Predestination
One of the oldest and most bitter controversies in the church is that of predestination vs. free will. Thousands of books have been written on the subject, and I cannot do it justice in this brief article. But I did want to make a few comments on this issue as it relates to evangelism. Two centuries ago, many Christians believed that God predestines some people to Heaven and others to Hell, and there is nothing we can do about it. One result of this thinking was that many Christians felt there was no purpose in witnessing. If a person was destined to be saved, he would get saved, regardless of what we do. Of course, God might predestine that some would preach the gospel, but the outcome had already been determined.
One of the main passages of scripture dealing with predestination is Romans 9. In this passage, Paul uses an analogy of a potter and clay, and says “has not the potter power over the clay…to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor.” This scripture needs to be taken in its context, and in light of the entire Word of God. Romans 9‑11 is talking about God’s plan for Israel, that “blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles are come in” (Rom. 11:25).
There is a vast difference between predestinating the fate of nations and predestinating the eternal destiny of individuals. Paul mentions Jacob and Esau, not to discuss their eternal destinies, but rather God’s choice of Jacob as the ancestor of Jesus Christ.
Next Paul mentions Pharaoh, whom God used to show His power in setting His people free from slavery. In Exodus, we are told both that “Pharaoh hardened his heart” (Ex. 8:15) and “God hardened his heart” (Ex. 7:13). God helped him do what he wanted to do.
The potter and clay analogy is used against those who are quick to pass judgment on God’s ways, based on incomplete and distorted understanding. Once we see the whole picture, we can see that God is just and merciful in all His ways. Paul is not suggesting, contrary to all scripture, that humans are mere lumps of clay with no will of their own.
The term predestination (proorizo) is found in only two passages of scripture: Romans 8:29‑30 and Ephesians 1:5,11. In each case, it is God’s plan of salvation‑‑not the specific fates of individuals‑‑that is predetermined. Ephesians 1:5 could be paraphrased “he predestined that those of us who have believed would be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ.”
The Living Bible paraphrases Romans 8:29 “For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to him‑‑and all along he knew who would‑‑should become like his Son.” Foreknowledge is different from predestination. God knows everything, including the future, but He does not force people to do what they do.
Hundreds of scriptures teach that people have a free will, especially in regards to the most important decision we must make‑‑to receive or reject salvation. “And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning” (Ex. 36:3). “Choose you this day whom you will serve” (Josh. 24:15). “God…gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish” (John 3:16). “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). We could go on for several pages with such scriptures.
The idea that God predestines certain people to Heaven and others to Hell is contrary to all we know about God’s nature and the entire weight of scripture. Today, fewer Christians hold this view than two centuries ago. Still, it affects almost every Christian in a subtle way.
We believe that we were saved because we made a decision to receive Christ (in response to someone preaching the gospel to us and the Holy Spirit drawing us). But we often think that others will be saved whether or not we witness to them. “If they are meant to be saved, God will send someone else to witness to them,” we reason. This is not necessarily true.
Our obedience or disobedience to Jesus in the preaching of the gospel can affect the eternal destinies of others. Jesus said, “pray to the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:37). Why did He say this? Because the more laborers, the more people will get saved. If the same people would be saved regardless of the number of laborers, there would be no point in praying for laborers or in laboring.
Friends, we need to get this kind of fatalistic thinking out of our minds! It only leads to complacency and laziness with regards to our responsibility to reach others for Jesus. The most important decision a person can make is whether to accept or reject Jesus Christ. But every Christian faces a daily decision, one with eternal consequences: whether or not to obey our Lord in telling others about Jesus Christ and the choice they must make.
On the Streets
We continue to plan outdoor worship rallies throughout the year, even though we have to cancel them when it rains. Union Square would be empty on a rainy day. Instead, our plan on rainy days is to witness under a canopy on Market Street using a maximouse amplifier, instead of our sound system. Fortunately, God has blessed us with good weather every weekend and we have held wonderful outreaches.
On Saturday January 15, Paul and Noreen Coca and Mike Mills played worship songs on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. Mike, who moved into our house in December, has also begun making sandwiches for our outreaches, which we give to the homeless. We had no problems with the police that afternoon and we witnessed to many people. Mark (“the hate man”) Hawthorne tried heckling us for a little while, but he soon gave up.
On Friday January 21, we witnessed in front of the Warfield Theater on Market St. The band “Galactic” was playing there. Hundreds of people stood outside for several hours waiting to get inside or trying to get tickets. We preached and sang about Jesus, gave out several hundred tracts, and spoke with many of the young people waiting in line.
On Saturday January 22, “Children of the Rock” ministered at Union Square. Pastor Mark Whitehead from Living Hope Christian Church in San Jose also sang and preached. Ten Christians from his church witnessed and gave out tracts. There is now an art show at Union Square almost every Saturday throughout the year. These shows bring hundreds of people into this park, including many tourists from around the world .
SOS-San Francisco
July 7-15
I hope you are setting aside this week to join us for our 21st annual SOS outreach. God will change our lives as He uses us to bring others into His Kingdom. Please pray that God will guide us in planning this outreach and meet every need.
Coming Events
Note: All outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 531‑5325 the day before to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday March 10, 17, 24 7:30 PM. Witnessing in various S.F. neighborhoods. (Call us for meeting location and directions.)
Sat. March 11 and 18. San Francisco Worship Rally. 12‑1 PM Powell and Market St. 2‑4 PM Union Square (Powell and Geary St.)
Sat. March 25. Berkeley Outreach. 1:30‑5:30 PM. Telegraph and Haste St.
Ministry News & Needs
Jim and Sarah Cole met each other in 1988 while living in our ministry house and got married soon afterwards. I recently received this letter from Sarah:
Jim and I just adopted our eleventh child, a seven month old African American boy. The other children are doing great. Jim is homeschooling our teenagers and I am the director of nursing at a nursing home. I have a lot of Christian employees! God is blessing us tremendously. We are planning to witness door-to-door in our neighborhood.
We have three children from the former Soviet Union (Moldova), one from Mexico and the original six from California whom you met. Our oldest son is 15 now! Thanks for your newsletters!
Again, we want to thank you for your prayers and financial support for the ministry. Our tract supply is almost gone. We ordered them from our printer several months ago. His printing is very inexpensive, but also very slow. Please pray that we will get them printed soon. Also, pray that God will provide a carpenter to finish the remodeling of our kitchen and upstairs bathroom that began a year ago and was never finished. We also need to put a new roof on our house this year. It will cost about $8000.
Please pray for those who have prayed with us or written us this past month, including Joseph (Bloomburg, PA prison), Sal (South San Francisco), Domingo (San Francisco) and Matt and Adam (Haight Street, San Francisco).
Our Tape of the Month is Motivating Others to Win Souls by Scott Hinkle. Scott’s ministry is based in Phoenix, AZ. He organizes a national street ministry conference each year.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
