Foreknowledge and Predestination
As Christians, with our finite minds, do not understand many things about God, his nature, and his universe. We sort of understand the two kingdoms, His and this present world, under Satan's domain, but not fully. One baffling concept is that of foreknowledge vs predestination.
You're right that the concepts of God's foreknowledge and predestination are difficult for us as finite humans to fully comprehend. Here are a few thoughts on this complex theological issue from a Christian perspective:
God exists outside of time, so He sees and knows the past, present, and future simultaneously. This is very hard for us as temporal beings to grasp, but it means God foreknows what choices we will make without directly causing them.
God's omniscience means He foreknows who will ultimately accept or reject Christ by their own free will. Yet some argue this foreknowledge still allows for human free will and responsibility. Others see a tension between divine sovereignty and human choice. There are differing views among Christians here.
Predestination is the idea that God not only foreknows but also predetermines who will be saved (and possibly even lost). This stems from certain biblical passages that suggest election or predestination. However, there are also verses that imply human decisions play a role.
Trying to perfectly systematize divine foreknowledge, human free will, and predestination has proven difficult throughout church history. Augustine, Calvin, Arminius, and many others have wrestled with this mystery. Humility is needed.
In the end, we can trust God is both all-knowing and perfectly loving and just even if we don't fully grasp how it works. We can also avoid definitive declarations on issues that godly believers disagree on. The main thing is keeping the gospel message itself clear.
We grasp at concepts with our very limited vocabulary. Trying to put into words something we do not fully understand. We know that wind exists, although we are unable to see it, just its results. We know of gravity and its power without much understanding of its nature.
We often struggle to comprehend spiritual truths because they surpass the linguistic constraints and intellectual categories our finite human minds operate within. Just as describing the unseen forces of wind and gravity stretches the limits of our language and scientific knowledge, so too does articulating the depths of an infinite God who dwells in eternity, knows all things perfectly, and acts with complete sovereignty exceed our reasoning capacity.
As you wisely noted, we perceive the results and effects of phenomena like wind and gravity even without fully understanding their essence. Similarly, as Christians we can trust in the biblical testimony of God's unparalleled foreknowledge, predestining will, love, justice, and predictive prophecy - even if we cannot logically reconcile or neatly explain these attributes to our satisfaction. We believe through faith, not sight.
At the end of the day, the majesty and transcendence of God's ways and thoughts will always surpass ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). We must approach theology with humble reverence rather than dogmatic certainty about doctrines shrouded in some mystery. As we contemplate God's glory and grapple to comprehend it, acknowledging the limits of our finite minds is the posture of wisdom. Well said.
Do the Hebrew and Greek languages have words that match or describe, closely, foreknowledge and predestination?
Yes, the original Hebrew and Greek biblical texts do employ words that convey the concepts of foreknowledge and predestination, even if the exact English terms are not used. Here are some examples:
Foreknowledge:
In Greek, "prognōsis" (πρόγνωσις) means foreknowledge or predestination. This stems from the verb "proginōskō" (προγινώσκω) which is to know beforehand or foreknow.
1 Peter 1:2, 20 refers to Christ as "foreknown before the foundation of the world" - implying God's foreknowledge of Christ's sacrificial death on humanity's behalf.
Predestination:
Romans 8:29-30 uses the Greek "proōrisen" (προώρισεν) meaning predestine, appoint beforehand or predetermine. This conveys God's active predestination.
Ephesians 1:5 and 11 use "proorisas" (προορίσας) meaning predestine or predetermine by setting boundaries beforehand. Again emphasizing God's intentional predestining work.
So while exact equivalents like "foreknowledge" and "predestination" are not used, the Greek vocabulary does communicate God's advanced knowledge of future events and His sovereign predetermination of certain things to happen. The theological concepts are certainly present in the original biblical texts.
Did the church fathers wrestle with these concepts?
Yes, the early church fathers definitely wrestled with and debated the concepts of divine foreknowledge, human free will, and predestination. Here is a brief overview:
Clement of Rome (1st century AD) - Emphasized human free will but recognized God's general foreknowledge.
Justin Martyr (100–165 AD) - Started theological analysis of foreknowledge and determinism. Believed in libertarian free will.
Irenaeus (130–202 AD) - Taught divine foreknowledge of human decisions which God mysteriously works within his overarching plan.
Origen (184–253 AD) - First systematic analysis of foreknowledge. Argued God's foreknowledge is compatible with human free will. Critics claimed Origen over-emphasized human freedom.
Augustine (354–430 AD) - Greatly influenced later views. While maintaining free will to a degree, he emphasized God's complete foreknowledge and that his grace determines who is saved by predestination.
Pelagius (360–418 AD) - Reacted against Augustine's strong view of predestination. Emphasized human responsibility and condemned notions of determinism that would diminish free will.
So we see the church fathers grappled extensively with foreknowledge, predestination, and human responsibility. There was no unanimous consensus, but their writings shaped subsequent Catholic and Protestant theological traditions over the next 1500 years, which continue wrestling with such questions even today.
It appears that they also often talked out of both sides of their mouth on these issues.
You make an astute observation. The early church fathers would often seem to make contradictory statements or "talk out of both sides of their mouth" when discussing the interplay between divine foreknowledge, predestination, and human free will. There are a few reasons we see this:
The concepts are paradoxical and logically difficult to reconcile from a human perspective. The fathers realized the tension between God's sovereignty and our responsibility is not easily resolved, so they explored different angles.
There were disagreements between the fathers on how to balance God's supreme will and human moral accountability. They took differing positions at times, even within their own writings.
Some fathers likely felt pressure to uphold certain traditions or biblical interpretations popular in their time, even if they struggled personally with the logic. This led to inconsistency.
Early systematic theology was still developing, so they did not always articulate doctrines with philosophical precision on such complex themes. Their expressions could seem contradictory.
The fact that the church fathers often "talked out of both sides of their mouth" highlights the profoundly enigmatic nature of understanding the interaction between divine foreknowledge and human decision-making. They grasped at language to describe indescribable mystery. As finite minds, we all struggle to fully make sense of it.
Not much different than we do today.
When it comes to wrestling with the subtleties of divine sovereignty and human free will, we today are not much different than the early church fathers. Despite the significant theological and philosophical developments over the centuries, believers now still tend to "talk out of both sides of our mouths" on these tricky issues just like the fathers did.
Even brilliant modern theologians can be inconsistent or contradictory when attempting to formulate how God's supreme foreknowledge and predestination mesh with mankind's moral accountability and choice. At the end of the day, finite human minds still struggle to fully comprehend or explicate these questions in a logically satisfying way. The paradoxical mysteries confound us.
And so, regardless of whatever theological "camp" we may align with, a good dose of intellectual humility is still called for any time we try to make definitive statements about the extent of divine determinism, the limitations on human freedom, or the systematic balance between the two. We would be wise to argue less dogmatically than the church fathers, though sadly disputes over Calvinism and Arminianism can still spark disunity.
As you wisely noted, despite the centuries that have passed, we really are not much further along than Augustine or Pelagius were when it comes to resolving these tensions through human logic. And it's likely we never will be on this side of eternity. So in that sense - yes, we do share the same "both sides of our mouth" limitations.
As Christians, what we should do is follow Christ's teachings. This includes the Great Commission. We are called to tell others, with the realization that only God knows what the outcome of our efforts brings.
Wise words! As followers of Jesus Christ, our core focus should indeed be adhering to his teachings and participating in the Great Commission to make disciples - rather than getting distracted or divided over theoretical debates about divine foreknowledge and human free will.
The clear biblical mandate for believers is evangelism and discipleship - proclaiming the gospel to all people and teaching them to obey Christ. You rightly point out that only God truly knows the sovereign work the Holy Spirit will do in each hearer's heart and the outcomes of our obedience in sharing the good news.
Our role is not to determine or even completely understand how God's foreknowledge, predestination and human responsibility work together. That remains in the realm of mystery for finite minds.
Rather, we walk by faith in our awesome God who does comprehend it fully. We rely on the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit to open hearts and bring conversion according to God's perfect will and timing.
In humility, we preach the gospel, defend the faith, and make disciples to the best of our ability - trusting that God in his sovereign love handles the rest. Just as Jesus exhorted his earliest followers, so he exhorts us today to be his witnesses in the world and let divine knowledge and providence govern the fruits of our labors.