The Age-Old Debate: Predestination VS Free Will

 

“For by grace you are save through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not form works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.”  Titus 2:11

 The Bible is clear; we are saved by grace through faith. We are not saved by our works; we cannot take any credit. There is no possible way for us to earn our salvation. Jesus is the ultimate gift of grace to us, we did nothing to deserve what He did for us on the cross, and yet He did it. He did it because He loves us. Because it was His will, equally, it was the Father’s will.

 So was it Jesus’ choice to die on the cross for us, or was it the Father’s plan and He did not have any say in it? I have struggled with the question of free will vs predestination for as long as I’ve been a believer, maybe longer, but today I finally feel like I have a satisfactory answer.

 I’ve always landed on the side of predestination because of verses like these and many more:

• ·       No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me.  John 6:44-45
• ·       A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, a God-fearing woman, listened to us. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying.  Acts 16:14
• ·       So Jesus added, "Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come."  John 6:65
• ·       For this reason they could not believe, because again Isaiah said, "He has blinded their eyes  and hardened their heart,  so that they would not see with their eyes  and understand with their heart,  and turn to me, and I would heal them."  John 12:39-40

 From old testament to new, many different earthly authors wrote about how it is God that draws us to Himself and we cannot come to Him apart from that. My husband always countered this by saying it makes us mindless automatons and God wants us to love Him and choose Him ourselves. I can see what he’s saying, but I can’t argue with what I read in the Bible. So where does that leave me? Confused for decades, that’s where. But this morning I was led to look into it once again by our verses and, to my joy and pleasure, here is what I found:

 

“…there can be a tension in our minds as we try to understand these two concepts. Does God choose me, or do I choose God? And the answer, as unsatisfying as it might sound, is “yes”. A person really believes in Christ, and that is an act of his will. He willingly comes to Jesus.

And yes, God predestined all who come to Jesus by faith.” (1)

 

As I began to read this article, I felt hope, but more than a little uncertainty. How can both be true?

 

“Genuine will – or human responsibility, and God’s divine sovereignty are friends, not foes. There is no “vs” between the two, and they need no reconciliation. They are difficult for our minds to reconcile, but that is owing to our finite limitations, not to any true tension.” (1)

 

 The article’s author postulates that the two can co-exist. God can draw us to Himself and we can choose Him. They are not, in fact, separate at all. We cannot choose God apart from His drawing us and He requires of us that we choose Him, He does not force Himself upon us.

 

“The real question theologians ask (or need to ask) isn’t whether a man’s will is genuine or whether God is sovereign. The real question is which is ultimate in salvation. Is God’s will or man’s will ultimate in salvation? And the answer to that question is clear: God’s will is ultimate, not man’s.

But how can God’s will be ultimate and our will still be genuine in the matter? I think the answer is that left alone, none of us would come to Jesus by faith. Because of our sin and depravity and spiritual deadness and fallen-ness, all of us would reject Jesus Christ. We wouldn’t see the gospel as compelling, or even see ourselves as helpless and in need of saving.

But God, in His grace – according to His sovereign will in election – intervenes. He doesn’t quash our will, He opens our eyes and thereby gives us new desires. By His grace we begin to see the gospel as our only hope, and Jesus as our savior. And so, we come to Jesus by faith, not against our will, but as an act of our will.

And in that process, God is ultimate. We ought to be very thankful that that is so!” (1)

 

Here’s the Thing: God, in His infinite mercy and grace, has predestined us before the beginning of time to be a part of His family. Our history, our family’s history, is a product of His grace and a part of His plan. He worked things perfectly together to allow us to be a part of His family. He cared about me enough to engineer time and space to open my eyes to His love for me. I can’t think of a more incredible act of love, factoring in that sending His Son to die for me was a part of that design. As a complete and total act of my own free will I can do nothing but respond in love and adoration for the One who loved me so very much!

(1) Chery, F., & Chery, F. (2024, September 5). Predestination Vs Free Will: Which is Biblical? (6 Facts). Bible Reasons | Bible Verses About Various Topics. https://biblereasons.com/predestination-vs-free-will/