Has God Predestined Some Souls to Hell? Part 4 Calvinism
The emotional answer
No, God does not predestine anyone to be condemned because our God is love and care. It is unthinkable that our good Saviour can ever do such a thing. I mean, think of your loved ones that you so labour in prayer for their salvation, only for someone to suggest that it’s all useless because the Almighty has marked that person to be thrown in the fiery furnace. What is even the purpose of our preaching the Gospel to sinners if they are already made to be condemned? Therefore, our emotions cannot allow for anything called predestination unto destruction. Such a thing is nothing short of cruelty and inhumanity.
The biblical answer 1
No, the Almighty will never predestine people to hell because there is enough Bible evidence to prove that God cannot create people to be damned. After all, are we not told that Jesus died for all men and that He desires all men to be saved? (Joh 3:16, 1 Tim 2:4). Which means the good Lord has done all He can to pave way for salvation, it’s now up to us to come to the living waters. Those who find themselves in hell, do so by their own choice and volition.
Biblical answer 2
Yes, there are humans who are predestined to be destroyed because as long as we agree on election to salvation, we automatically agree that the rest are not elected to salvation but to condemnation. In fact, there is something called the “vessels of wrath that are prepared for destruction.” Check this out…
Romans 9:21-22 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction.
To explain: Paul’s argument is that we are mere creatures that have no right to question the decision that the Almighty makes upon His creation. He draws a picture of a potter (one uses mud to make kitchen utensils). That potter has the freedom to make any vessel he wants to make, be it for storing honourable things or for storing rubbish. Therefore, the teaching is that God has freedom to do as He pleases with us; it is within His right to make you with the purpose of salvation and to also create your neighbour with the purpose of sending them to hell. Notice that everything that God does has a purpose on His part (it’s not just meaningless cruelty): vessels of wrath play a huge role in “making His wrath & power known” (verse 22). While the purpose of the vessels of mercy is to “make known the riches of His glory.”
One may argue that this text does not explicitly teach predestination unto destruction, fair enough then, however, I don’t think we can dismiss the word “what if”, which betrays that such a thing is possible. The Almighty has freedom to do it if He wants, and we will not do anything about it.
Another verse that may also hint about election unto damnation is found in Apostle Jude’s warning about false teachers. He says,
For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ - Jude 1:4
I leave you to interpret for us what it means that those “certain people were designated for condemnation long ago.” If you have more time, you can also consider 1 Peter 2:7-8 and 2 Peter 2:3.
Here is the summary of this whole matter.
Our human understanding of God’s love cannot allow or even imagine that there are people who are predestined to be thrown into the fire. And that is okay for us to think that way. However, I would be greatly disappointed in you if you put all your theological eggs in the basket of your emotions. Once we mature a bit we must not be afraid of what Scripture teaches; to read it as a whole; honestly and humbly. Then we will appreciate that it’s true that the good Lord desires all men to be saved, and that He so loved the world that whosoever may come and find life. Yet at the same time, we will not miss that there may be something called the vessels of God’s anger which were prepared to display the power of God through their destruction. That is also Biblical and we can’t run away from it. Like I said last time, don't ever presume yourself to be more loving than the Almighty, or perhaps more wise. There are some things about Him that we will never understand.
I must caution about this though: the Gospel message is not about telling people that they are already condemned. It’s not about telling them that they are not part of the elect. On the contrary, the message we are called to proclaim is to call men, everywhere to come and be saved. We are to invite them, to beg them from all corners of the earth; the highways and the byways. All are summoned to the wedding feast prepared by the Son of God. Who is elect and who is not elect only the Lord knows. With that, I am signing out.
Sinothi Ncube
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