Predestination and Free Will - Part 7
Advantages to Middle Knowledge
In our discussion of predestination and free will, we're
exploring an alterative view known a middle knowledge (See http://www.comereason.org/newsletters/jul02.htm
to read our last letter.) This month, we'll look at some of the
specific advantages the middle knowledge position holds in
difficult theological questions.
As you remember, middle knowledge is the idea that before God
created the world, He looked at all of the possible worlds He
could create and all the possible circumstances He could make
come to pass. His omnipotence also allows Him to know with
certainty what choices truly free people would choose in each of
those circumstances. God then chooses to create the one real
world and create us and our circumstances so that we would be
saved.
In this way, our choices are free - we have the power to
choose otherwise - but God in choosing us to exist at this time
in this particular world predestines us to salvation.
Because middle knowledge holds that God's plan and our free
actions are compatible, it also offers an interesting
perspective on other issues that have raised difficulty for
Christians.
God Seemingly Responsible for Evil
One of the questions I had received on the web site dealt
with the seeming contradiction of 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles
21. The latter passage states that Satan tempted David to sin
while the former passage says God's anger incited David. Which
is it? From the middle knowledge perspective, both can be true.
God would have known that the people of Israel were sinning and
He would have known that David would have been susceptible to
temptation from the Devil at that time. He further knew that if
He allowed these events to come to pass, Satan would tempt
David.
You can see how God, in His divine providence, allowed all
these things to coincide and can therefore be considered
ultimately responsible for how history unfolded at this point.
However, it is also important to remember that both David and
Satan acted of their own accord given the circumstances. They
could have chosen to act otherwise, but they didn't. (For more
on this question, please read my article "Who Tempted David
to Sin?" at http://www.comereason.org/bibl_cntr/con070.asp
)
A similar example is found in Matthew 26:24 where Jesus speaks of His betrayal by Judas. God didn't desire Judas to betray Jesus, but He also knew it was necessary for the plan of salvation. Of this, William Lane Craig comments, "[God's] desire
for us is that in whatever circumstance we find ourselves, we
choose to do good. ... But in His providence God so arranges
things that in the end even sinful acts will serve to achieve
His purposes. As Joseph had said to his brothers that sold him
into slavery, 'You meant evil against me, but God meant it for
good in order to bring about this present result.' (Gen.
50:20)"
Prayer
Middle knowledge also shows advantages when you consider
prayer. Craig observes, "It is interesting how often
ordinary Christians assume that God has middle knowledge. They
assume that God know which of two paths would be better for them
to take." Craig then uses the example of a girl praying
and asking God which of two suitors she should marry, noting
that she's assuming God would know the outcomes of both
circumstances and He would also know which has the better
outcome.
Now, if we take the idea one step further, we can also look
at the more difficult concept of retrospective prayer. Craig
uses the example of a man hearing on the radio that the ship on
which his son is sailing has sunk. He writes "Does it make
sense to pray now that one's son survived the sinking? Dummett
remarks that such a prayer is not asking God to change the past
(which is logically impossible).. It asks Him only to have done
something at an earlier time."
In other words, God, through His middle knowledge, would have
known that the father was going to pray for his son on the ship,
so God honored that prayer in advance! You can see how
this concept touches on how Christians assume God works and
provides a logical foundation for believing God can in fact do
those things.
Perseverance of the Saints
Another point that middle knowledge answers is why the Bible
includes warnings to believers not to fall away from the faith.
If one holds that true salvation cannot be lost ,
why would such admonitions exist in Scripture?
Craig, In another paper titled "Lest Anyone Should
Fall" demonstrates how in a middle knowledge
perspective
these admonitions make sense because they may be the very tools
that God uses to keep the believer in the faith. God doesn't
compel the believer to remain a believer, but He does know
"just what gifts of grace to accord to any believer's will
so as to elicit a continuing response of faith from that
person." In other words, God may have chosen someone who
might choose to fall away if the world were different, but God
provides this world to them, therefore they will not fall away.
Since part of this world are those warnings found in Scripture,
they may effectively keep people saved.
Next time, we'll look at one final idea from middle knowledge
- the concept of God allowing evil so that His ultimate ends can
be accomplished. If you'd like to get a head start, read our
Question of the Month above. And if you have any questions about
this topic, be sure to write me at newsletter@comereason.org.
Until then, God bless.
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