I am also irritated by the debates of “foreknowledge” versus “predestination”. We totally depraved human beings-never perfected in our faith, only forgiven in it-are attempting to get our limited minds around the knowledge and action of God, the omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, unchanging, all-loving God. It never seems to occur to any of us mentally centered and omnisciently-challenged lovers of Jesus to consider the “both/neither” response.
The “knowledge and action” of God may well be indivisible. This combination of both exists at a level of perfection that is only mystery to the rest of us. To parse them like they were a legal technicality diminishes God and our faith in him. Just because we cannot get our brains around true free will in creation and true divine control of creation doesn’t limit God, just us. Perhaps we can describe another attribute of God as “omni-paradoxical”, in other words, because we don’t get it does not mean God don’t get it. Aren’t you happy to be picked?
-Peter Hofstra, Opiner
1 comment:
My understanding is that your negative take on predestination is really what is called "double" predestination. The Bible talks about some being predestined for salvation. But double predestination infers from this that therefore some others are predestined for perdition. This is in error because the Bible says no such thing.
While the tradition has wanted to say that God's will is to save, perfect, redeem creation, it has also always wanted to say that some manage to separate themselves from this will and doom themselves by their wanton violence.
Predestination is a good thing we should proclaim because it is about salvation and deliverance and liberation. It is not up to us to limit this decree.
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