Predestination or Free Will Part Two

The Calvinist doctrine of total depravity states that it is God who changes the hearts of some from rebellion to willing obedience, and that man has absolutely no part in this. One person is saved and another condemned not because of anything in them, but only at the will of God. It states that God completely and at His will accomplishes the salvation (justification) of certain sinners, as well as ensures their sanctification. 

The term ‘total’ in this context refers to sin affecting every part of a person, not necessarily that a person is as evil as possible. This definition has general support, even from those opposed to other points of this doctrine. While proof texts can be found in support of total depravity and predestination, there are other texts which refute this doctrine. 

There are two camps of interpretation, generally in total opposition to each other. Yet we know that Scripture, interpreted properly, can never contradict itself. The imbalances are in our own interpretations. 

Going back to the very beginning, we read in Genesis 1:28 that God blessed man and in Genesis 1:31, pronounced all creation, including mankind as the rulers of it, as not just good, but very good. There was no defect in all of creation. 

‘Very good’ means that at that point there was no ‘sin nature' in man (Genesis 2:25). This may be because man was created not being aware of evil (Genesis 3:22 and Romans 7:8-9). In perfect creation, mankind was allowed the choice of either obeying or disobeying God’s law. They were warned that disobedience would result in certain death (Genesis 2:17). Their eyes were not opened to evil (Genesis 3:5). 

God did not create humans with only the option of obeying; He allowed them choice, even knowing in advance how they would choose. He did not make them choose to disobey. Neither did He make them so they would naturally default to disobey. From the information clearly given, we see that He gave them free will to choose to obey or disobey, and that at the time they received that free will, they were without any defect. 

The parents of all humankind chose to disobey the law God gave them (Genesis 2:17) and act according to their own understanding (Genesis 3:6), bringing the curse of death (separation from Life) not only on them and the generations to come, but placing the creation over which they ruled in bondage as well (Romans 8:20-22). All the rest of humankind followed suit (Genesis 6:5).


In His mercy, God did not allow sin’s consequences to result in immediate death, though decay and the breakdown in relationship between God and man, and man and creation began immediately (Genesis 3:7, 17-20). God revealed His promise to them in Genesis 3:15 and until that time came to pass, protected them (Genesis 3:22-24) Though humankind retained the ability to choose either to resist the sin nature and walk with God (Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham) by far the great majority did not. In general, for humankind, every inclination and thought of their heart was evil, all the time (Genesis 6:5, 8:21). While this was the majority, it was clearly not everyone. 

If a man ‘walked with God’, trusting in Him and His ways and obeying His commands, God accepted his trust (and the resulting obedience), as righteousness. It seems implied in Scripture that even though such men as Enoch and Elijah were taken directly to heaven, this was based not on their attaining perfection before God in their own actions, but rather in their faith, perhaps taken together with the imputed righteousness of Messiah, to come to pass in its time. They were then justified before God through the future blood of Yeshua, and sanctified through their faith, which bore the 'fruit' of right responses in action. 

Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 

Genesis 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Psalm 106:30-31 But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was checked. This was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come. 

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.
 
James 2:22-24 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
 
There is no Biblical evidence that God wills and causes people to obey Him. On the other hand, there is specific evidence that God hardened the hearts of men (Exodus 9:12; 10:1, 20 and more, Deuteronomy 2:30), leading to judgment. The stubbornness of Pharaoh and Sihon was clearly described as having come from a direct act of God, in order that His glory might be shown. 

John 12:40 describes God hardening the hearts of those who willfully and persistently commit evil, who have proven themselves unrepentant. In judgment, He hardens them so they are unable to ‘see’ and repent. See also Isaiah 6:10 and Matthew 13:14. In the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13) the tares never turn into wheat, they remain tares. 

No man can come to the Father unless the Father first draws him. Without that draw, we remain dead in our sins (Romans 4:17 and Ephesians 2:1). So it ALL, ALWAYS, begins with God. How can a dead man choose anything? 

But He draws us, through the spirit of Messiah (John 12:32), and once again gives us that choice that Adam and Eve were given. Will we obey Him or follow our own understanding? There is no Scripture evidence that God ever removed, or caused to be removed, that ability to obey that He originally put into humankind, once He first draws us. 

We can know that He does not draw only some and not others, for He clearly states it is not His will for ANY to perish (Ezekiel 18:23, 32, Ezekiel 33:11, 1 Timothy 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9) but instead to turn and repent, and live. It is implicitly understood (meaning there is no direct evidence to say otherwise) that man CAN (is able to) obey God and respond to His draw, but in the vast majority, he chooses not to. It is this response of obedience or rejection that man is ultimately judged for. 

While nothing on heaven or earth can separate us (against our will) or snatch us away from the love of Yeshua (John 10:28 and Romans 8:35-39), there is no evidence that we cannot walk away willingly, grieving the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:10) through our rebellion. 

Judas Iscariot came to Yeshua willingly and believed. Since we are given evidence that the other disciples were called, it is implicit that Judas was too. There is no evidence that Messiah ever separated Judas from Himself (John 6:39; 17:12-13; 18:9). Yet Judas was lost, and that was foreknown. We also see that Ananias and Sapphira disobeyed and received judgment immediately (Acts 5) also Demas walked away from trust in God, and his position as fellow worker with the apostle Paul, back to trust in worldly things (2 Timothy 4:9-11, see also Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 1:24). 

Paul told Timothy (2 Timothy 3:15-17) that everything he needed to know for salvation (being made right with God through God’s act) and sanctification (our response of a holy life) were to be found in the Torah. There was no ‘New Testament’ in their day; he was speaking of the Old Testament. It is also written in Psalm 102:18, Romans 4:23-24, Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:4-13 that the things in Scripture (Old Testament) were written for our benefit. 

Hebrews 11 speaks at length of God’s calling and what our response is to be, using many examples from Scripture. In the deliverance from Egypt, 600,000 men plus women, children and a mixed multitude (Exodus 12:37-38) were delivered from bondage into freedom. Yet ultimately only two (Joshua and Caleb) entered the Promised Land. 

From this account and many others similar to it, we understand that while many will be called (redeemed, freed from bondage), only a remnant will actually receive the promise, and this based on their response. This is a common theme in Scripture. 

We see the New Testament bearing witness to this with Yeshua's words in Matthew 7:13-14, that many (He spoke of the Israelites, the redeemed people) would be on the road to destruction, and few (the remnant), those who were on the hard road, would FIND the narrow gate that leads to life. The entire chapter of Matthew 7 speaks of our choice, and the results. We also read in Matthew 22:14 that many are called, but few are chosen. 

We also see the New Testament showing us that Messiah died for the sins of ALL men (Romans 5:12,18, Romans 8:32, 2 Corinthians 5:15, 1 Timothy 2:6, Hebrews 2:9, 1 John 2:2); that his blood is sufficient to cover the sins of anyone. John 12:32 promises that Messiah will draw ALL men to himself. But it is clear that not all will respond. Only those who were foreknown would respond. 

That foreknowledge does not mean that God makes us believe. It means He knows ahead of time who would respond (Romans 8:29). It is to those that the promise of life and the assurance of help are given. This is promised in Deuteronomy 7:9 and confirmed in the New Testament.
In the coronation of Solomon (1 Chronicles 28 specifically verse 9) we see God warning that IF Solomon does not respond rightly to God, THEN he will be ‘cast off forever’. 1 Kings 8:28-61 gives the request of Solomon to God on behalf of the people, with God answering in 2 Chronicles 7:12-16. Again we see an ‘if, then’ situation. The response of the people mattered to God. And it was His choice to make it so. 

Israel was not chosen by God on their own merit (Deuteronomy 7 especially 6-7), but they received the benefit of God’s promise to their forefather Abraham. God promises to bless a thousand generations of the one who obeys Him. 

It is God who initiates the process of our redemption by His drawing all men unto Himself through Messiah (John 6:44 and 12:32). Even the very faith that is needed to respond is available only as His gift (Romans 5:2, Ephesians 2:8-9). It is our right response to accept the gift, and submit to live in obedience to it. It is He alone Who is able to make us holy, as and if we are willing to respond to His Word in humility and obedience. We take Messiah’s yoke upon us (Mathew 11:28-30) and work together with him. 

The written Word, which is the message of the Word made flesh (John 1:14), is able to give us understanding (through the Spirit) about salvation and sanctification (2 Timothy 3:15) as we commit to read and obey it. The first of the commandments is to hear (listen to) and obey God (Deuteronomy 6:3-4) this is cited by Yeshua in Mark 12:29-30 as the most important command.
Just as God offers the gift of salvation through Messiah, He can also refuse to offer it. That is His right as Giver. He can harden the hearts of those who reject Him, or those He chooses. But evidence in Scripture tells us that is the exception, not the rule. In His grace, he is patient, not wanting anyone to come to destruction, but to repent and come to life (2 Peter 3:9). 

In conclusion, this free will of man needs to be understood in its boundaries. And it is very limited. It begins and ends with God; it is only available because of Him. There is nothing we can add to our salvation. Our ability to respond is given by God. Our only part is to accept this grace and to submit to live in it. The ability to become sanctified after being saved is also given by Him, as we submit to the work He does in us. We are to ‘work out our salvation with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12) always remaining in His grace (Acts 11:23) and empowered by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-16).