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The Prudent and Profitable Use of the Doctrine of Predestination
by Richard W. Daniels, Ph.D.
!
I. Introduction
!! A.  The Doctrine of Predestination as stated by the Savoy Declaration and Westminster Confession of Faith.
It is the purpose of this paper to examine the “prudent and profitable” handling of the doctrine of predestination.
While most readers will be familiar with the /term/ “predestination,” there is wide disagreement over the meaning.
By “predestination,” we assume the definition and explanation provided in the classic Reformed confessions, such as the Savoy Declaration (the topic of this conference[1]) and the Westminster Confession quoted here: 
*1.
*God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: (Eph.
1:11, Rom.
11:33, Heb.
6:17, Rom.
9:15,18) yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, (James 1:13,17, 1 John 1:5) nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.
(Acts 2:23, Matt.
17:12, Acts 4:27–28, John 19:11, Prov.
16:33)
*2.       *Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all supposed conditions, (Acts 15:18, 1 Sam.
23:11–12, Matt.
11:21,23) yet hath He not decreed anything because He foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.
(Rom.
9:11,13,16,18)
*3.       *By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels (1 Tim.
5:21, Matt.
25:41) are predestinated unto everlasting life; and others foreordained to everlasting death.
(Rom.
9:22–23, Eph.
1:5–6, Prov.
16:4)
*4.       *These angels and men, thus predestinated, and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.
(2 Tim.
2:19, John 13:18)
*5.       *Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, hath chosen, in Christ, unto everlasting glory, (Eph.
1:4,9,11, Rom.
8:30, 2 Tim.
1:9, 1 Thess.
5:9) out of His mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith, or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto: (Rom.
9:11,13,16, Eph.
1:4,9) and all to the praise of His glorious grace.
(Eph.
1:6,12)
*6.       *As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath He, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the mans thereunto.
(1 Pet.
1:2, Eph.
1:4–5, Eph.
2:10, 2 Thess.
2:13) Wherefore, they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, (1 Thess.
5:9–10, 1 Tit.
2:14) are effectually called unto faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, (Rom.
8:30, Eph.
1:5, 2 Thess.
2:13) and kept by His power, through faith, unto salvation.
(1 Pet.
1:5) Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.
(John 17:9, Rom.
8:28, John 6:64–65, John 10:26, John 8:47, 1 John 2:19)
*7.       *The rest of mankind God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of His own will, whereby He extendeth or witholdeth mercy, as He pleaseth, for the glory of His sovereign power over His creatures, to pass by; and to ordain them to dishonour and wrath for their sin, to the praise of His glorious justice.
(Matt.
11:25–26, Rom.
9:17–18,21–22, 2 Tim.
2:19–20, Jude 4, 1 Pet.
2:8)
*8.       *The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, (Rom.
9:20, Rom.
11:33, Deut.
29:29) that men, attending the will of God revealed in His Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election.
(2 Pet.
1:10) So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God; (Eph.
1:6, Rom.
11:33) and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the Gospel.
(Rom.
11:5,6,20, 2 Pet.
1:10, Rom.
8:33, Luke 10:20)
The doctrine as stated in the first seven paragraphs has been repeatedly, clearly and, we believe, irrefutably demonstrated to be the truth of God as taught in Holy Scripture.
We turn our attention now to paragraph eight, where we are cautioned regarding our exposition and encouraged to make a due application of this high mystery.
!
II.
Principle for Application: “The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, (Rom.
9:20, Rom.
11:33, Deut.
29:29)”
!! A.  Reason for “prudence and care:” it is a “high mystery.”
!!! 1.
It is “high.”
The stream of time-bound providence[2] arises from a spring in the highest heaven, in the heart of the infinite and incomprehensible God, back in the measureless eternity.
As such, it will inevitably be misinterpreted and misapplied by those who will not recognize that they are mere men on the earth, and sinful men at that.
They must humble themselves in recognition that God’s thoughts are higher then theirs, and must pray the Holy Spirit to graciously open their eyes to behold the things that He has been pleased to reveal, and to shut their mouths where God has been silent.
!!! 2.        It is a “mystery.”
It is known /via /special revelation.
Men speculate and entertain idolatrous notions of fate and necessity, or atheistically resign all to “chance.”
The Christian doctrine of predestination, however, is unique, not derived from any man’s private interpretation or speculation, but known only through special revelation, written by holy men of God who were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Predestination has the entire extent and duration of created being as its scope.
It binds such disparate realities as absolute control, contingency, and genuine liberty in a union too seamless for human dissection.
It is the revelation of that which by its very nature, even when revealed, is beyond our understanding in its essence, knowable only by its effects and even then /truly/ known only by their Divine explanation.
!!! 3.        As a mystery, it is an insult to fallen human reason.
Proud fallen man rejects the theological concept of mystery, feeling that nothing is truly beyond his grasp.
Predestination is /particularly/ offensive to fallen human reason because it is a denial of autonomy, and a denial of freedom /with respect to ultimate destiny.
/It is commonly misunderstood as constituting a denial of freedom /per se,/ resulting in the loss of responsibility, the denial of dignity to our persons and the loss of the significance of our actions.
It /appears/ to many to make God the author of sin and a “respecter of persons,” which further makes it /appear/ that the “God of Calvinists” is unjust.
When to this are added misunderstandings of other Biblical teachings (such as original sin and eternal damnation) the frequent result is the slanderous accusation that God is cruel.
This perverse misrepresentation of predestination provides material for blasphemers, and presents an obstacle for sincere believers, who cannot reconcile it with what they know of God.
!!! 4.        Understood correctly, it glorifies the God of sovereign grace, and preserves the purely gracious nature of the gospel.
Consequently, it is especially the target of the enemy, who from the beginning has endeavored to dethrone God from the hearts of men by flattering them regarding their autonomy and self-righteousness.
!!! 5.        As it is pervasive in its scope, it is likewise capable of widespread misapplication.
The enemy has not failed to exploit this fact to the raising of contention and confusion in the church, the undermining of evangelistic zeal, coldness and formality in prayer, discouragement for seekers of salvation and its assurance, the troubling of the tender consciences of the faithful, and the incitement of contempt by the ungodly.
!! B.   Despite these considerations, the Doctrine of Predestination must be taught: It is “doctrine”.
Proof:
!!! 1.
It is /plainly taught/ in the words of Scripture.
It is directly and forcefully /asserted/ as a fact, and more pervasively /presupposed/ as a fact, throughout the Scriptures.
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