Many Christians despise talking about predestination.
On the one side, Arminians never seem to be persuaded. No matter how many verses you throw at them or how many prominent theologians you cite, Arminians just won’t budge. Instead of relying on scripture, Arminians will often revert to appeals to “commonsense” principles of fairness. The other side is arguably worse. Calvinists seem to look down on Arminians as lesser Christians who refuse to accept the incontrovertible teachings of scripture. They’ll insist you respond to every proof-text they bring up, but will dismiss the passages you bring up as “out of context.” They’ll insist that Arminians are man-centered, ignoring the fact that many Calvinists display more arrogance than their Arminian counterparts.
It’s no wonder that those on the fence perpetually stay on the fence. Why choose a side when both sides are unbearable?
According to Barna, 1 out of every 3 Christians are on the fence about this issue. Even further than that, those who take positions often do so with great caution, acknowledging their lack of confidence in their position. There are three specific reasons that proponents of sitting on the fence will cite.
The first is that the Bible says things on both sides. We hear this argument often, and for good reason. Ephesians 1 tells us God “predestined us as sons,” but John 3 tells us God “loved the whole world.” Ephesians 2 says faith is “not your own doing, but the gift of God” while Revelations 2 praises the good churches for their own choices. Romans 9 tells us that salvation “depends not on human will, but on God who has mercy”, yet the whole Bible consistently asks us to make our decision. With all of that in mind, it makes sense to simply sit this one out. Since the Bible says things on both sides, we shouldn’t take a strong position.
The second reason why many Christians don’t take a side is because theologians are split on the issue. It would be absurd, and even arrogant of us to say we’ve found the truth when our foremost Christian leaders aren’t unified. It’s probably better for us to just resign ourselves to the fact that we’ll also never know for sure.
The third reason is that our opinion on the subject doesn’t really matter. It’s already radical to tell someone that God forced them to become a Christian—and it doesn’t even affect our eternal destiny [1]. Our view of predestination won’t send us to heaven or to hell, so why care so much?
The Bible’s teachings are ambiguous. Theologians are unsettled. Predestination is a radical idea that give us no tangible advantages.
These three arguments combine to give us a compelling reason for keeping a neutral position. But how open minded should we be?
Let’s switch gears and discuss a different topic that very few Christians are open minded about: the faith vs. works debate. Ever since Martin Luther kickstarted the Reformation, the Protestant mantra has rung clear: we’re saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Works play absolutely no role in salvation. The mainstream Protestant view is that so extreme that they believe Catholics who believe works are necessary for heaven won’t get in [2].
But is the doctrine of works that erroneous? We claim that there’s nothing in the Bible to suggest that works matter at all. But take off your Protestant-tinted glasses for a second, if you will. Try to see these verses from an objective standpoint—don’t refute them just yet.
Romans 2:6-8: “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”
James 2:24: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
1 Corinthians 13:2: “If I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
Galatians 5:6: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”
Of course, Protestants have been refuting these verses for centuries, just like Catholics have been refuting our verses for centuries [3]. But it’s important to realize the Bible isn’t completely clear cut. It teaches that faith isn’t the highest virtue (1 Cor 13). It teaches that God will judge people according to their works (James 2, Rom 2), and that the only thing that “counts” is faith with works (Gal 5). At the same time, it also teaches that we only need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16), that we are saved by faith (Eph 2), and we’re justified by faith apart from works (Rom 3). In other words, the Bible says things on both sides.
That’s not all. Consider the fact that Christendom has been virtually split in half since the Reformation with regards to whether works are important to salvation. There isn’t a consensus among “Christian” scholars about whether works factor into salvation. There’s consensus within the Protestant community, but that proves nothing. That would be the same as showing consensus within the Reformed community to prove predestination. Those in authority who call themselves “Christ-followers” have never come to an agreement on the importance of works.
Additionally, the works debate requires we take a radical position, but doesn’t yield any important benefits. If we take the stance that faith is our only ticket into heaven, we have to accept the corollary that many—if not most—Catholics will end up suffering for eternity in hell. If we believe that good works are necessary, on the other hand, we have to deal with the uncomfortable view that many Christians who didn’t do enough good works won’t be entering heaven. It’s important to note that the only real difference between our views is that Protestants think we should do works because we love God, and Catholics do works because they’re required [4]. Since both sides do works, it won’t affect our salvation regardless of which position we choose.
Recognize this pattern? That’s because these are the exact same three arguments that predestination agnostics use: The Bible seems to say things on both sides. Theologians have never come to an agreement. Our belief about it influences how we see many Christians, but it doesn’t affect our salvation.
Yet, despite all of this, we take a stance on works but refuse to take a hardline position on predestination. So here’s my challenge to the reader: be consistent. Either take a hard stance on works and predestination, or take a soft stance on both.
I got together with a group of friends last summer and this exact topic came up. When I said my most radical belief was pro-predestination, my good friend seemed to jokingly sneer at this. She said, “theologians can’t even agree on this, and you’re telling me you know you’re right?” Everyone seemed to agree, and honestly, I felt foolish. How could little ol’ me come to a conclusion when our theological giants have been bickering about this issue for centuries? Looking back on it, I’m relieved to realize that I wasn’t crazy. (Scratch that. I probably was and still am, to my own chagrin). Simply because people disagree doesn’t mean you can’t take a stance. I know my friend definitely believed that faith was the only necessity in salvation, despite the fact that theologians have never come to an agreement on that debate either.
I’d guess that the majority of Christians have a strong opinion on the works debate. Even though the Bible does say a few things that seem to be in favor of works being required, we take the stance that they’re not. We examine the passages closely, look up commentaries, and refute the passages with our own interpretations. That’s ok, of course; there’s nothing wrong with that. But we ought never justify apathy for a topic on the grounds that it seems confusing or ambiguous, and we should never deride someone simply because they have a strong opinion.
The other legitimate position says that we shouldn’t take a hard stance on either issue since the Bible says things on both sides. It’s possible for either predestination or no predestination, and it’s possible for works to be required or not required. Though it seems extremely radical to repudiate centuries of Reformation teachings, perhaps the debate isn’t closed. It is admittedly somewhat arrogant for us to claim we have a corner on the market for truth and refuse to even consider the alternative side. I wouldn’t recommend this, but at least it’s a consistent position.
Christians despise talking about predestination because they don’t think they’ll ever find a resolution. Instead of choosing to shy away from conflict, we should search with even more intensity for God’s truth. Don’t ever squander an opportunity to examine God’s word more closely.
[1] This isn’t actually the position of Calvinists, but rather a misinterpretation of how salvation works in a Reformed framework. I simply use this example to demonstrate that Calvinism appears radical to the outside world.
[2] John Piper, for example, states “At numerous levels, the [Catholic Church’s] contradictory stance toward Scripture produces a kind of religion that I fear has led many people astray, even into destruction.”
[3] We have a refutation to their verses, too. But so do they. They have a response to Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:28, and Acts 16:31. In fact, when I read Catholic apologists, they use the same exact hermeneutics as Protestants do. They’ll say the verse is out of context, or they’ll bring up a different verse that seems to require a re-interpretation of the original verse. They’ll say we have to take the totality of scripture in interpreting certain verses. In fact, they’ll even agree to what Ephesians 2:8-9 says! They’ll simply state that the passage is referring to when we convert to Christianity, not when we enter heaven.
[4] I don’t mean to say that Catholics do works begrudgingly. I simply mean that the difference is mainly in our motives. When we see a person who claims to be a Christian but doesn’t ever tithe to church or give to the poor, for instance, Catholics would say the person is not saved. Christians, on the other hand, would likely say that he may or may not be saved, that we’ll never know.
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