PREDESTINATION, ELECTION AND HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY

HOW DO GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY AND HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY WORK TOGETHER IN SALVATION?

In Homer’s The Odyssey, the sea monster Charybdis lived inside a rock on one side of the Strait of Messina while the sea monster Scylla lived inside a much larger rock on the opposite side. Sailors would need to navigate the narrow strait to escape each deadly monster. Unfortunately, avoiding one monster often led directly to the other one. Similarly, when we consider divine sovereignty and human responsibility, theologians have tended to veer towards one of the two biblical teachings to the exclusion of the other. Not only does this lead to conflicts between fellow believers but an imbalance in our understanding the truth of God.

It’s far better not to choose one over the other but to accept both equally true principles as an antinomy—an apparent contradiction that is supra-rational, beyond our human capacity to understand. God is sovereign in our salvation, and we human beings are responsible before God to respond to the good news. That both those ideas can be true is certainly beyond human comprehension, yet they are resolved in the mind of God. Both are clearly taught in Scripture and have practical implications for our lives.

THE BIBLICAL TEACHING

God’s Sovereignty

The sovereignty of God is taught throughout Scripture, from Old Testament to the New. Many Old Testament verses declare God’s dominion over all creation. For example, “Whatever the Lorn pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps” (Ps. 135:6). God’s sovereignty is «ce uniquely His, so He declares, “Remember the former things long past, for lam God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure (Isa. 46:9-10).

The New Testament is even more specific, emphasizing God’s sovereignty over salvation. This is seen in Ephesians 1:3-7, which emphasizes God’s election (God the Father “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world”) and predestination (“He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will”) of believers. Paul also adds that the believer's inheritance is obtained, “having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph.1:11). The word “chose” refers to God’s pre-temporal (before time) election of believers for salvation. The word “predestined” means “to fix or determine beforehand.” These words are only used of those who have put their trust in Jesus.

Besides election and predestination, another key term in understanding God’s sovereignty is foreknowledge. Paul linked foreknowledge to predestination when he wrote, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become con-formed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29; cf. 1 Peter 1:2). Some want to minimize election and predestination by saying that God, who is omniscient, knew in advance who would respond to the gospel, and only chose them. But the word “know” in Scripture is generally a relational term, even used of physical relationships (e.g., Gen. 4:1). For God to foreknow a person means the Lord entered into a saving relationship with that person in advance. This asserts that both election and predestination happened before time began.

Another crucial passage for understanding God's sovereignty in salvation is Romans 9:10-24. Paul’s point in explaining election is that “there is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!” (Rom. 9:14). Although it is hard for us to grasp, Paul maintains that God “has mercy on whom He de-sires, and He hardens whom He desires” (Rom. 9:18). God has the authority to do this even as a potter has authority over clay (Rom. 9:21). Therefore, God was fully just in making “known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory” (Rom. 9:23). Although it would be sufficient to point to these two pas-sages, other verses also emphasize God’s sovereignty in salvation. Another is “as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48), indicating that God’s unconditional election is the source of individual faith. Acts also shows that salvation begins with divine initiative, exemplified in Lydia's decision to believe as “the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul” (Acts 16:14). Similarly, the Lord Jesus Himself declared that “all that the Father gives Me will come to Me” (John 6:37), demonstrating that salvation begins with God’s initiative. The sovereignty of God is not a random or occasional idea found in Scripture but permeates the entire Bible. Nevertheless, human responsibility is also clearly taught in God’s Word.

Human Responsibility

In every command in the Bible, whether in the Old or New Testament, God holds humanity responsible for obeying Him. At the end of the Mosaic Law, God calls Israel to obedience, saying “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it” (Deut. 30:11-14). It is evident that God held the Jewish people responsible for believing and keeping the message of the Torah.

In the New Testament, just as Romans 9 emphasized God's sovereignty in salvation, Romans 10 demonstrates God’s expectation of human responsibility to respond to the message of the gospel. Paul declares, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13). The need to respond to the gospel with faith is emphasized in the next verse, asking “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14).

When Paul was asked, “What must I do to be saved?,” his answer wasn't “Determine if you are elect” but “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). Jesus said, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). We can be absolutely certain that God expects people to respond to Him with the obedience of faith.

Divine Sovereignty vs. Human Responsibility

Someone might object that these two ideas are found in different parts of the Bible and that, therefore, they are just examples of biblical contradictions. However, surprisingly, we frequently find both concepts presented in the same passage. It’s not as if two separate authors disagree about the subject. Rather, the authors of Scripture actually affirmed both ideas at the same time! In Romans 9, Paul emphasizes divine sovereignty immediately followed in Romans 10 by an emphasis on human responsibility! How can this be?

Another example is found in Luke 22:22, when Jesus said, “the Son of Man is going as it has been determined [divine sovereignty]; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed [human responsibility]!” God’s sovereign plan included the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus, but Judas was held responsible for his actions.

Similarly, in Acts 4:27-28, an unnamed disciple, in a prayer, refers to the conspiracy of human guilt for the death of Jesus, including Herod, Pontius Pilate, some Jewish people and some Gentiles, thereby indicating their human responsibility.

Nevertheless, he points to God’s role by saying that they did “whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur” (v. 28; cf. Acts 2:23). These combinations of both ideas in the same passage demonstrate that biblical authors accepted both divine sovereignty and human responsibility as consistent and not contradictory thoughts.

OUR PERSONAL RESPONSE

Accepting the Antinomy

In light of the truth that election and human responsibility are both taught in the Bible, how should we respond? First, we must accept this truth from God. Too often we want to argue the issue because, humanly speaking, we feel election is unfair. That’s Paul’s point when, having just explained God’s sovereign election, he frames the words of an objector, “You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?’” (Rom. 9:19). When read those words, our heart jumped. We had been struggling with the doctrine of election because of my dad’s great hostility to the gospel.

If God was sovereign over this, (we amazed) why does He still hold people accountable? “Here comes the answer to that question!” Yet, Paul’s response was not at all what I expected. He says, “On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God?” (Rom. 9:20). Paul didn't try to harmonize both truths and neither should we. Instead, he reminded believers that we are to submit to the sovereign God and accept both the truth of divine election and human responsibility.

We may not be able to explain this seeming contradiction, but we are called to believe it is completely resolved in the mind of God. Those whose minds are ruled by science and logic will often object to believing antinomies because they insist that both thoughts can’t be true. Yet scientists recognize that light is both a wave and a particle at the same time, a seeming contradiction that is accepted as a mystery.

In the same way, we can accept this mystery that God, as both the Sovereign of the universe and Supreme Judge, holds humanity responsible for their decisions and actions.

Trusting in God’s Will

People are frequently anxious about whether they are elect. They say, “I want to believe but I don't know if I’m elect.’ My advice is simple: relax and trust God. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37).

That you are searching and asking these questions demonstrates that God is at work in your heart and mind. You would not want to believe without the Father drawing you. We can put complete trust in God’s will. The fact is that people believe because they are elect, and they are elect because they believe.

Renowned preacher Donald Grey Barnhouse asked people to imagine a door with a sign above it saying, “Who-soever will may come.” Having entered through the door, the sign on the other side over the door says, “Elect before the foundation of the world.” Friend, we can relax in the Lord. We are called to trust in Jesus alone and can safely leave our concerns about election in God’s hands. Preach the Gospel Finally, we should continue to reach out to others with the good news. We need to adopt the apostle Paul’s attitude: “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16). Followers of Jesus are called upon to present the good news without concern as to whether or not those who receive the message are elect.

After all, even if we did know, it would not do us any good! Instead, let’s be obedient to the Great Commission and tell everyone we can about Jesus (Matt. 28:16-19). As the great preacher Charles Spurgeon is alleged to have said, “If God would have painted a yellow stripe on the backs of the elect, I would go around lifting shirts. But since He didn't, I must preach ‘whosoever will and when ‘whosoever’ believes I know he is one of the elect.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When Spurgeon was asked how he reconciled God’s sovereign election and humanity’s responsibility to believe, he responded, “I wouldn't try. I never reconcile friends.””? How right he was! These truths may seem to be opposed to each other, but they are united in the mind and heart of God. The truth of God’s sovereignty and our personal responsibility are both used to bring people to Him. It’s time we become friends with these truths as well.