Quite often, discussions about theological issues boil down to one side pulling out their list of Scriptures proving their doctrine and the other side pulling out their list of Scriptures to prove their contrary doctrine, and most often, it is whoever has the most extensive list that wins.
For many, the subject of Predestination is a ‘closed fist’ doctrinal issue, which means they will often point the finger of indignant anger at those who disagree. There are absolutely essential doctrines in Christianity, but predestination is not one of them.
The doctrines of Predestination and free-will are complicated, and those on both sides tend to debate endlessly. In the church, there exists the belief that, before any humans were born, God picked out which of them would spend eternity with Him and which ones would end up in eternal conscious torment. Essentially, those whom God chose were saved before they were born, and those who were not end up suffering for eternity, with free will having zero effect.
THEOLOGY AND QUANTUM PHYSICS
Within the church, the mention of Quantum Physics seems eerie, complex, overwhelming, intimidating, or hard to understand when considering what the Bible teaches about Creation and the order of the Cosmos. However, after years of study, I truly believe that it is no threat to the orthodox teachings of the founding fathers of the faith and the authority of God’s written Word, the Bible.
The science of Quantum Mechanics is a branch of Physics that attempts to observe, calculate, measure, and understand the unpredictable behavior of matter (particles), light, and energy occurring at the atomic (nanoscopic) levels beginning within nuclei, atoms, and molecules of the micro-world within the present continuum of time, matter, and space. It is a complicated field of study which makes attempts to answer questions about the universe, while at the same time creating more questions than answers.
The Quantum world operates under dramatically different laws than the physical macro-world of conditions, events, and circumstances. It then attempts to break them down into their most basic forms at the sub-atomic level to discover how everything in the Cosmos has come into existence and what the source is where they were derived.
"By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen." (Hebrews 11:3 NLT)
Quantum Physics tells us that quanta particles, which are light particle wave packets, form atoms which form molecules, and molecules form objects. The force holding the quanta particles, atoms, and molecules together is LIGHT!
"Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw the light was good." (Genesis 1: 3-4, NLT)
Light was the first thing God made before all else. Light was essential to create these things since His design requires the light force to bind our particles together. Light keeps electrons tied to the nuclei of atoms, and atoms tied together to make molecules and objects.
Everything that we can see is made up of these unseen quanta particles that do not behave in ways that are known by the laws of physics, which makes them more of a series of probabilities than something that can be scientifically defined and observed.
“His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?'” (Daniel 3:34-35 NIV)
God does not travel through time at the same rate as human beings, yet He remains engaged with them through all of history. The timeless God entered into time with His created and continually works together with them to achieve His absolute and ultimate plan. The Quantum world opens up the understanding that there is no ‘before’ with God. God exists in the eternal ‘present,’ at the same moment then as now, and sees the past, present, and the future from the same point.
One of God’s attributes is that He is omnipresent, so He simultaneously is at every point in time as we understand it. He knows what every person on the planet will choose, but He still allows them to choose because He loves everyone individually.
The discoveries of Quantum Physics do not undercut the four foundational truths of the Reformation that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the Scriptures alone. Quantum Physics has opened up the reality that God could know, even on multi-dimensional levels, everything that does or will happen as well as what a human being would freely choose if placed in any circumstance.
The study of Quantum Physics can help to bring clarity and understanding of the Creator’s sovereign knowledge of the future as well as His divine providence and predestination without hindering the free will of human beings. God is exponentially beyond human logic and understanding.
Quantum Physics can help in understanding God and how He can elect believers to salvation as well as human beings having a choice to accept freely or reject His love without Him having already determined that a person cannot choose otherwise or resist His grace (See Deuteronomy 30:19; Luke 13:34; Acts 4:28; Ephesians 1:11).
One of the most significant debates in the church today is regarding God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. This discussion has divided the church and created multiple divisions and denominations. Quantum Physics provides more providential latitude of both divine sovereignty and human freedom than traditional human schools of thought.
Quantum Physics transcends the debate between the predominant theological schools of Calvinism and Arminianism. However, there are other systems of belief, and the intent here is to present a short summation to help bring some cursory understanding of them.
Calvinism
The most dominant school in church teaching is Reformed Theology, which is also known as Calvinism. This school primarily teaches that God limited atonement by ordaining every future event before creation and has selected only specific individuals for salvation, based on nothing good or bad within the person. God then changes the hearts of pre-selected people to love Him because His saving grace is irresistible. It is taught that Jesus only died for the ones who had been pre-selected for salvation. In what is commonly called Hyper-Calvinism, it is believed that God actively causes people to sin or go to Hell. What seems to be implied is that God plays favorites by arbitrarily saving some while already condemning others from the beginning. The phrases ‘once saved always saved,’ ‘sloppy/greasy grace,’ or “it provides for a license to sin” are most often used derogatorily by others to oversimplify this teaching and its effects.
Arminianism
The second dominant school is Arminianism, which is an offshoot of Calvinism with roots in Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism. This school of thought teaches that God sees the future and knows who will respond to the Gospel and be saved. It is believed that God first enlightens the sinner and grants them the same freedom of choice that Adam had in the Garden. A person can freely choose to either accept or reject Jesus. Jesus died for all people, but it only applies to those who respond in faith. To rephrase and oversimplify this teaching, the primary belief is that a person can “lose” their salvation by acts of sin after they become Born-Again, to which some say antithetically, creates salvation by works and not by the unmerited grace and favor of God (See John 3:3,7; 1 Peter 1:23).
Open Theism
Another less known school of thought is called ‘Open Theism,’ which teaches that it is impossible for the Creator of all things to know in advance the choices a person will make in the future. It is believed that God knows everything which can be known, but He cannot know them in advance. The Open Theist would say that God tests people to see how they will respond and that when God prophesies, He steps in to actively cause those events to take place without looking to see the future.
Some partially agree with the previous statements but ascribe to what is known as “Selective Open Theism,” which teaches that God can choose to see any detail of the future that He desires. However, He selectively chooses which things He wants to know about the future and which He does not.
Molinism
Another school of thought is known as Molinism, which teaches that it is because God is love that He gave human beings the free will to choose to accept or reject Him and to love or hate Him. God knows everything within the past, in the present, and into the future. He knew that sin would enter into the world, but He is not the author of sin. He knows the possibilities of every circumstance and every different choice a human might make, yet He willingly allows only one of those potential choices to occur. God knows logically all things that are possible and necessary, as well as all possible combinations of every event and choice. It is altogether natural for God to know the logical truths of the Cosmos, such as how many solar systems there are, as well as all potential events that might occur in different circumstances.
Determinism
One of the arguments in Science, before the discoveries of Quantum Physics, was the theory of absolute determinism that states specific properties of the universe imply that events occurring, in reality, are casually and not wholly determined, but rather a matter of probability and that things fundamentally cannot be measured with perfect precision.
It was Sir Isaac Newton who presented the philosophical concept that all events in the universe are pre-determined or pre-destined in a mechanical clockwork-like linear precision and can be known and predicted.
In theology, ‘determinism’ is the theory that God, via His divine omniscience or advanced decrees, has a predetermined and unchangeable plan that all humans will do. This has caused a plethora of questions to arise about just how free is human “free will?” It is suggested that there is no freedom of choice and that the universe is entirely determined by God, which makes it inconsistent with the non-deterministic Quantum mechanical world.
The ‘Uncertainty Principle’ of Quantum Physics infers that both the spiritual and moral free will of humans play a role in determining their future and eternal destiny. Human beings are free moral agents with the ability to decide what will happen in their lives by the choices they make. The non-predetermined physical reality is consistent with the spiritual and moral reality described in the Bible. It cannot be adequately described using deterministic equations. The future is pre-determined.
THE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL GOD
The study of Quantum Physics has opened the door to a transcendent metaphysical reality beyond what human senses can perceive that shows God has the knowledge, apart from observation, what choice a person will make independently from the actualization of that choice without it being contrary to fact. God knows the outcome of any possible event and of every free choice that could be made whether or not a certain event exists under specified conditions. There are no limitations to God’s divine omniscience.
Quantum Physics presents the possibility that there are metaphysical grounds for God to know all things apart from His observation. God accomplishes His will perfectly in the lives of human beings through the use of His omniscience. Because God knows all things, He knew before He spoke creation into existence the outcome of every possible creation scenario and also created human beings entirely free with moral responsibility and individual liberty of thought and action to make whatever choices they desire, and then foreordained the world according to His perfect sovereignty and foreknowledge. God also knows the outcome of every seemingly random event to bring about His ultimate will.
Free Will
Quantum Physics helps to understand that human beings possess libertarian free will to choose or do anything because they are more than mere physical beings. It is a phenomenon of the present rather than the past. God does not want anyone to die an eternal death because of what he or she has done.
“…God our Savior,”… “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4 NIV)
The Triune God wants everyone to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, repent of their rebellion and sin, and submit their life to Him as a free act of love. He gave them the freedom to make that choice (See Ezekiel 18:23; John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9). The quantum world reveals that God has complete free knowledge of all logical truth in every situation, whether before the beginning, in the middle, or at the ending under all possible interpretation of any component.
When a person chooses to accept the free gift of salvation, God instantly chooses them out of the world of lost, guilty sinners. This choice was already made in eternity past for those who would call upon Him (See Ephesians 1:4). The purpose of this choice is their perfect standing before Him because of what Jesus did on their behalf.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (John 15:19 NIV)
As a result of the price Jesus paid for the release from the bondage of sin, a Christian no longer belongs to the world; they now belong to Jesus! When a person becomes a child of God, they are predestined to be conformed or molded, into the likeness of Jesus.
“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.” (Romans 8:29 NIV)
The Born-Again Christian should naturally grow and mature as a child of God, so it is only natural that they reflect God’s character and qualities - including love!
God’s Possession
“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:16 NIV)
Every Born-Again Christian is God’s possession and is considered “holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:4 NIV). He owns them and has the complete right to authority over them. They are now and forevermore without blame. Their sins have been forgiven, and the guilt of sin has been pardoned. They are holy in position because the righteousness of Jesus completely covers them.
Their election is according to God's foreknowledge, “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” (1 Peter 1:2 NIV).
The proof that a Born-Again Christian is now His possession is made evident by outward signs and will automatically bring about changes in their moral character and behavior. As one of “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,” a Christian must “clothe” their self “with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12 NIV).
In the quantum world, God could create universes and worlds in multiple dimensions and then survey all possible worlds and actualize into existence a particular one without manipulating or destroying the free will of human beings in various circumstances. God knows in advance every potential free will choice a person will make and then predestines and saves the one He knows will choose Him. He can enter into every life situation and circumstance and work it out for the best (Romans 8:28).
God knows what human beings would choose independently from the materialization of that choice. He knows the outcome of every possible decision that will or could be made. In other words, He knows what free decisions people will make independently of His controlling decree. He knows from eternity past what a person would have done, or would do, in any hypothetical circumstance or situation, but He does not necessarily pronounce what will happen.
Jesus told Bethsaida that if He had come to Sodom and Gomorrah, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes. He knew this even though it did not happen because He knows what would or could take place in any given circumstance (See Matthew 11:21- 24; Luke 10:13-14).
God knew what would happen if David remained in Keila and what would happen if he did not (1 Samuel 23:1-14). God told Moses that the Israelites would forsake God after they were delivered from Egypt (See Deuteronomy 31:16-17).
God is a good God, and He would never actively bring about overt acts of evil, or suffering or pain, or sin even though He has foreknowledge of evil acts (See also Deuteronomy 28:51-57; Proverbs 4:11; Jeremiah 38:17-18; Ezekiel 3:6-7; Matthew 12:7; 17:27; 23:27-32; 24:43, 26:24; Luke 4:24-44, 16:30-31, 22:67-68; John 15:22-24, 18:36, 21:6; 1 Corinthians 2:8). God does not unilaterally or causally determine every outcome of any unforeseen event as that would be at the expense of human freedom.
Divine Providence and the Sovereignty of God
Quantum Physics also helps to understand God’s free knowledge of the future and His divine providence and predestination. Because God knows all possible outcomes, He retains His divine providence without hindering the libertarian freedom of humanity (See Genesis 50:20).
God knows every possible future, and in His infinite wisdom has planned for every contingency. He knows what each person would do given any possible circumstance and arranges the world in such a way as to bring about His will using their free choices.
Quantum Physics also opens the door to the possibility that God possesses libertarian anthropology that He actualized using His knowledge of possible multiple dimensions between His knowledge of necessary truths and His creative decrees (Isaiah 10, 45:7; Matthew 11:21-24).
The sovereignty of God’s providence can both elect believers, and they can also come to God freely by their choice without being contradictory or predetermined. It affirms that God grants salvation while still allowing every human being to freely accept, resist, or even reject the Gospel message of God’s grace because God definitively knows if a person were placed into a particular situation, they would not reject it.
God’s grace is unequivocally necessary for any act towards salvation. He does not create a world based upon the assessment of a person’s choices that are freely made in a specific situation and circumstance and then creates the world based upon that evaluation.
Omniscient Observer
In the Quantum world, it is revealed that God’s omniscience affords Him the knowledge of all truth in every potential situation, whether before the beginning, at the ending, and all points in between under all possible interpretations of any component. As stated previously, God knows everything that will or does happen. Before God spoke the world into existence, He knew independently what a person would freely choose if placed in any possible circumstance or situation.
"God's eternal knowledge of the outcome of the free will choices of human beings implies that there enters into these choices, notwithstanding their free character, an element of pre-determination, to which the knowledge of God can attach itself.” (ISBE)
God alone grants salvation. Because He is love, He gave human beings the free will to choose to accept or reject Him and to love or hate Him. He knows what choices a person will make, whether they are good or bad, just as a parent can understand the choices their child will make in a given situation, whether or not they make them. He perfectly accomplishes His will in their lives (Matthew 11:23). He knew that sin would enter into the world, but He is not the author of sin. God does not actively bring about overt acts of sin or suffering or pain because He is a good God.
Discipleship vs. Evangelism
Predestination is about the destiny of every Born-Again Christian and not about the destiny of unbelievers. It is about God bringing people to be conformed to the image of Jesus. God does not choose some people to be in Christ while passing over the rest.
Predestination does not mean that someone can believe in and follow Jesus, serving Him their entire life, but if they are not one of the “elect,” it doesn’t matter what they've done because they are still destined to hell.
Predestination is a discipleship issue rather than a justification or evangelism issue. The Bible teaches that predestination is about the glorification of the Born-Again Christian and their sanctification, both positionally and conditionally (Romans 8). Every Born-Again Christian is predestined to become like Jesus.
God chooses, elects, predestines, predetermines, decides, foreordains, and commits Himself to make sure that every person who believes in Jesus for eternal life, will finally and ultimately be glorified into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. Election and predestination are most adequately understood in connection with being made holy and blameless before God (Ephesians 1:4-11; Romans 8:29-30).
The predestination of the Saints is about God’s commitment to their preservation. Nothing can take them out of the Father’s firm grasp (John 10:29). Nothing can separate them from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). God has given the Holy Spirit as a promise and guarantee of their inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).
God is not an evil, sadistic monster. He is love and created human beings for His good pleasure. It is hard to rationalize that He would intentionally want to see people tormented forever and ever without the free-will choice to either accept or reject Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
