When it comes to salvation and eternal security in Heaven, predestination is not palatable due to its underlying exclusionary premise, and free will is questionable, due to a lack of supporting evidence. How should a Biblical Christian respond to this enigma?

Pride

For those who are fully convinced they have the answer to this conundrum, please consider your humanity juxtaposed along side the Creator of the universe. We are sinners, living in a sin-cursed world, who often can’t remember what we ate for dinner last week. To offer a glib reconciliation of these two views, as relates to salvation (predestination vs. free-will), which have been in theological dispute down though the ages, smacks of great pride.

Pastors and teachers are not required to have all the answers to all the questions to be in their roles as leaders. Keeping a humble, open mind on non-core Biblical Christian doctrine is a sign of continuing sanctification, a narrow path that all believers, regardless of their credentials, are walking down.

A Consideration

The paragraph above offers the first step in an attempt at reconciliation of these two views…. we do not have the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:16). Our ways are not His ways, our thoughts not His thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). We are His children and our beliefs are not built on a full understanding of God, but on our faith and hope.

When the logic of our minds breaks down in an attempt to understand God’s actions or inactions, we have a clear choice. We can either reject what we read in the Bible and create our own religion (which has been the typical answer), or we can concede that God is both loving, desiring “that no one should perish” (2 Peter 3:9), but, at the same time, omnipotent (in that He can save everyone if He so chooses). In the latter case, a complete answer will likely have to wait until we are at the feet of Jesus.

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 – And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

The second step is to recognize that as we are given divine opportunities to share the Good News with those who are lost, we don’t know who will ultimately walk through the narrow gate to Heaven, and who will pass through the wide gate into Hell (Matthew 7:13). Our responsibility before God is to plant and water, recognizing that He causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:7).

As His ambassadors, our focus is not dependent on an answer to the question posed by this post. Instead, we are to be in pursuit of opportunities to share the Lord’s love, grace, and commands to all who will listen.