A while back the issue of predestination crossed my deep thought process. It was not I who thought of predestination, I must admit, but rather a friend of mine who mentioned the concept. But his mentioning got me thinking about how absorbed we human Christians get with this idea that is never explicitly mentioned in the Bible. What ended up happening in my thought process was that I connected predestination with evangelism, as is sometimes brought up.
I do recall that in high school the Brotherhood (the tight group of 5 young men I was friends with) discussed predestination once. The suggestion was brought up by Joel that if predestination is Truth, if God has destined some to be saved no matter what, "Then what is the point of mission work; preaching the gospel; in summary -- Evangelism?" I recalled my friend's question to my mind when recently pondering predestination, and this, now, is how I would answer him.
For the purpose of this entry, predestination must be thought of as John Calvin wrote about it. The doctrine of predestination holds that some are selected by God to be saved and the rest are selected to be damned. How God makes his selections is another topic. For the general purpose of this discussion, only the major concept above need be assumed.
Whether or not predestination is Truth is not my question here. My real concern is the motivation for evangelism, as pressed upon by Joel. If predestination is true -- if God selects some to be saved no matter what -- then Joel has a fine point: Why evangelize? Whether by general revelation through Creation or specific revelation thru the scriptures, those destined for salvation will be saved. Therefore it seems unnecessary to spend money on mission work. Yea, it even seems a waste. The church could instead turn to its local community and get people off the street. **Not a bad idea, by the way.** Yet, I have two problems with such a mentality as this.
The first issue is that of the Great Commission commanded by Jesus to his immediate and dare I say) eventual disciples before his departure from this world. Here Jesus commands us to preach the gospel unto the ends of the earth. That right there is enough to continue mission work and evangelism. But since predestination is a construction by man and not God (remember, it is not explicitly biblical), I must approach the subject from a more rational and less faith-based approach.
If predestination is a true doctrine, if there is any reality to it, then yes, rationally evangelism for the sake of salvation seems purposeless. But evangelism for the sake of the gospel, on the other hand, is full of purpose and (I hope) appeal. The gospel message is so wonderful, so radical, so life-changing, that it must be shared. In the book of John, Jesus tells the apostles that he came so that their joy may be complete. That is how I see evangelism, regardless of predestination. The story of Jesus is too good to keep to ourselves. Yes, if God has predestined some for salvation, they will be saved. I trust that God will see to it no matter what I do. But when I think about what the Father and the Son accomplished in and thru the Spirit, it overwhelms me. To quote David, "My cup overfloweth;" my cup, of course, being my own spirit being overfilled with joy. I can't keep this to myself. I have to share it in order that my joy may be made complete.
Personally, I do not hold to the doctrine of predestination because it makes things complicated. To many questions arise from the word itself. Also, it is not biblically sound. The Great Commission is explicitly biblically sound. It is right there. Words from the Living Word. I would rather "cover all my bases" by following the Great Commission and make my joy complete than take the off chance that my neighbor will be saved even if I do not tell her my personal joy that I have in the story of the Trinity.
