Predestination and the Rolling Ball
Does the Bible teach that we are predestined? Let’s consult the scriptures. The Greek word translated “predestined” is προορίζω (proorizo) and it is used six times in the New Testament. On four occasions (Romans 8.29-30 & Ephesians 1.511), the New International Version (NIV) Bible translates the word as “predestined” – a loaded term that evokes strong reactions. Accordingly, our history with the term limits clarity. Thus, as we ponder the biblical meaning of predestination, let’s consider the two biblical examples where προορίζω is used but translated differently.
First, consider Acts 4.28: They did what your power and will have decided beforehand (a form of προορίζω) should happen. In this verse, Peter is speaking about Herod, Pontius Pilate, and the people’s coordinated efforts to crucify Jesus Christ. According to Peter, their actions were predestined – or determined by God prior to its occurrence. This passage is not a referendum on humanity’s free will. Rather, the passage recollects the unfolding of God’s foreordained will: Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection were determined long before Pontius Pilate washed his hands clean of an innocent’s blood.
Second, consider 1 Corinthians 2.7: No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined (a form of προορίζω) for our glory before time began. This passage notes the difference between “the wisdom of this age” and God. “Rulers of this age” dawdle ignorantly toward an unknown future, while God saunters into the future with eternal clarity. God’s unchanging will rules over the was, the is, and the yet to come.
These two passages present God as a determining agent. God maneuvers everything toward his will – never adjusting to unforeseen events. For example, did God cause the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? No, our theology hinges upon the belief that our sin sent Jesus to the cross. Yet, we can rightly surmise God predestined (προορίζω) Jesus’ death and subsequent resurrection to eternal life.
As such, the concept of predestination reveals God’s eternal knowledge, authority, and agency. Predestination is about God – not so much about us. Some respond that God’s foreknowledge must prohibit our freedom to choose. Such respondents rightly note the logical incompatibility of God’s predestination and humanity’s free will. One, they say, must cancel the other. Do note however, such reasoning relies upon logic – the same logic befuddled by the child-like conundrum: “Can an all-powerful being make a rock too heavy for the being to lift?” Logic, it seems, has some limitations.
Finally, as we consider God’s predestination and our freedom, think about a ball rolling down a hill. Does it roll because a person tossed it? Or does it roll because of gravity? Which force is responsible for the rolling ball? The fickle, delicate human being or the intrinsic, invisible force essential to existence? So, who or what caused the ball to roll? Both seem culpabale. It seems, noth ‘who’ and ‘what’ caused the ball to roll. Likewise, predestination and human freedom need not cancel one another. Both, it seems, are in full force.
