The other side of the Reformed ledger is held by the Arminians who hold that the lost have freedom of choice in relation to accepting the gospel and on seeing that they will have faith He predestines them to salvation. Those who reject the gospel are doomed already as described in John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God…" From <https://biblehub.com/john/3-18.htm>
These are simplistic descriptions of the theology involved in this issue. However, these are not the thoughts I want to share with you today. I have been troubled by an idea that has been on the edge of my mind for some-time now that I believe is central to predestination and its impact on the way Christians lead their lives. It goes something like this: Calvinism and the Doctrine of Predestination are a virtuality. What I mean by this is that you can contemplate Calvinism with your intellect but you cannot verify predestination in your daily life or reality.
So what I'm saying is that Predestination can be read about in the bible and it can be thought about in your mind but it is a matter of faith. Much as believing on Christ Jesus or being an Atheist is a matter of faith. There is no sound or solid evidence in our life that we are predestined and that the actions that constitute our lives are predestined by God. We can believe the bible that we are predestined but as far as we can go with it is to decide what that means to us and what we will do about it. Calvinism and Predestination are in a virtuality. They do not constitute reality.
The reality is that God has given us a life with the intention that we should find Christ Jesus, His only begotten Son, and believe on Him to eternal life. We can then live that life to the glory of God. Whether we are predestined or not is irrelevant because to us it appears we have the choice about how we live our life.
Every-day we have the very real responsibility to make scores of decisions that affect ourselves and those around us. If this is all predestined then it really doesn't appear that way. It seems more like we are grabbing the steering wheel of life, white knuckled, in the face of an onslaught of adverse and at times downright dangerous events than can and will affect us and those we love. It really seems like most of humanity are just doing the best they can.
I mean if this is all predestined why do I bother to get up in the morning. It doesn't matter if I get out of bed anymore because whatever I do it isn't going to change anything is it? It's all predestined. I sure don't need to be concerned anymore. I mean what can I do. Nothing right?
Actually, and thankfully. I don't subscribe to that particular nonsense. I believe as I mentioned earlier that God has given us a life for a purpose. Firstly, to choose or reject the gospel and secondly to use that life to the glory of God if we accept the gospel. Which brings me to another important indicator that God expects us to choose and to choose wisely. Christ Jesus told the disciples that he was going to the Father so that he could send the helper (the Holy Spirit).
John 14 25-28 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said ,‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I. From <https://biblehub.com/nkjv/john/14.htm>
Now Jesus said he was sending the Holy Spirit to help believers. One assumes that since the Holy Spirit is being sent to help and that His work in our hearts is going to produce fruit. That the changes that the Helper makes in our hearts are real and genuine. The question that I'm asking here is if we are all predestined and everything in our lives is foreordained why would the Father bother to send the Holy Spirit? If everything is predestined then there can be no changes made. Essentially any further intervention is pointless.
This brings me back to my main point. Predestination is all very well and it may be true but it exists in a virtuality whereas life as we experience it is reality. All of the struggle that accompanies life that includes love, hate, kindness, anger, friendship and competition is real. So we have a life to live and if we are Christian and saved then we have to use it glorify the Almighty God. So my advice is that virtuality's are all very well but reality is what you are faced with in Christian living. You have decisions to make and a righteous life to live.
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