Editing Predestination (section)

=== Protestantism ===

==== Comparison ====
This table summarizes the classical views of three different Protestant beliefs.<ref>Table drawn, though not copied, from Lange, Lyle W. ''God So Loved the World: A Study of Christian Doctrine''. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 2006. p. 448.</ref>

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! Topic
! [[Lutheranism]]
! [[Calvinism]]
! [[Arminianism]]
|-
|'''Election'''
|Unconditional [[#In Lutheranism|election to salvation]] only
|[[Unconditional election]] to salvation only, with reprobation (passing over)<ref>{{cite book|last=Peterson|first=Robert A.|title=Why I am not an Arminian|year=2004|publisher=Intervarsity Press|location=Downers Grove, Illinois|isbn=0-8308-3248-3|page=132|author2=Michael D. Williams}}</ref>
|[[Conditional election]] in view of foreseen faith or unbelief
|-
|}
{{clear}}

==== Lutheranism ====
[[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] historically hold to unconditional election to salvation. However, some do not believe that there are certain people that are predestined to salvation, but salvation is predestined for those who seek God.<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2013:48;&version=9; Acts 13:48], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Eph.%201:4-11;&version=47; Eph. 1:4–11], [http://www.bookofconcord.com/fc-ep.html#XI.%20Election. Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Article 11, Election] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010210532/http://www.bookofconcord.com/fc-ep.html#XI.%20Election. |date=10 October 2008 }}, Mueller, J.T., ''Christian Dogmatics''. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934. pp. 585–589, section "The Doctrine of Eternal Election: 1. The Definition of the Term", and Engelder, T.E.W., ''[https://archive.org/details/MN41551ucmf_1 Popular Symbolics]''. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934. pp. 124–128, Part XXXI. "The Election of Grace", paragraph 176.</ref> Lutherans believe Christians should be assured that they are among the predestined.<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Thessalonians%202:13;&version=50; 2 Thess. 2:13], Mueller, J.T., ''Christian Dogmatics''. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934. pp. 589–593, section "The Doctrine of Eternal Election: 2. How Believers are to Consider Their Election, and Engelder, T.E.W., ''[https://archive.org/details/MN41551ucmf_1 Popular Symbolics]. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934. pp. 127–128, Part XXXI. "The Election of Grace", paragraph 180.''</ref> However, they disagree with those who make predestination the source of salvation rather than Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection. Unlike some [[Calvinism|Calvinists]], Lutherans do not believe in a predestination to damnation.<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Tim.%202:4;&version=31; 1 Tim. 2:4], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Pet.%203:9;&version=31; 2 Pet. 3:9], [http://www.bookofconcord.com/fc-ep.html#XI.%20Election. Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Article 11, Election] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010210532/http://www.bookofconcord.com/fc-ep.html#XI.%20Election. |date=10 October 2008 }}, and Engelder's [https://archive.org/details/MN41551ucmf_1 Popular Symbolics], Part XXXI. The Election of Grace, pp. 124–128.</ref> Instead, Lutherans teach eternal damnation is a result of the unbeliever's rejection of the forgiveness of sins and unbelief.<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hosea%2013:9;&version=9; Hos. 13:9], Mueller, J.T., ''Christian Dogmatics''. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934. p. 637, section "The Doctrine of the Last Things (Eschatology), part 7. "Eternal Damnation", and Engelder, T.E.W., ''[https://archive.org/details/MN41551ucmf_1 Popular Symbolics]''. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934. pp. 135–136, Part XXXIX. "Eternal Death", paragraph 196.</ref>

[[Martin Luther]]'s attitude towards predestination is set out in his ''[[On the Bondage of the Will]]'', published in 1525. This publication by Luther was in response to the published treatise by [[Desiderius Erasmus]] in 1524 known as ''[[De libero arbitrio diatribe sive collatio|On Free Will]]''.

==== Calvinism ====
{{main|Predestination in Calvinism}}
The [[Belgic Confession]] of 1561 affirmed that God "delivers and preserves" from perdition "all whom he, in his eternal and unchangeable council, of mere goodness hath elected in Christ Jesus our Lord, without respect to their works" (Article XVI). Calvinists believe that God picked those whom he will save and bring with him to [[Heaven]] before the world was created. They also believe that those people God does not save will go to [[Hell]]. John Calvin thought people who were saved could never lose their salvation and the "[[Election (Christianity)|elect]]" (those God saved) would know they were saved because of their actions.

In this common, loose sense of the term, to affirm or to deny predestination has particular reference to the [[Calvinist]] doctrine of [[unconditional election]]. In the Calvinist interpretation of the Bible, this doctrine normally has only pastoral value related to the assurance of salvation and the absolution of salvation by grace alone. However, the philosophical implications of the doctrine of election and predestination are sometimes discussed beyond these systematic bounds. Under the topic of the doctrine of God (theology proper), the predestinating decision of God cannot be contingent upon anything outside of himself, because all other things are dependent upon him for existence and meaning. Under the topic of the doctrines of salvation (soteriology), the predestinating decision of God is made from God's knowledge of his own will (Romans 9:15), and is therefore not contingent upon human decisions (rather, free human decisions are outworkings of the decision of God, which sets the total reality within which those decisions are made in exhaustive detail: that is, nothing left to chance). Calvinists do not pretend to understand how this works; but they are insistent that the Scriptures teach both the [[Sovereignty of God in Christianity|sovereign control]] of God and the responsibility and freedom of human decisions.

Calvinist groups use the term [[Hyper-Calvinism]] to describe Calvinistic systems that assert without qualification that God's intention to destroy some is equal to his intention to save others. Some forms of Hyper-Calvinism have racial implications, as when Dutch Calvinist theologian [[Franciscus Gomarus]] argued that Jews, because of their refusal to worship Jesus Christ, were members of the non-elect, as also argued by [[John Calvin]] himself, based on I John 2:22–23 in The New Testament of the Bible. Some Dutch settlers in South Africa argued that black people were sons of Ham, whom Noah had [[Curse of Ham|cursed to be slaves]], according to Genesis 9:18–19, or drew analogies between them and the Canaanites, suggesting a "chosen people" ideology similar to that espoused by proponents of the [[Jews as the chosen people|Jewish nation]]. This justified racial hierarchy on earth, as well as racial segregation of congregations, but did not exclude blacks from being part of the elect. Other Calvinists vigorously objected to these arguments (see [[Afrikaner Calvinism]]).

Expressed sympathetically, the [[Calvinist]] doctrine is that God has mercy or withholds it, with particular consciousness of who are to be the recipients of mercy in Christ. Therefore, the particular persons are chosen, out of the total number of human beings, who will be rescued from enslavement to sin and the fear of death, and from punishment due to sin, to dwell forever in his presence. Those who are being saved are assured through the gifts of faith, the sacraments, and communion with God through prayer and increase of good works, that their reconciliation with him through Christ is settled by the sovereign determination of God's will. God also has particular consciousness of those who are passed over by his selection, who are without excuse for their rebellion against him, and will be judged for their sins.

Calvinists typically divide on the issue of predestination into [[infralapsarians]] (sometimes called 'sublapsarians') and [[supralapsarian]]s. Infralapsarians interpret the biblical election of God to highlight his love (1 John 4:8; Ephesians 1:4b–5a) and chose his elect considering the situation after the Fall, while supralapsarians interpret biblical election to highlight God's sovereignty (Romans 9:16) and that the Fall was ordained by God's decree of election. In infralapsarianism, election is God's response to the Fall, while in supralapsarianism the Fall is part of God's plan for election. In spite of the division, many Calvinist theologians would consider the debate surrounding the infra- and supralapsarian positions one in which scant Scriptural evidence can be mustered in either direction, and that, at any rate, has little effect on the overall doctrine.

Some Calvinists decline to describe the eternal decree of God in terms of a sequence of events or thoughts, and many caution against the simplifications involved in describing any action of God in speculative terms. Most make distinctions between the positive manner in which God chooses some to be recipients of grace, and the manner in which grace is consciously withheld so that some are destined for everlasting punishments.

Debate concerning predestination according to the common usage concerns the destiny of the damned: whether God is just if that destiny is settled prior to the existence of any actual volition of the individual, and whether the individual is in any meaningful sense responsible for his destiny if it is settled by the eternal action of God.

==== Arminianism ====
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Dutch theologian [[Jacobus Arminius]] formulated [[Arminianism]] and disagreed with Calvin in particular on [[Election in Christianity|election]] and predestination.{{sfn|Stanglin|McCall|2012|p=190}} Arminianism is defined by God's limited mode of [[Divine providence|providence]].{{sfn|Olson|2018|ps=. "What is Arminianism? A) Belief that God limits himself to give human beings free will to go against his perfect will so that God did not design or ordain sin and evil (or their consequences such as innocent suffering); B) Belief that, although sinners cannot achieve salvation on their own, without 'prevenient grace' (enabling grace), God makes salvation possible for all through Jesus Christ and offers free salvation to all through the gospel. 'A' is called 'limited providence,' 'B' is called 'predestination by foreknowledge.'"}} This mode of providence affirms the compatibility between human [[free will]] and [[divine foreknowledge]], but its incompatibility with [[theological determinism]].{{Sfn|Wiley|1940|loc=Chap. 14}} Thus predestination in Arminianism is based on divine foreknowledge, unlike in Calvinism.{{Sfn|Wiley|1940|loc=Chap. 26}} It is therefore a predestination by foreknowledge.{{sfn|Olson|2018|loc={{zwnj}}}}

From this perspective, comes the notion of a [[conditional election]] on the one who wills to have faith in God for salvation.<ref>Walter A. Elwell, ''Evangelical Dictionary of Theology'', Baker Academic, 2001, p. 98</ref> This means that God does not predetermine, but instead infallibly knows who will believe and perseveringly be saved. Although God knows from the beginning of the world who will go where, the choice is still with the individual.