What was double predestination

The inference is clear and necessary, yet some shrink from drawing it. Such a notion of predestination is manifest nonsense. Theoretically there are four possible kinds of consistent single predestination. The only other kind of single predestination is the dialectical kind, which is absurd. I once witnessed a closed discussion of theology between H. Kuitert went into a lengthy discourse on theology, utilizing the method of the dialectic as he went.

When he was finished, Dr. If particular election is to be maintained and if the notion that all salvation is ultimately based upon that particular election is to be maintained, then we must speak of double predestination. The distortion of double predestination looks like this: There is a symmetry that exists between election and reprobation. God works in the same way and same manner with respect to the elect and to the reprobate.

That is to say, from all eternity God decreed some to election and by divine initiative works faith in their hearts and brings them actively to salvation. By the same token, from all eternity God decrees some to sin and damnation destinare ad peccatum and actively intervenes to work sin in their lives, bringing them to damnation by divine initiative.

In the case of the elect, regeneration is the monergistic work of God. In the case of the reprobate, sin and degeneration are the monergistic work of God. Stated another way, we can establish a parallelism of foreordination and predestination by means of a positive symmetry. This is, God positively and actively intervenes in the lives of the elect to bring them to salvation. In the same way God positively and actively intervenes in the life of the reprobate to bring him to sin.

This distortion of positive-positive predestination clearly makes God the author of sin who punishes a person for doing what God monergistically and irresistibly coerces man to do.

Such a view is indeed a monstrous assault on the integrity of God. This is not the Reformed view of predestination, but a gross and inexcusable caricature of the doctrine. Such a view may be identified with what is often loosely described as hyper-Calvinism and involves a radical form of supralapsarianism. Such a view of predestination has been virtually universally and monolithically rejected by Reformed thinkers.

In sharp contrast to the caricature of double predestination seen in the positive-positive schema is the classic position of Reformed theology on predestination. In this view predestination is double in that it involves both election and reprobation but is not symmetrical with respect to the mode of divine activity. A strict parallelism of operation is denied.

Rather we view predestination in terms of a positive-negative relationship. In the Reformed view God from all eternity decrees some to election and positively intervenes in their lives to work regeneration and faith by a monergistic work of grace. To the non-elect God withholds this monergistic work of grace, passing them by and leaving them to themselves.

He does not monergistically work sin or unbelief in their lives. When men hear us say that God works both good and evil in us, and that we are subject to God's working by mere passive necessity, they seem to imagine a man who is in himself good, and not evil, having an evil work wrought in him by God; for they do not sufficiently bear in mind how incessantly active God is in all His creatures, allowing none of them to keep holiday.

He who would understand these matters, however, should think thus: God works evil in us that is, by means of us not through God's own fault, but by reason of our own defect. We being evil by nature, and God being good, when He impels us to act by His own acting upon us according to the nature of His omnipotence, good though He is in Himself, He cannot but do evil by our evil instrumentality; although, according to His wisdom, He makes good use of this evil for His own glory and for our salvation.

Thus, the mode of operation in the lives of the elect is not parallel with that operation in the lives of the reprobate. God works regeneration monergistically but never sin. Sin falls within the category of providential concurrence. The decree and fulfillment of election provide mercy for the elect while the efficacy of reprobation provides justice for the reprobate.

God shows mercy sovereignly and unconditionally to some, and gives justice to those passed over in election. It boggles the imagination to think of it. If we were to put Gods intelligence side by side with the intelligence of the most intelligent person to have ever lived what would we see? Are there things past finding out? I believe God sovereignly gave me this faith. I also believe that every other human on earth can recieve this faith. Paul said: Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans I also believe that not all will recieve it. Can I answer this? Is foreordination to reprobation a possibility? It could be. I got to thinking about the last Above post I left. Any God who would foreordain one to such a monstrous happenstance would not be worthy of worship.

Then I ended this same post with: Is foreordination to reprobation a possibility? I could see how many would see this as contradictory, so I thought I should come back and clarify some more. I do find it a monstrous thing to attribute to a loving God, to a just God, to the God of the bible, as I know him currently. If I could see more, fathom more, reach more with all of my limited human resources, of what ever sort, then perhaps I could reconcile double predestination with that of a just God.

Despite the above statement, I feel sure that our gaining greater insight, into this matter would lead us away from a belief in double predestination not toward it. I find prayer to be helpful in times like these. We can make an appeal to a being who is not finite or fallible, with whom there is no possibility of error or miscalculation, our maker, The Almighty, He can guild us. Let me offer such a prayer. Father in heaven, our creator, you who came to earth in the person of a man, Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, prophesied of by the Hebrew prophets, we make our appeal to you, is anything hidden from your eyes?

Bring a revelation of these matters to our minds, enable us to grasp them, to reach them. Of course, salvation has its beginnings in the sovereign, monergistic work of God in regeneration, so that all credit is due to him. If double predestination is true, some people suppose, then God must also be sovereignly responsible for the beginnings of damnation in the reprobate: he must monergistically produce sin in the hearts of the non-elect, which will ultimately end in eternal judgment.

This understanding of double predestination makes God the author of sin, and is utterly unbiblical. However, even if we must reject the distortion of double predestination that sees God as monergistically producing sin unto condemnation just as he monergistically produces faith untosalvation, we must also reject the denial of double predestination in any sense.

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