Everyone Believes This Doctrine
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What does the Bible say about predestination?
The word predestination is a biblical word, and because it's a biblical word, all of those who have been diligent students of the Bible have tried to understand what the Bible means by divine predestination.
Do you believe in predestination? As discussions of Reformed theology, or what some call Calvinism, had among believers, this is a topic that can lead to heated debate as those with different views wish to defend their position. But as we were just reminded, predestination is a biblical word. So we mustn't deny predestination, but instead seek to define it biblically. This is Renewing Your Mind on this Monday. I'm Nathan W. Bingham. This week, you'll hear messages from one of R.C. Sproul's classic series, Chosen by God. And to mark the 40th anniversary of the publication of Chosen by God, when you give a donation in support of Renewing Your Mind at renewingyourmind.org, we'll send you a special 40th anniversary edition of the book,
How does R.C. Sproul define predestination?
and a copy of the series on DVD. Plus, we'll unlock the messages and the study guide in the free Ligonier app. So be sure to respond this week and help more people to discover the teaching that by God's grace has had a profound impact on so many people's lives. Well, despite the debate, when it comes to predestination, R.C. Sproul argues that every Christian believes in it. Here's Dr. Sproul.
As I look at the history of Christian scholarship, we see that every great Christian teacher, every theologian that the church has ever produced at some point or another has had to address this question of predestination. And though there's wide divergence of interpreting the doctrine of predestination, there's one thing that we can find that every theologian I've ever examined agrees on, and that is that this doctrine must be treated with great caution. It's a dangerous subject because the more we study it, the tendency it has to raise more questions than it answers.
What historical perspectives exist on predestination?
And I'm convinced that of all of the doctrines that we struggle with in Christendom, there's none that is more shrouded in misunderstanding and confusion than the doctrine of predestination. So that in itself calls for a certain kind of sober caution as we approach this subject. And I would add to the theologian's warning of caution that I think it's also a doctrine that requires an extra measure of charity as we struggle with it. and that we need to be patient with each other and with those who differ from us in our views of this particular question. Because I said there is a lot at stake here, and feelings can run very high when we discuss the matter of predestination. and we ought to be careful to manifest the fruit of God's Holy Spirit among ourselves as we try to deal with it.
Now, I keep saying the doctrine of predestination as if there were only one doctrine of predestination. or if there even were such a thing as a viable doctrine of predestination. There are those who look at the question of predestination and state it in categories like this. They'll say to you, a discussion between Christians would be, do you believe in predestination?
What are the main theological views on predestination?
And some people will answer that question either by saying, yes, I believe in predestination, or they will say, no, I don't believe in predestination. as if everybody understood what we were talking about when we talked about the doctrine of predestination. It may come as a surprise to some of you that every church that I know of historically, every denomination that I'm aware of historically that has formulated a doctrinal statement of sorts has formulated some doctrine of predestination. There is a Roman Catholic doctrine of predestination. There is a Lutheran doctrine of predestination. There's a Presbyterian doctrine of predestination. There's a Methodist doctrine of predestination, and so on.
So we need to get that clear at the beginning that there are many, many different doctrines of predestination. The reason why so many different denominations and different churches have doctrines of predestination is because the Bible speaks about predestination.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What does the Bible say about predestination?
0:00–1:13
2
How does R.C. Sproul define predestination?
1:13–2:31
3
What historical perspectives exist on predestination?
2:31–3:56
4
What are the main theological views on predestination?
3:56–5:22
5
How do Pelagianism and Augustinianism differ on salvation?
5:22–7:14
6
What role does God's sovereignty play in predestination?
7:14–10:27
7
What is the significance of Ephesians in understanding predestination?
10:27–12:19
8
How can we approach discussions on predestination with charity?
12:19–26:12