Basic reasons for evangelism within a predestinarian framework: 1) it's the means by which God calls people to himself 2) God tells us to 3) part of the enjoyment of God is the declaration of his praises (see e.g. Piper)
Reasons a predestinarian framework better enables evangelism: a) if conversion is down to God's action, it means that anyone can evangelise and that there is hope for any group, as we can't know who is elect. Remember God's comfort to Paul "for I have many people in this city". b) we don't have to be successful, just faithful and loving. Therefore takes a lot of pressure off us
My other problem with predestination (apart from general atheism of course). Why would God create people that he already knows would not worship him, thereby instantly condemning them?
That's a great question, and it's one even Paul can only give a "what if" answer to. For me, one of the strongest arguments that it is what the Bible teaches is that Paul saw the need to address that objection.
For me, I guess I'd want to say that I trust God, and I'd answer yes to the question "Is it possible that God has an overwhelmingly good motive that I, being finite and human and stuff, can't think of?"
5 comments:
Yes, this is conditional predestination, as held by Molina and Arminius.
Bit of a blow for evangelism. Why bother if this is the case?
Basic reasons for evangelism within a predestinarian framework:
1) it's the means by which God calls people to himself
2) God tells us to
3) part of the enjoyment of God is the declaration of his praises (see e.g. Piper)
Reasons a predestinarian framework better enables evangelism:
a) if conversion is down to God's action, it means that anyone can evangelise and that there is hope for any group, as we can't know who is elect. Remember God's comfort to Paul "for I have many people in this city".
b) we don't have to be successful, just faithful and loving. Therefore takes a lot of pressure off us
My other problem with predestination (apart from general atheism of course). Why would God create people that he already knows would not worship him, thereby instantly condemning them?
That's a great question, and it's one even Paul can only give a "what if" answer to. For me, one of the strongest arguments that it is what the Bible teaches is that Paul saw the need to address that objection.
For me, I guess I'd want to say that I trust God, and I'd answer yes to the question "Is it possible that God has an overwhelmingly good motive that I, being finite and human and stuff, can't think of?"
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