Is Double Predestination Fair?

Election and Reprobation

The terms election and predestination are often used interchangeably, both referring to God’s gracious decree whereby he chooses some for eternal life. In Romans 8:30 Paul speaks of those whom God has predestined, called, justified, and (in the end) glorified. In Romans 8:33 Paul references the “elect,” apparently a synonym for the predestined ones described a few verses earlier.

A sharp distinction between the two words is not warranted from Scripture, but if there is a distinction to be made, predestination is the general term for God’s sovereign ordaining, while election is the specific term for God choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world. For some theologians, election is the divine ordination to the appointed end of salvation, while predestination is the divine ordination regarding the means of salvation. Calvin defined predestination as “God’s eternal decree, by which he compacted with himself what he willed to become of each man. . . . Therefore, as any man has been created to one or the other of these ends, we speak of him as predestined to life or to death.”¹ For Calvin, predestination encompasses the entire eternal decree. Election and reprobation, then, represent two different aspects of that decree. The Canons of Dort make this same distinction, expounding on “election and reprobation” as the two elements of “divine predestination” (Art. 1).

This delineation is not without merit. The “elect” is always a positive designation in Scripture (e.g., Matt. 24:31; Titus 1:1), suggesting that election implies eternal life (though Romans 9:11 may be an exception to this rule). Predestination, on the other hand, can be used more broadly. Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and people of Israel, did to Jesus what God’s “plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:27–28). Of course, the doctrine of election does not depend upon the word itself. Numerous passages speak of believers being chosen in Christ (Eph. 1:4), chosen by God (2 Thess. 2:13), or prepared as a gift from the Father to the Son (John 6:37).

The opposite of election is reprobation, sometimes called double predestination. This is the belief that God not only predetermines those who will be saved but also predetermines those who will not be saved. Admittedly, this is a hard doctrine. Even Calvin called it a dreadful decree. But reprobation is more than a logical corollary to election. According to the Bible, God has vessels of wrath prepared for destruction (Rom. 9:22). The reprobate have been designated for condemnation (Jude 4), and they disobey the word as they were destined to do (1 Pet. 2:8).

It is important to note that in typical Reformed theology, reprobation has two parts: preterition (the determination to pass by some) and condemnation (the determination to punish those who are passed by). This distinction safeguards that God’s decree to punish the reprobate is not arbitrary or without justice. God wills to punish the guilty, not the innocent. While the decrees of God are beyond full human comprehension (Deut. 29:29), we must not shy away from testifying to the God who works “according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace” (Eph. 1:5–6).

Is Predestination Fair?

The doctrine of double predestination is not easy. Romans 9 tells us that before Jacob and Esau were born or had done anything good or bad, God had already determined to “love” Jacob and to “hate” Esau (Rom. 9:11–13). That is a hard word, prompting questions about God’s fairness and man’s responsibility. Thankfully, the apostle Paul anticipates both questions.

1) In Romans 9:14, Paul asks the question: “Is there injustice on God’s part?” His answer is a resounding, “By no means!” Notice, Paul does not defend God by appealing to human free will or by suggesting that election is based on God’s foreknowledge of our choice. Instead, Paul argues that God is not unjust in election, because election displays the character of God, and election serves the purposes of God. Paul makes both of these points in the same way, by quoting Scripture and then offering a summary statement of what Scripture teaches.

On the first point, Paul quotes from Exodus 33:19 where God reveals himself to Moses by announcing that he will have mercy on whomever he chooses to have mercy. For God to be God, he must be merciful, and he must be sovereign. The freedom of God to dispense his mercy to whomever he pleases, apart from any constraint outside of his own will, is at the heart of what it means to be God. Thus Paul summarizes: the ultimate reason some people believe and others do not depends on God, not on us (Rom. 9:16).

For God to be God, he must be merciful, and he must be sovereign.

Paul’s second point is the other side of the same coin. God not only has mercy on whom he will have mercy. He also hardens whom he wants to harden. If Romans 9:15–16 demonstrate God’s righteousness in loving Jacob, Romans 9:17–18 demonstrate God’s righteousness in hating Esau. This is why Paul quotes from Exodus 9:16. God raised Pharaoh up for the explicit purpose of hardening Pharaoh’s heart and thereby having occasion to show his (i.e., God’s) power.

2) In Romans 9:19, Paul anticipates a second objection: If salvation is up to God, why does he still find fault with us? Paul doesn’t back down from this objection, and he doesn’t deny that we are responsible for our choices and for our sins. Paul’s response is to question whether the question is even appropriate. To this end, Paul makes three points: We have no right to question God (Rom. 9:20); God has every right to do what he pleases (Rom. 9:21); predestination serves a divine purpose (Rom. 9:22–23).

Election and reprobation are not arbitrary exercises of divine power. They serve a good purpose in revealing the holiness of God, the power of God, and the glory of God. We would be unable to see and experience the full glory of God’s mercy apart from the backdrop of powerful wrath. It may seem as if Paul has not really answered the original questions he raised, but he has. His “answer” is to put God in his place and to put us in our place. Paul measures God by the only two things against which God can be measured: against Scripture and against himself. Paul defends the righteousness of God by helping us see what righteousness is all about. Righteousness is not about our fallible opinions of fairness or what we wish God were like. It’s about God’s character and God’s purposes as they are revealed in the Bible.

This article is adapted from Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology by Kevin DeYoung.

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