Predestination and Free Will: Four Views of Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom

Years ago when I was struggling with the issues of election, freedom, Calvinism, Arminianism, I read this book. The four people they chose make solid arguments for their individual views. That is the right way to approach it. There are no "straw men" here. This is not going to present you with major treatises on the views. It is not intended to. This will give you a place to start if you feel like digging in deeper. Just remember, the single most important doctrine is one that all of the authors hold in common. You can have eternal life by trusting in Christ. Ultimately, that is what matters most.

The issue of predestination and free will rests at the base of many theological interpretations of all subjects. To understand God's Word correctly, this is one of the first issues that must be tackled because of other theologies' reliance on this. There is a perceived conflict, but it can be resolved through Scriptural reading and through guiding commentaries such as this one that discusses the meaning of the key Scriptures. The Bassinger brothers begin with a general discussion of the perceived contradiction regarding our freedom and God's sovereignty. Then each writer proposes their viewpoint in an essay, which is immediately responded to by the other 3 contributors. The first author, Dr. Feinberg, begins with a moderate Calvinistic viewpoint. He uses much Scripture and presents a good idea that our freedom is not inhibited by God's Sovereignty. God knows what will happen prior and directs His will. Our freedom is limited. The second author, Dr. Geisler, writes from a different moderate Calvinistic viewpoint. He too uses Scripture profusely, and states that God's work through sovereignty does not affect our freedom, and that they can coexist. This is because God limits His sovereignty to allow free will. His knowledge beforehand of our actions does not affect our freedom to choose. The third author, Dr. Reichenbach, writes from an Arminian standpoint and uses Scripture profusely as well. He states that the issue of Predestination and Free Will outlined in Scripture is a mystery that cannot yet be known. He states that we are completely free and God is completely sovereign. The fourth author, Dr Pinnock, writes from an Open Theism standpoint and uses little Scripture in his writing compared to the other writers. He states that God does not know how things will work out exactly. He knows the end-result, and knows all the possibilities in the middle (scientia media), but doesn't know exactly what path we will take. This is because Scripture's statement of God being "almighty" has been traditionally misinterpreted. Of the 4 positions, the last is the only one that I did not think belonged. I would have much liked to have seen a strong Calvinistic viewpoint, even though it is not as widely believed as the first 3 authors' writings. This book helped me to understand free will and predestination in a much grander scheme. One issue I had with the book was that each author tried to pin God into a neatly labeled box in which He acts in every situation, whether it be choosing a flavor of ice-cream or choosing whether to follow the left fork or right in a big life-changing decision. I believe God acts differently in different situations and that He is more flexible than is provided by any of these 4 interpretations. A superb reading regarding this key issue in theology. Of course, the first place to start is Scripture, but this is a good second read regarding this perceived conflict.

This book's method of delivery has to be the best way to explore such difficult issues. Although the reader will disagree with one or more of the contributors of the book, regardless of their position, a clear understanding of just how much can be discovered through other's point of view will be obtained.This book will further develop your own position on the issue, and give you "something to chew on."

This book is an excellent tool to broaden your thinking as to the various ways in which Christians view the seemingly contradictory biblical truths of God's sovereignty and human free will. When I first read the book, perhaps a dozen or so years ago, it really opened up my eyes as to the complexity and profoundness of the issue. Here we have four Christian scholars, each with a brilliant mind, who present their positions logically and convincingly, and yet, are unable to reach a consensus between them. When such apt erudites have difficulty agreeing on certain issues we shouldn't be surprised that the average Christian is puzzled as well.It seemed to me that each author took hold of a particular aspect of the total revealed truth, and clung to it tightly, and gave it more weight or emphasis than the other aspects. And interestingly enough, each was able to argue their case persuasively using the scriptures and philosophical arguments. The comments of each author on the essays of the others revealed strengths and weaknesses of the arguments for each position. This really hit home and convinced me of the overwhelming complexity of the issue and why we should not be dogmatic in our assertions on this subject.Before I read the book, I think I may have had an idea as to what I believed about the sovereignty of God and what its relationship is to human free will. But after reading it, I was really left with the impression that perhaps our finite minds really are incapable of fully comprehending this profound truth - that perhaps, God's thoughts truly are that much higher than our own. It really had a humbling effect, which I believe is good. Perhaps there is a higher common denominator that has not yet been discovered or revealed where these seemingly opposing truths can be reconciled. I do feel however that when we dogmatically emphasize a particular aspect of the entire revealed truth we tend to polarize ourselves from other brothers to whom God may have chosen to reveal a different aspect of his truth.For ages, contemplative believers accepted both ideas as biblical truth and just lived with the tension between the two. But for those who just could not live with the tension, we have created for ourselves several ingenious theologies which explain things from basically one perspective to make it easier for our minds to grasp.Without a doubt, I am certainly not an expert on this issue. But after a good deal of thought, for me, it still remains a mystery of God - something too high for me to fully understand, so I decided for myself to make no dogmatic conclusions. Perhaps I will feel differently about this later, but the book did have this infuence on me.My hope is that the book opens up the minds of the readers so that they may be more understanding of their brothers who may feel differently than they do, and foster an attitude of grace, mercy, acceptance and love. This is a very thought provoking

Being able to explain how God is all-powerful and all-knowing, while at the same time people have free-will to make our own decisions is more than a philosophical exercise. It goes to the heart of what you believe about God, how He works in your life, and how you live before Him. This book presents four opinions on how to explain the issue, and reading it helped me to further clarify my own opinion in my mind. (I especially enjoyed the responses of each author to the others -- it was like being privy to a live debate, and much more entertaining than merely reading four different books on the subject). So if you, think you already know the answer, as I did, this book will be a real learning experience, if only to foster better understanding of how fellow believers think. Similar to this book, and recommended with equal enthusiasm, is Donald Alexander (ed.), "Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification."