Predestined?

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

Predestination is a word that troubles us deeply. It means that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin, a medieval theologian, philosopher and lawyer, went so far as to say that God had predestined certain individuals to go to hell and certain individuals to go to heaven. While there is always danger in oversimplification, suffice it to say that this error grew out of the conviction that because God was omniscient (knows everything), then God knows who will be saved and who will be damned. Of course, this kind of thinking runs counter to our belief in free will.

So when we read a passage such as tomorrow's lectionary reading from the Letter to the Romans, we get a little nervous: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified. At first glance, it would seem that St. Paul is saying the same thing.

However, there are two points that assure us that this is not the case. First of all, we must ask ourselves, "What is God's purpose?" Anyone who studied the Baltimore catechism knows the answer to this question. "God made us to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in heaven." To put it very simply, God's purpose was to save all people, not just some. Therefore, God does not create some people for eternal happiness and some for eternal damnation.

The second point is one that only someone who can read Greek would catch; namely, all of the verbs in this passage are in the plural. St. Paul belonged to a collectivistic society and culture, a culture in which individuals were unable to think of themselves except in relationship to the group. They did not have the same "rugged individualism" that is part of the Western culture in which we have grown. When St. Paul says "those he predestined," he is referring to all who believe in Christ. They are justified by their faith in Jesus, and consequently, they will be glorified as Christ was glorified. All were meant to be saved. Jesus himself tells us that God's will is for all to be saved and none to be lost. Our faith, just as the faith of all those Jesus addressed in the Gospels, will save us.