On Free Will and Predestination
Part 3, The Predestined One
Beyond pointing out how Paul's language of predestination is largely concerned with God's plan to include the Gentile into Israel's story, the other thing I pointed out for my students concerned who, exactly, is being predestined.
I'm taking my cue here from Karl Barth and his Christological interpretation of election and predestination in the Reformed tradition.
Simply put, according to Barth Christ is one who is elected and predestined, not us. You see this quite clearly in the same passage from Ephesians referenced in the last post. In resharing, I'll bold all the Christocentric references about election, purposes, promises, and predestination:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
The point couldn't be clearer. We are blessed in Christ. We were chosen in Christ. We receive the promises in Christ. We were predestined in Christ.
This is Barth's point. Christ is the Predestined One. Christ is God's plan from before the foundation of the world. And we gain access to salvation by being found in Christ. Phrased somewhat weirdly, Christ is the predestined receptacle of salvation. Our fates are determined by whether or not we are "in" that receptacle. And if we are, all predestined benefits accrue to us.
All this helps to displace an overly narcissistic understanding of predestination. For example, the question my students are concerned with is, "Are all my actions and choices predestined?" The focus is upon me. But Barth helps us see that we aren't the ones who are predestined. Christ is the Predestined One, and the only one. The question facing my life is whether I am in Christ or not. And if I am, I have been predestined to glory in Christ.
As one of those who was raised in a church in the Reformed, Calvinist tradition that taught, and still teaches, the pernicious doctrine of individual election, and individual reprobation, I can testify to its profoundly unhealthy psychological effects. One either proudly looks down in those poor souls outside, or is eaten up by anxiety over possible damnation. Even worse is the damage to one’s image of God as a wrathful, dangerous, and unpredictable tyrant. Much better what I call ultra-Calvinism, the universalist doctrine of the God in the early church who has elected all creatures in Christ, and will finally brig all things into a new heavens and new earth. This was also Paul’s understanding of the end and goal in I Corinthians 15, when God will be “all and in all.”
We need to think of ‘Predestination’ from an ‘Incarnational Perspective’ as much as it is humanly possible in our short lives. Should we really ever be engaged in the divisive and arrogant prospect of determining whether someone is favored by God or not? It has always been His prerogative and, His alone. It seems blatantly clear from Jesus’ actions in the Gospels that he is healing, loving and electing those outside the perceptual understanding of the Covenant with Israel. He confronts that attitude dozens of times and demonstrates his verdict. It is not coercive, forced or deceptive ever. All the evil in this world that we can encourage, ignorantly act out, conceive of and cook up, either individually or corporately, is confronted, crushed and transformed in the Incarnation - Death - Burial - Resurrection – Ascension of Jesus. Instead of wrestling with Matthew 25:46, and harboring thoughts of eternal punishment for all those who are metaphysically outside the parameters of God’s saving grace, look more carefully at the word ‘Aionios’. [ A Better Future Now: What does Aionios Mean?] has a great article on this topic.
An Incarnational Perspective -
• Holiness of All Reality:
It emphasizes the holiness of all creation and encourages a deep reverence for life and the environment.
• Divine Immanence:
It highlights God's intimate presence within creation, emphasizing that God is actively involved in the world.
• Transformative Power:
It focuses on the transformative power of the Incarnation and how it can integrate divine presence into everyday life.
In essence, an Incarnational Perspective is about:
• Embracing the reality of God becoming human.
• Living out faith in a way that reflects Jesus' example.
• Being present with others and sharing their lives.
• Recognizing the importance of cultural context in sharing the Gospel.
• Understanding God's love and humility in becoming human.