What about predestination? The "firstfruits"

Recently we've been reconsidering many of the things we thought we understood regarding doctrine and faith. We have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern. We have deemed this our “Rethink.”

Our questions include, how did we arrive at our doctrines? Does the Bible really teach what we think it teaches? Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched?

It's easy to be spoon fed the conventional wisdom, but it's an entirely separate thing to search these things out for one's self. In the past we have read the Bible with these unexamined understandings and interpreted what we read through those lenses. We were lazy about our Bible study, assuming that pastors and theologians were telling us the truth, but we rarely checked it out for ourselves.

Therefore, these Rethinks are our attempt to remedy the situation.

We should note that we are not Bible scholars, but we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to understand the Word of God.

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Introduction

We should first note that doctrines like predestination are the product of intellectual pursuit, having little value regarding a Christian's life of faith. Yes, we actually believe that knowing about predestination is largely irrelevant. Whether or not we are predestined to be saved does not come to bear on our need to repent, believe, grow in faith and maturity, serve others, be holy, or share the Gospel. None of these things are changed by what we believe about predestination. Predestination does not edify or improve one's faith.

As such, we deem it to be an intellectual curiosity at best, and a time waster at worst. Nevertheless, we shall take the time to explore some ideas about predestination so as to provide the reader with some understanding.

Binary Choice

We believe the primary mistake to be avoided is to treat God as a binary being. He's not. And that's what the debate is based on, a binary choice. Does God chose beforehand who will be saved, or is there an element of human free choice that comes to bear? This is a binary choice forced upon us, and it has caused untold division in the Church. 

God doesn’t look at things the way we do. He declares:

Isaiah 55:8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways… As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.  

Thus our linear, logical, systematic way of thinking creates problems and conflicts that simply don't exist in the Hebraic way of thinking. Some of these are 

• Is salvation by grace or works?
• Are we righteous or being made righteous?
• Are we perfect, or are we going to be perfect?
• Are we once saved always saved, or can we lose our salvation?

Each of these is a binary question, yes/no, on/off, go/stop. They set up a logical tension between two choices, and the answer is not entirely satisfying either way. But God is not binary. For the Hebrew mind there is no need to resolve perceived conflicts. Conflicts are not to be solved, but to be contemplated. There is no requirement for linear thought.

Given this, we should not be quick to impose a binary choice or force God into an anthropomorphic mold. 

The Hebrew Mind

We as a culture tend to think in binary terms. We are products of the legacy of Greek thought, more generally termed western thought, which is systematic, logical, and based on reason. We would do the Bible a disservice, however, if we were to impose our dedication to binary thinking to a non-binary document produced by a non-binary God.

The Bible is a Hebrew production. The Hebrew mindset is completely different than the Greek one:

"Intellectually, we are Greeks, not Hebrews. We apply Aristotelian and Socratic thought patterns to practically everything. It is surprisingly difficult to escape these patterns and enter into the Hebraic mindset. We insist on rendering everything into logically consistent patterns, on systematizing it, on organizing it into tight, carefully reasoned theologies. We cannot live with inconsistency or contradiction... 

The Western mind, when seeking to understand Scripture or what it means to be a "Christian," creates its own exegetical and theological dilemmas. ("If God is all-powerful, could he build a rock too heavy for himself to lift?" or "If God is love then why does he allow…?") We relentlessly attempt to organize everything into manageable intellectual blocks and structures. We want all questions answered, all problems solved, and all contradictions resolved.

The name of the game for the Hebrew mind is to marvel at the goodness and inscrutability of God. And as a result we begin to have the patterns of our mind transformed, so that 1Co. 2:16 becomes true for us: "'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." All the minutiae of doctrinal conflicts begin to become irrelevant.

A Scriptural Survey

Predestination basically means that God has already picked those who will be saved. Some ancillary principles that descend from this include

• God is completely sovereign in His choices
• God chose us, we did not choose Him.
• We don't participate in any way in our salvation.
• We don't make a decision to believe the Gospel. God has already arranged it, and at the exact time of His choosing we came to Christ.

Of course there is plenty in Scripture that suggests this:

Mk. 13:20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, no-one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.

Jn. 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Ro. 8:33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

Ep. 1:4-5 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ...

2Th. 2:13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

Jn. 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

1Pe. 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

1Pe. 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

By the same token, there are Scriptures that indicate the opposite, that we have the ability to choose to come to Christ:

Jn. 7:17 If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.

Ja. 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.

Re. 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. 

2Pe. 1:10-11 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It seems clear that people can resist God's purposes:

Ac. 7:51 “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!

Ja. 4:4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

2Pe. 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Jesus, Peter, and Paul commanded their hearers to repent, which seems like an appeal to human will:

Mt. 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Ac. 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord...

Ro. 2:4-5 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

2Ti. 2:25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

Paul acknowledges the work of the devil in obstructing people:

2Ti. 2:26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

And then there are verses like this, that contain both concepts:

Mt. 11:27-28 All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows the Son except the Father, and no-one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

It seems clear from the Bible testimony that both sides of the debate have ample ammo to hold their respective positions. However, we ought to consider the possibility that both sides of the predestination debate, though they seem to conflict, might be simultaneously true.

Our Premise

Our major thesis is that there is a certain class of people in the Bible who were predestined. They are notable because of God's direct intervention in their lives so as to carry out His purposes. People like Abraham, Moses, Jonah, David, and the Apostles were predestined for God's purpose and plan for humanity. 

Paul directly makes this claim:

Ga. 1:15-16 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles...

They were used as affirmative agents for this, but there are also many who were used negatively for the same purpose, including Pharaoh, King Saul, the prophet Eli, and of course Judas Iscariot:

Jn. 17:12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

So we will develop our thesis to explore the idea that predestination is not universal in the sense that Calvinists understand it. Rather, it is focused and limited.

The "Firstfruits"

As mentioned, our premise is that there was a specific category of people who were predestined. In the NT, this would probably include the apostles and very earliest Jewish believers. Almost all of the predestination Scriptures (discussed below) can be explained by postulating this group of people. 

Then there is a second group of people, the "second generation" of believers, who came to Christ at the testimony of the first group, and from where our legacy is derived:

1Co. 15:22-23 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ; the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

There is clearly a progression here: each in his own turn... Christ is the first to be made alive in resurrection. Then comes a group called the firstfruits. Lastly, the ones who receive resurrection are those who belong to Him when He comes.

We see this procession of groups of people all over the NT:

1Th. 4:15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

Ro. 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 

“the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23).

Ja. 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. 

In this last verse James refers to "us" as the firstfruits. Who is this "us?" Typical average Christians might think that James is referring to everyone who believes, including themselves. But what if "us" doesn't mean "you?" In fact, almost always when the writers of the NT refer to "us" they are talking about themselves and their group. And quite frequently we find that the narrative will switch from "us" to "you." 

When read in the context of our premise, these Scriptures take on a new understanding, that there were certain specific believers that were the "firstfruits," and others who came later, including us, who received the promise when we believed. Thus we postulate that a this certain group of people, the "firstfruits," are different because they were predestined.

Selected Predestination Proof Texts - A Problem With Interpretation

Some of the predestination proof texts aren't proof texts at all, because they are too casually examined by those who advocate for them. We too often find this sloppiness with these supposed Bible teachers, which does not inspire our confidence in their explanations. 

Let's examine some of these texts.

Ephesians Chapter One

This passage is one of the primary proof texts for predestination. However, it does not demonstrate what its advocates say. Let's quote parts of the chapter: 

Ep. 1:4-5 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will —

Ep. 1:11-12 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

These are definitive statements, which are cited by those who believe in predestination. He chose us, He predestined us. We were chosen. Pretty clear.

But Paul tells us directly that all this applied to we, who the first to hope in Christ. Now we know who the "we" is. "We" is not every Christian. What about them? Let's continue the narrative.

Ep. 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit...

Notice the switch in the narrative? Paul began by speaking of "us." Ep. 1:4:

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

But then we read Ep. 1:13:

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth... 

"You also." First Paul was talking about how "we" (specifically, those who were first to hope in Christ, vs. 12) are predestined, but then in verse 13 he turned to his audience and told them "you also" were included, and that happened when "you" heard the word of truth.

So who was Paul talking about when he is discussing predestination for we/us? The apostles and the very first believers (i.e., the firstfuits)?  And who was he talking about when he changed the narrative and began addressing his audience, "you?" His audience, the Ephesian church, and the rest of us, perhaps?

This concept, while perhaps controversial, is not without support. Paul makes this claim about himself:

Ga. 1:15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace... 

It is quite clear that Paul regarded himself as being in a special category.

2 Thessalonians 2:13:

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you [Some manuscripts: because God chose you as his firstfruits] to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

The alternate reading is interesting, because it changes the meaning from predestination generally to predestination specifically for the Thessalonian church as being very early believers. That is, they were marked to be saved first ("firstfruits").

Romans 9:22-25:

What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath — prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory — 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he says in Hosea: “I will call them `my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her `my loved one’ who is not my loved one,” [Hosea 2:23]

We first note that Paul was not talking about individuals, he was referring to a category of people. The word "objects" is not actually plural in the Greek. The word is skeuos, a vessel, into which wrath is emptied, i. e. men appointed by God unto woe, hence... fitted to receive mercy...

The word suggests a container fitted ("prepared") for either the wrath of God (vs. 22) or the mercy of God (vs.23). That is, those who are not His people are like a vessel being set up to carry His wrath.

Second, notice that the category of people who are vessels of wrath are subject to His "great patience." If indeed the vessel fitted for destruction is predestined for that fate, why would God be patient with them unless their fate is not actually predestined?

Third, Paul discussed Jews and gentiles, with the distinction being that one was elect and blessed while the other was excluded and doomed. Paul used the vessel idea to convey that the gentiles, who previously did not have access to the Promise, became objects of His mercy. 

Or, they were changed to a different vessel.

It seems that Paul was not discussing predestination so much as he intended to tell his readers that those who were previously excluded now have become included.

Romans 9:11-12:

Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad — in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls — she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” [Gen. 25:23]

Paul was talking about the nation of Israel and how they came about as His chosen people. We would be reluctant to read into this an individual predestination regarding salvation.

Ro. 8:18-19, 23, 29-30: 

Ro. 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed...

Ro. 8:23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 

29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

We notice several changes in the narrative in Romans Chapt. 8. Paul referred to "our" in Ro. 8:18, but clearly included his readers in several places. Then Paul refers to the firstfruits with a double "us" ("we ourselves"). Is it possible Paul was switching back and forth between discussing the nature of the apostles and the teaching his audience? This is a speculative theory, we admit, but perhaps it is the apostles and the very first believers ("we" and "us") who were predestined, but his audience ("you") who are saved.

"We" and "Us" Vs. "You"

We have begun to be more careful with our reading of Paul's letters, because he isn't always addressing his audience, as we have just noted. We should not therefore assume that everything he writes is directed to his readers, and the terms he uses are often indicators of this. Here is another example:

2Co. 4:7-15 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this allsurpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” [Psalm 116:10] With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Notice the continual switching back and forth between “us/we” and “you.” Paul describes his current status in some detail, but then writes, 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. In other words, what he wrote up to that point did not apply to those to whom he was writing. He specifically contrasted his own state with the state of his audience. This means it would be inappropriate to automatically apply Paul's words to our own lives.

This does not mean we can't find consolation in Paul's words in times of difficulty or trial, but Paul's intent was completely different. 

It is important to note that Christians often insert themselves into the things described in Scripture as if everything written there applies to them directly and personally. This is not the case. We must be careful to examine context, the nature of the writing (poetry/history/descriptive/prescriptive) and to consider how a reader 2000 years ago would understand the text. 

Much of our Rethink series is dedicated to this concept.

Conclusion

The debate regarding predestination is much more extensive than our brief survey, but we hope that our presentation provides some food for thought.