will not, not because they are unable.
Romans 9:13 ‘Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.’ Calvinists think Jacob was personally elected to salvation, and Esau was personally elected to eternal desolation (hell).
a) The purpose of God according to election (Romans 9:11) concerns service: ‘The elder shall serve the younger.’ (Romans 9:12). This teaches national preference, not election to salvation.
b) Genesis 25:23 ‘Two nations are in thy womb … the elder shall serve the younger.’ c) Romans 9:13 is quoted from Malachi 1:1-3, written 1400 years later: ‘Yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste.’ In Genesis we have a prophetic statement looking forward.
In Malachi we have a historical statement looking backward.
d) Calvin admits that this refers to Jacob’s and Esau’s posterity (Institutes, p 930, III, xxi,7).
e) God didn’t hate Esau personally in eternity past. God hated him nationally after seeing his sins for 1400 years.
e) Jesus loved the rich young ruler who rejected him. (Mark 10:22).
Romans 9:18 ‘Pharaoh … whom he will he hardeneth.’
Q: Were Pharaoh and Esau sovereignly hated from eternity? NO, because:
Answer:
a) God raised up Pharaoh from sickness of boils (Exodus 9:11-16) not into existence.
b) Q: When does God harden a persons heart? From eternity or after he hardens his own heart? Pharaoh hardened himself first. (Exodus 8:15,32; 9:34) ‘Pharaoh hardened his heart.’ God reinforced Pharaoh’s decision by hardening him later
The Critique: "God seems arbitrary or unloving"
In Romans 9:14-15 (KJV), Paul writes:
> “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
The Balancing Text: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 (KJV)
> “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel…”
Here we see:
Divine choice ("from the beginning chosen you")
Human response ("belief of the truth")
Means of calling ("by our gospel")
This shows that God's choice includes human responsibility and the instrumentality of the gospel.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 ‘God hath from the beginning (Gk: ap arche) chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.’ a) ‘from the beginning’ (ap arche as in Acts 26:4) is different from ‘from eternity’ (ap aionos as in Acts 15:18) as God did not choose the Thessalonians from eternity past, but from the beginning of when Paul left Philippi. ‘Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia …’ (Philippians 4:15,16). Paul defines ‘the beginning of the gospel’ as when he left Philippi to begin his departure from the province of Macedonia. God chose that the Thessalonians would hear the gospel from the beginning of Paul’s departure from Philippi (2 Thessalonians 2:13), when Christ gave Paul the Macedonian call in Acts 16:10 and 17:1-4 in 53 AD, and not by a sovereign decree in eternity past.
b) The conditions of God saving the Thessalonians are ‘sanctification of the Spirit (God’s part) and belief/obedience of the truth of Christ (man’s part).’
1 Peter 1:2 is a similar passage: ‘Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.’
Calvinists err saying that ‘from the beginning’ means ‘from before the beginning of the world’
In Calvinism the ‘elect’ are all put in Christ in eternity past, but in the Bible no-one is put in Christ until he is saved.
‘Salute Andronicus & Junia…who also were in Christ before me.’ Rom 16:7
3. Reconciliation: Sovereignty and Love are Not Opposed
To reconcile this:
a. God’s Choices Are Never Arbitrary
Romans 9 emphasizes God's mercy is His to give—not based on human merit but according to His purpose and character (Romans 9:11).
His will is rooted in His nature: perfectly just, perfectly loving, and perfectly wise. What appears arbitrary to us may simply reflect our limited view of His eternal wisdom.
b. Mercy Is Undeserved, Not Owed
Paul's argument in Romans 9 assumes that no one deserves mercy. The shock isn't that God doesn't save everyone—it’s that He saves anyone. If justice were the only measure, all would be condemned (Romans 3:10-12, 23).
c. God’s Love Is Evident in the Gospel Call
2 Thessalonians 2:14 shows that the call of the gospel is how God draws people to Himself. It's not mechanical determinism; it’s relational—rooted in love and truth. His choice includes a process involving sanctification and belief.
Ephesians 1:4. Calvinists use Ephesians 1:4 and II Thessalonians 2:13 to teach Unconditional Election to salvation in eternity past. ‘According as he hath chosen us in HIM before the foundation of the world, THAT we should be holy and without blame before him in love.’ (Ephesians 1:4).
We are chosen not to be saved, but THE SAVED IS to be holy and without blame.
b) Key: God chose that whoever was in Christ would be ‘blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places’ (v.3) and be ‘holy and without blame before him in love.’
4. Biblical and Pastoral Reflections
Mystery and Majesty: Romans 9 ends not with complete resolution but awe: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11:33). Sometimes tension points to God's majesty, not contradiction.
Evangelism Still Matters: God ordains both the ends and the means. He chooses to use preaching, witnessing, and prayer to bring people to Himself.
Comfort for Believers: Election isn’t meant to cause fear, but assurance. If God chose you in Christ, it’s because of His love and mercy, not your works (Ephesians 1:4-6).
John 3:18: "18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
HISTORY OF CALVINISM
Historical Background History reveals that "Calvinism" is not new. An early 5 th century British monk by the name of Pelagius, who denied the doctrine of "original sin", had taught that man possessed absolute "free will" whereby he could either choose or reject God. His historic opponent was the theologian, Augustine, who insisted that the scriptures taught that man was dead in trespasses and sins and in bondage to Satan. Man's will, said Augustine, was not in the least "free", and only when God gave His grace to man could man then choose to serve God. Augustine taught that man lost the ability to choose when Adam sinned and was cast out of the garden. Augustine's doctrines were accepted, but Pelagius was branded a heretic and excommunicated by the Catholic Church.
As time went by, the Catholic Church moved toward the doctrine of the "Sacraments" and central power of the church causing some to raise protests. During the late 15 th century, the issue was sharpened. Erasmus, the humanist and theologian of the Church of Rome, issued a "Diatribe" in which he protested sovereign grace and argued for man's free will to "make a decision" for Christ. This was countered by the volatile pen of the protestant reformer, Martin Luther, in his thesis on "The Bondage of the Human Will." Thus began the Protestant Reformation led by such men as Luther, Zwingli and Calvin.
These men were Catholics by training, but their independent Bible study led them to question or protest the practices of the Catholic Church and seek to reform it. About 1530 Calvin broke away from the Catholic Church, and in 1536 published his book, "Institutes of the Christian Religion". Throughout his life he developed and refined these thoughts, but this work served as a basis for what later came to be known as "Calvinism". In the latter part of 16 th century Calvin's doctrines were accepted as the official religion of Holland and published in the form of the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism. This doctrine was organized into the five points of Calvinism and endorsed by the Great Synod of Dort in 1619.
The five points or doctrinal positions of Calvinism were formulated by the Great Synod of Dort in reply to a document called "Remonstrance". This "protest" was presented to the State of Holland by the disciples of a Dutch seminary professor (Jacob Hermann) whose Latin surname was Arminius. Arminius (1560-1609) was only 4 years old when John Calvin (1509-1564) died. Although reared in the Reformed tradition, Arminius had serious doubts as to the sovereign grace of God, for his natural reason was sympathetic to the teachings of Pelagius and Erasmus concerning the free will of man. Within a year of the death of Arminius, his disciples formulated his teachings into five main points, which they proceeded to present to the State with the desire that the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism be replaced by the teachings of their professor.
The Great Synod of Dort was convened by the States-General in 1618 for the specific purpose of examining the Five Points of Arminianism in the light of the Holy Scripture. Eighty-four theologians and 18 secular commissioners were assembled for 154 sessions lasting from November 13, 1618 until May 9, 1619. After thorough examination of the doctrines of Arminius, carefully comparing his teachings with those of Holy Writ, the Synod determined that his views were heretical. The members of the Great Synod did not stop there, however, but carefully formulated a 5-point rebuttal from the scriptures that later became known as "The Five Points of Calvinism."
