"Predestination
sounds like it places a little too much blame on God."
Obviously, given the wide use
of the words “predestination” that I described earlier, it would seem that
you have in mind here the idea that God has foreordained all things that come to
pass, so I will focus on that aspect here.
The word "blame" itself means to consider somebody responsible for something wrong that has happened, and it is used to denote moral culpability or guilt. Hence, to say that God is to be “blamed” for something and that He is to be held morally culpable as if He sinned for a wrongdoing because He foreordained that the wrongdoing would take place would not be correct. In essence then, the word "blame" would infer that God is somehow guilty of a wrong doing (or, over the course of all of world history, an overwhelming multitude of wrongdoings), and that God Himself is a sinner. The historic Reformation/ Calvinistic view (what I believe is the Biblical view) teaching on predestination does not teach this. Distinctions are important in theology, and an important distinction to keep in mind is that foreordaining sin is one thing, while the committing of it is something different.
Another more common way of saying that God is to blame is to say that God is the “author” of sin. As with just about every other term or phrase, the term “author of sin” has been misused by those that object to God’s absolute sovereignty, and one of the reasons for this, I have discovered, is a failure once again to precisely define what is meant by the phrase “author of sin.” The fact of the matter is that the term “author of sin” refers to the actual person who committed the actual sin, and it is the one who actually commits the sin that is held morally culpable (is to blame) for it. Given this understanding, no one who holds to God’s absolute sovereignty believes that God is the author of sin; that God is the one who actually commits the wrong doing and is morally culpable for it. God is not the “author” of sin because He did not commit the sin, and hence He is not to be “blamed” or to be held morally liable for it. The one that has committed the sin is to be blamed/held morally culpable for it. The “blame” would fall squarely on those that commit the evil and wrong doing, and they committed that sin according to their own sinful desires.
There are many passages that speak to these things, but maybe the most clear is in Acts 22:22-23. In that passage, the apostle Peter is addressing the crowds on the day of Pentecost, and he says:
“Him [Jesus], being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”
Notice, the most evil act in all of history, the crucifixion of the Son of God, was something that was done according to God’s set purpose and foreknowledge (the Scripture in other places refers to Christ as the Lamb of God slain before the foundation (Rev 13:8)). In other words, this was not something that just occurred in the mind of God; rather, it was something that was conceived in the mind of God before time even existed, and was decreed and ordained by God from the foundation of the world. So, in the crucifixion of Christ, everything transpired exactly as God had ordained (not only that, but consider that every single second of history had to transpire precisely as God ordained in order for things to fall out precisely as God wanted).
Also consider that the exact people who were involved did exactly what God had ordained for them to do. Consider just a few facts: Judas betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver, just as God had decreed from all eternity. Peter denied Christ three times, just as Christ said he would, and the reason Christ knew he would is because God decreed that he would. Pontius Pilate handed Christ over to be flogged and crucified, just as God had ordained him to do. And the exact Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus did so at the exact time and in the exact manner that God had ordained them to. All of these things (and many more that could be added), and yet, Peter tells his listeners that though these things transpired just as had been ordained by God, nevertheless the guilt for the crucifixion is placed at the feet of those who crucified Jesus: “…you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death.”
To put the question in even more powerful terms, was it possible for any of the individuals listed to not do what God ordained from all eternity for them to do? Was it possible for Peter to not deny Jesus three times? If it was not possible for them not to do these things, things that involved their volition, how can it be maintained that their will was free in the sense that those that espouse free will theology think? Answer: it is impossible. As a matter fact, any single act of prophecy, no matter how trivial, is enough to disprove the theory of free will as advanced by many today, because in just one act of prophecy, there are literally billions of "free" will decisions/choices that have to be made in order to ensure that every detail of the prophecy comes about as predicted. And, again, who is it that is held morally culpable for the sins that are committed? The individuals that actually committed the sin, and the reason they are held morally culpable is because they chose precisely what they wanted to choose according to their strongest desires. God foreordained all things, but He did not force anyone to sin. We willingly (and gladly, I might add), commit the sin that we do.
Think of this as well: Jesus was born at the precise moment in world history, to the precise woman, in the precise town, through the precise lineage, having fulfilled precisely hundreds of prophecies relating to the Messiah. Think of all of the “free” will decisions involved in world history just up to the point of Jesus’ birth, and yet, world history unfolded precisely as it was supposed to according to God's decree. How could this be? Because God, not human “free” will, is sovereign and in control of all events from the greatest to the seemingly most trivial.
Now, having maintained that God is not morally culpable for the sin in the world that He decreed and ordained from all eternity, that does not mean that there is no sense in which we would say that God is not in some sense responsible for it. The sense in which God is responsible would be in the sense that He is the sovereign of the universe, and in His absolute sovereignty has ordained all things that come to pass, whether good or evil. But please note; He has done this all according to the wise counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11). In other words, though we as mere humans cannot fully comprehend why sin and suffering would be ordained by God, we nevertheless know that all things transpire in accordance to God's infallible plan and inscrutable wisdom, and though we can't understand why something might happen, we can nevertheless take solace in the fact that God has a morally sufficient reason(s) for ordaining sin and suffering—a reason(s) that will ultimately magnify the glories of His grace one the one hand, and the perfection and glories of His holiness and justice on the other hand. And what stands at the center of it all is the work of redemption that was implemented, accomplished, and was and is being applied by the Triune God of heaven and earth. A.W. Pink, in his classic book the Sovereignty of God, approvingly quotes a statement that he was familiar with, which states:
"We can never understand the providence of God over our world, unless we regard it as a complicated machine having ten thousand parts, directed in all its operations to one glorious end: the display of the manifold wisdom of God in the salvation of the Church…everything else down here is subordinate to this central purpose." (p. 112)
The Westminster Confession of Faith also states in Chapter 5:
"God
the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all
creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most
wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the
free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his
wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy." Note:
the WCF quotes the following verses in support of the various statements
made above: Eph. 1:11Neh. 9:6; Psa. 145:14-16; Heb. 1:3; Dan. 4:34-35; Matt.
6:26-32; 10:29-31; Prov. 15:3; I Chr.
16:9; Psa. 104:24; 145;17; Acts 15:18; Isa. 42:9; Ezek. 11:5Psa. 135:6; Acts
17:25-28; Job 34:1-41:34; Isa. 63:14; Eph. 3:10;
http://www.reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/index.html
That statement in the WCF, coupled with what it says in chapter 3 concerning God's eternal decree, all point to the fact that God is indeed God, and as such there are no maverick molecules or autonomous atoms running around in the universe; everything, no matter how small and seemingly trivial, has been decreed by God and is subject to God's Providence. Hence, we do not live in a universe where things "just happen" with no rhyme or reason. Everything that transpires in time has purpose because it was ordained by God.
Another passage which helps puts this in perspective is the story of
Joseph. Joseph, as I'm sure you
recall, was sold into slavery by his own brothers, and he languished in an
Egyptian prison for years before God did the impossible by actually making
Joseph a ruler in
Still, given all of this, someone might still object that if God has ordained all things that come to pass—if I can only do what He has decreed from eternity—then how is it that God can still hold me guilty? Actually, this is the same objection that the apostle Paul addressed in Romans 9. After speaking about the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation and how everything depends upon God and His mercy (and not the will of man), Paul anticipates the following objection in Romans 9:19:
"One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?"
What is Paul's response? Paul says simply:
"But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?"
A couple of things to take note of here:
1. Remember, this is an objection that Paul anticipates as he is writing, and the reason he anticipates such an objection is because this objection was probably presented to Paul a number of times as he taught on the sovereignty of God in salvation.
2. Paul's answer might be seen as harsh, and I think some people get aggravated by it (I know I used to before I embraced the Reformed position!). Paul's response does have an edge to it. He is not interested in providing a lengthy discourse on the nature of the will or human responsibility in the face of God's absolute sovereignty. His concern is to state the point as succinctly as he can by going right to the heart of the matter, and getting us to the bottom line, so to speak, as quick as possible.
Also, Paul realizes that the objection is a natural objection to have (as stated above, he probably dealt with this objection before, and I'm sure he may even have had the same question himself at some point in his life). But, Paul also realizes that when we make these kinds of objections, the bottom line is that we are forgetting very basic and foundational truths, namely, that we are but clay, and God is indeed the sovereign of the universe, the omnipotent Potter who does with his creation, to include man, as He sees fit to accomplishes His purposes. Paul also realizes that the reason we forget this simple and basic truth is because in his heart of hearts, sinful man thinks that he is the one that is sovereign; he thinks that he has his rights; he thinks that he is the captain of his own ship. But, there is only one sovereign, and there is only one captain of the ship, the Lord God omnipotent who lives, rules and reigns in majesty and wisdom, and He will not share His glory with another. He will not relinquish or divest Himself of one iota of His sovereignty, for if He did so He would no longer be God. Nor will He share His sovereignty, because, again, for Him to do so would be for Him to share His divinity with other creatures. There is one true and living God, and He will accomplish all of the purposes. Man, though the crowning jewel of God's creation and created in the image of God, is nevertheless the creature, and God is the Creator.
Given these facts, our attitude should be one of deep awe and reverence for the God of the Bible. Instead, we kick against the goads as it were, because such a view of God and of man completely robs man of anything upon which to boast. It places man completely at the mercy of God; a place where man does not want to be, because he cannot manipulate God or buy him off.
So, instead of giving a lengthy reply to the objection, Paul just goes straight for the juggler vein so to speak, and challenges man at the point of his autonomy, and reminds man that he is not the potter, rather, he is just a piece of clay who has no rights (except for the ones that God might be pleased to give him) and who can make no demands upon God. God will do with the pieces of clay as He sees fit. And, the bottom line here is that we simply hate that.
3. As a Calvinist, I have to answer the same question/objection that the apostle Paul does by those that oppose Calvinism. To me, that says something about who may be on the right track, and who is not regarding these matters. J Those that hold to a free will view would never receive such an objection.
Now, we could just stop right there with Paul's answer to the question of how it is that God still holds us accountable for the choices we make in light of His absolute sovereignty. However, there are a number of answers that, though they may not be fully explanatory of the mystery, nevertheless shed light and help us to understand a bit more. Ultimately, the reason we are held responsible for the God ordained choices we make is because we make the choices in accordance with our desires. In other words, we choose precisely what we want, and we are accountable to God to make choices that are in keeping with His revealed will.
Having mentioned God's revealed will, I have not yet mentioned the two
senses in which we speak about the will of God, but, an understanding of that is
critical as well and helpful in understanding the relation between divine
sovereignty and human responsibility. Biblically and
theologically, there are two senses that we
speak of God’s will: God’s will
of decree and God’s will of command. Some
folks call these the Decretive Will and the Preceptive Will, or the Hidden will
of God and the Revealed will of God (see these articles for more info:
-
http://www.enjoyinggodministries.com/article/are-there-two-wills-in-god
- brief and concise
-
http://www.rbvincent.com/BibleStudies/willsofgod.htm
- this has a very cool chart!
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/1995/1580_Are_There_Two_Wills_in_God/.
See also http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Gods-Will/.
These things are found throughout the Bible.
One of the foundational text for this is Deuteronomy 29:29:
"The
secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed
belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this
law.”
What
are the “secret things” that belong to God; what are the things that would
refer to God's decretive will? Well,
there are possibly thousands of examples. For
example, we have no idea how long we will live.
We do not know when the Lord will return.
We do not know the identity of the “elect” (if we did, evangelism
would be a whole lot easier!). We do
not know what will unfold historically (other than the fact that we know that
the Lord will return one day), etc. Now, please note; all of these things were
determined by God from all eternity. Just
by appealing to God’s omniscience, we can safely say that every single event,
no matter how small or trivial that has or will occur in time, has been known by
God from all eternity. Why or how
are these things known to God? Because
He has decreed all that happens, and God’s “will” in that sense, i.e.,
that which God has determined from all eternity, can never be thwarted.
That “will” will always come to pass, and God never
relinquishes that, for if He did, He would be relinquishing the very
thing that makes Him sovereign, and, in point of fact, God.
The universe would be subjected to what Luther referred to as, “that
idol called Chance.” God Himself
would not know what would happen and there would be no divine purpose for
anything that occurred in space and time.
So,
when we speak of the will of God that cannot be thwarted, we are speaking of
that "will" whereby from all eternity God has ordained all things that
come to pass. It is that which God,
from all eternity, purposed within Himself would occur and has been settled from
all eternity.
Now,
there is another sense in which we speak of God’s will.
We also speak of His will in terms of what He prescribes or commands us.
For example, God gives us His Ten Commandments, not His ten suggestions. J
Obviously God requires perfect obedience to those, and every other
commandment that He gives us. In
that sense we say that it is God’s will that we obey His commands.
This “will”, whereby God commands us to obey Him, is not complied
with; it does not come to pass.
Now,
here is the thing: In God’s
decretive will, He has “willed” that His will of command would not be
obeyed, and He has “willed” all of that to take place according to His own
purpose. As noted earlier, Acts
2:23-24 is a passage that shows both of these aspects together:
“Him,
being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have
taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death…”
Again,
please note that in this one passage we see both the sovereign, eternal purpose
of God, and the moral responsibility of man.
What is also in view is what I have been saying with regard to God’s
will of decree and His will of command. In
the first part of the verse, we see God’s will of decree: Jesus was crucified
in accordance with God’s eternal purpose.
This is what God “willed” from all eternity, and it came about
without fail (and, as noted earlier, think of the literally billions of free
will decisions that had to be made prior to Jesus being crucified.
Those choices had to be made precisely in accordance with God’s
sovereign decree, or Jesus’ crucifixion, not to mention the myriad of other
God ordained events, would never have taken place.). This “will” could never
be thwarted.
Next
we see God’s will of command. God
has told us of His “will” that we should not murder.
Yet, in the case of Jesus, these lawless men violated that “will” of
God, and murdered Jesus. Much, much
more could be said, but I will simply conclude this part by making the following
points:
1. God’s will of decree
always comes to pass. This
“will” is always done.
2. God’s will of command
does not always come to pass.
In fact, this “will” is never truly done perfectly, for we all
violate it daily in our words, thoughts, and deeds.
3. According to God’s will
of decree, He has ordained that His will of command would be violated, and
further, He has ordained that He would accomplish His will of decree in part
through the violations of His will of command (or, as Paul says, God is causing
"all things to work together for good to them that love Him…"(Rom
8:28)).
4. In Scripture, the tension between God's absolute sovereignty and human responsibility is never really dwelt upon, nor is there really an attempt to even reconcile it. It simply asserts both things, and calls us to embrace both (however, it calls us to embrace the biblical notion of those things, not our own ideas built primarily upon human reason and humanistic philosophy about those things). Having said that though, Scripture does give us enough information regarding both God's sovereignty and man's nature and will that though we may not be able to fully resolve the tension between God's sovereignty and human responsibility, we can nevertheless come to a reasonable and rational understanding how both things are compatible, and we can say with the apostle Paul:
Romans 11:33-36
"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."