Predestination and Free Will - Part 2
Objections to Determinism
We are currently in a series of discussions examining one of the age-old questions in Christianity.. pre-destination versus free will. Last month, we looked at
the beliefs of those who emphasize the predetermination of man by God - a philosophy known as "hard determinism". (If you missed any of our previous
issues, you can read them online at http://www.comereason.org/newsletters )
This month, I'd like to study some of the objections that have been raised to the hard determinist stance. As we said before, hard determinists believe man has
no choice in whether he will respond to God's choosing him. In fact, since God wills everything that happens, the idea of man acting completely on his own is not
taught in the Bible. God foreordains all things and they must come about because of His decree.
James White gives us an example of this ideology. In his book The Potter's Freedom he writes, "The conjunction of God's absolute freedom and his
Creatorship results in the doctrine of God's decrees: the soul-comforting truth that God has wisely and perfectly decreed whatsoever comes to pass in this
universe."1 White continues .."God's freedom extends to the actions of men, even to their choices."2
The Problem of Fatalism
One of the most cited problems with the view that it is God's sovereign decree that governs all of man's choices is that of fatalism. If God is the one who is
making man choose this way or that, then should man really be responsible for acting on his choices? Are they truly choices at all? Indeed, if God is decreeing that
a man will choose a certain way, then that man does not have it in his power to choose otherwise. If there are no options but one, there really isn't a
choice at all; man is merely acting out a pattern preordained in God's play.
This means that it is God, not man who is the one exercising choice and therefore He holds the responsibility. But this causes us problems when we read that God
holds everyone accountable for their choices. John 3:18 states "He who believes in Him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because
he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."
The idea of God's foreordination of all man's acts becomes especially difficult when looking at Adam and Eve before the fall. If Adam was sinless before the
fall, then it could not be by God's decree that Adam sinned - and it couldn't be because of Adam's fallen nature since he didn't have one yet. This would make God
the cause of Adam's fall and not Adam's free choice.
The Problem of Prayer
Another problem we run into when discussing determinism is that of prayer. If God foreordains everything, then how do we classify prayer? Are prayers "mere
showpieces scripted by God"?3 If the events are solely predetermined by God before the beginning of the
world, then it follows that prayers aren't efficacious. They are exercises in piety, maybe, but they cannot be said to have any determining effect on God's choices
- since those choices have already been made. However, the Bible says "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." (James 5:16)
In fact, there are several places in the Bile where the choices of men seem to have a direct bearing on God's actions. One such example is Acts 27:10-32. There
we read that Paul warns those sailing him to Rome that their ship faces a severe loss. They set sail anyway and come against a severe storm. Paul promises the
shipmen twice that "there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship" (vs. 22). However, in verse 31 Paul admonishes the crew that their
lives would be spared only if all remain on the ship. It seems that the choices of the men are the determining factor in whether the crew lives or dies.
The Problem of Evil
One last problem I'd like to highlight is the problem of evil. If God has predetermined all the choices of men, then it surely follows that He determines the
evil choices. Even if, as some assert, men are so desperately wicked that it is impossible to make any choice that is pleasing to God. James White again states
"Subjection to God's law is outside the capacity of fallen man."4
Even in this instance, man is relegated to doing only evil since that's all he can do. If God creates men and women with only the ability to do evil, then it is
god who would be responsible for their evil actions - since there is no way for them to deviate from these actions. This makes God the author of evil, which
contradicts James 1:13 that states "God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone."
Determining Versus Ordaining
So, we see that relying on God's ordination of everything leads to several problems. Some would be led, then to believe that God chooses not to choose everything
that comes to pass. Some even go so far as to believe that God chooses not to know some things so that He can give humans a truly free choice. Next month, we'll
look at the indeterminists beliefs. We will then study objections to that position and offer a third alternative - molinism. I pray God will bless you until then. |
