There are not too many doctrines in the Bible which cause as much division as those that concern God’s sovereignty as it relates to election and predestination.  Too many theologians have for centuries debated or attempted to de-throne the total sovereignty of God in salvation.  They cast the deciding factor of eternity on man’s will, without acknowledging the clarity of scripture as it defines the natural state of lost man. 

 

Further, the debate/argument of predestination perpetuates when “double” predestination is mentioned.  The question can be logically asked then: If God predestined some to salvation, as so clearly found in the scripture, then does that mean that He predestined others to eternal separation/damnation?  In any debate or discussion that involves the eternal state of one’s soul, emotions should not become involved.  No one should want to see anyone cast into hell.  People pray for the salvation of their children daily because of that fear.  As emotions should be removed, so reasoning and logic should be cautioned to prevent eisegetical interpretation for the very reasons that emotion should be omitted.

 

It is clear from scripture that some are predestinated. Ephesians 1:4, 5 reads, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”  The first question that should be asked is to whom is Paul addressing the letter?  The answer is found in verse one of that same chapter.  He is addressing the “saints” and the “faithful.”  Those are not two different groups of people but are the same.  And, again, who are the saints and faithful?  They are the ones whom God has saved by grace already.  He is not writing this letter to a random group of people who he knows nothing about but a specific group.  Pronouns are important in defining specific addressees.  Paul writes in those two verses to people whom he calls “us” and “we.”  The “us” and “we” are the “saints” and “faithful” which God has sovereignly predestinated “to adoption of children by Jesus Christ.”  Another important pronoun found in verse five is “him.”  And, who is “him”?  The “him” is He and He is God.  Further, it says, “according to the good please of his will.”  And, who is the “his” a reference to?  Again, it is God and it is His will that the predestinated people are saved by grace.

 

In Romans chapter nine Paul talks a lot about the mercy of God.  He also identifies who the children of promise are in relation to the love of God.  Much seems to being said, particularly in today’s world, about who are the recipients of God’s love.  The story of Abraham has been well told about his decision to bear a son as God wanted.  The problem is that Abraham was not patient nor believed God would allow him to have a son because of Sarah’s old age.  Therefore, Paul writes a divisive statement in Romans 9 verses 7- 8 where it is written, “Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called.  That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as seed.”  Paul makes it very clear through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that God specifically has children that He calls His own.  He tells us that even though Abraham had a child by Rebecca it was the child by Sarah to which he says, “the children of the promise are counted as the seed.”  Therefore, God specifically asked Abraham to obey Him for a specific reason.  The disobedience of Abraham to God did not surprise God to where He had to come up with an alternate plan.  God is omniscient and immutable in His ways and man cannot thwart that.

 

In verse 11 of chapter 9 Paul tells us that neither child did anything good nor evil but that according to election God calls a certain people.  God does the choosing despite what contemporary man wants to believe and teach.  God chose Jacob before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1).  God chooses according to His pleasure.  Paul emphasizes in that same verse that it is election, “not of works, that calleth.”  Scripture is replete with acknowledging that God chooses, elects, calls, ordains and predestinates whoever He wills.  And, here, Paul tells us that God both elected some and called some.  And, these are not two different groups, but they are the same.

 

One of God’s attributes is that He is a God of mercy.  Verse 15 reads “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”  Again, the “I” is God and He is stating that.  When reading that verse the word “will” is written four times.1   And, the following verse states that it is “not of him (man) that willeth, nor of him (man) that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”  God is always in control.

 

An oft ignored or down-played verse is verse 13.  “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”  People do not want to think or believe that God hates anyone. Besides, so many bumper stickers and evangelists tell us to “Smile, God loves you.”  Yet, it clearly says that He loves one and hates the other.  But is God speaking to an individual in this verse.  A quick look earlier at verses 7, 8 tell us who the recipient to God’s hate are as expressed in this verse.  Jacob is the father of the “children of promise.”  Esau represents the “children of the flesh” and “not the children of God.”  Hate is a strong word so does God actually hate someone or some group?  According to Strong’s Concordance of the Bible, the Greek word in that verse can mean “to hate, love less or detest.”  The writer of Psalm 5:5 says that “thou (God) hatest the workers of iniquity.”  It does not say that God hates sin, though He does, but it says that He hates the workers (men) of sin.  The Strong’s Concordance of the Bible translate that from the Hebrew which means “an enemy, foe, hate(ful), odious."

 

Verses 18 through 23 seem to be the point of controversy with so many.  They read, “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardenth.  Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?  Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction:  and to make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.”

 

God’s sovereignty is very recognizable in those verses.  He is the creator.  Who can stand against His omnipotence?  Who can question His wisdom and power?  It is He who does His will in men.  It is He who determines men’s eternity.  We read in II Peter 3:9 how God is “longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish.”  From a study of both I and II Peter it is easy to read that the “usward” are the elect to whom Peter is addressing and to who God is patience.  In Romans 9:22 God also is enduring “with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.”  The vessels of wrath are people, the children of flesh, those made “unto dishonor.”  How much clearer can it be?  There are those who may want to deny or ignore God’s chosen wrath upon some but scripture makes it evident that God does just that as He pleases.

Before one ends even a brief discussion on double predestination, the questions must be asked:  Did God cause the non-elect to go to hell?  Was He as active in their destination of hell as He was in the predestination of the elect to heaven?  The Sovereign and Triune God of the Bible does make sure that all He predestines to salvation are, in fact, saved.  But does He also make sure that those not elected go to hell or is it their decision?  This issue is called “equal ultimacy.”  In other words, they say, since God is active in one’s salvation then He must be active in one’s damantion.  However, this cannot be true according to scripture. We are all destined for hell because of our very nature as sinners.  As the Psalmist David wrote, we are conceived in sin (Psalm 51:5).  Therefore, we do not need any “help” in going to hell.  We are doing that on our own.  But God Who is “not willing that any (elect) should perish” has provided a way to save His predestinated people through the preaching of His word and regeneration of the souls to eternity.  So, equal ultimacy is a false teaching.  But there is double predestination in the Bible. 

 

What is recognized in this chapter is the following:

• God is Merciful – verses 15, 16, 18, 23

• God elects some – verses 4, 7, 8, 11, 21, 27, 30

• God calls whom He wills – verses 7, 11, 24, 25, 26

• God hardens the hearts of whom He wills – verse 18

• God chooses some to wrath – verses 13, 22

• God is holy – verse 14

• God is patient with the lost – verses 22

• God is omnipotent – verses 6, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22

• God predestinates all – verses 21, 22, 23

 

God is not a God of apathy.  He is not, as the deist claim, a God who created the universe then sat back without influence or involvement with the world and all He created.  God is totally sovereign with immutable attributes.

 

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 1 - To help us better understand without changing the meaning of the context, the translators had to put the word “will” in the verse.  But we know that if God wills something then it will be done.  The word “will” is in the Greek text in verse 18 making it consistent with the entire text.