Living With A Tension In My Faith

1.Predestination

There are some issues in our Bible which have verses that appear to contradict one another. Both types of verses are true in themselves. Yet their truths do not seem to agree with each other. Predestination is an example of such an issue.

The word “Predestination” carries the meaning of “determine beforehand,” “ordain,” “to decide upon ahead of time.” So, predestination is God determining certain things to occur ahead of time. The most common objection to the doctrine of predestination is that it is unfair. Why would God choose certain individuals and not others? Predestination also implies that when God chooses some people for salvation, they have no choice but to accept Jesus as Saviour. Yet, we are told from Scriptures that people have to choose salvation. Both views found in the Bible seem to contradict each other.

2. A finite being

As a Christian, I can live with this tension because both views are true. I believe that God is sovereign and have free choice. I also believe that we have free choice. Both statements are true and can be backed up by Biblical verses and experiences. Since I am a finite being trying to understand an infinite being, I will always have my limitations. It is like a pet dog trying to understand its master. Although the dog knows its master loves him and he also loves his master , it is still an animal and of a different level of life. It can never fully understand all that its master thinks and does.

3. A relationship and not a religion

Similarly, I acknowledge that as a finite being, I will never fully understand an infinite being like my Master God. But I can have a loving relationship with Him in spite of my gaps in understanding. It is not a religion with doctrines which I seek to understand but it is a relationship I have with a God who loves me. Does it mean I don’t seek to understand how God thinks? Of course not. That’s why I study the Bible. But when I study the Bible and find contradictory verses, I can accept them both because my relationship with God is based on His love for me and not on me sorting out with my finite mind things which are infinite (Job 42:3)

4. What is the main doubt?

I will now explain how I deal with an issue like predestination. I begin by first trying to understand the main doubt underlying such a question. The main doubt behind predestination is that God does not give people any choice and has predestined them to His desired outcomes. Having studied the Bible, I don’t agree with this underlying thinking. Instead, I discovered that while God in His grace and sovereignty chooses some to be saved, He never predestined anyone to go to hell. The Bible says that God wants all to be saved (2Peter 3:9). And whoever chooses to believe in Jesus will be saved (Acts 16:31). Even though in His sovereignty God knows who will accept His offer of salvation, people still have the right to choose whether to accept Jesus or not.

5. Can God be moved to change His mind?

Another doubt behind predestination is that since God predestines, He can’t be moved by our prayers. Again, I don’t see this happening in Scriptures. God can be moved by our prayers. In the story from 2 Kings 20:1-11, we read that the Lord told Hezekiah that he would die from an illness ( predestined?). However, Hezekiah prayed to the Lord and appealed for healing. God heard his prayer and granted Hezekiah another 15 years of life.

This story shows that although the Bible says that God is not a man that He would change His mind, yet God would listen to a sincere prayer and be moved to change His mind. It shows that our prayers can move God which also shows that when we choose to be saved, God will hear us and give us salvation. The Bible records that when a person decides to cry out to the Lord for salvation, the answer from God is always “YES”.

6. I don’t need to be satisfied

I have tried to explain my simple understanding of the issue of predestination from a layman’s perspective. Will you be satisfied with my answer? I don’t expect you to be fully satisfied with my answer, or for that matter any other answer. I have read numerous explanations regarding this issue of predestination. They never fully satisfy me but that again does not bother me.

7. Transcend ; not understand

Over the years I have in my relationship with God, I have come to humbly accept that there will be issues I don’t fully understand. After I have tried to reason out the issues and sometimes reached a dead end, I find that when I have faith in the goodness of God in my life (Psalm 119:68), I transcend the dead end of my doubts and rise above them to believe that on this side of eternity there will be no clarity until we see God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

As I gaze into His face, I will finally know that in His love for me, He has fulfilled His destiny for me (predestined) – which is – He chose me before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) even as He knew that I would one day choose Him. This is the tension in my faith which I live by. Such is the mystery of my heavenly Father who knows me and loves me before He made Adam and Eve.

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