I- Introduction
Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom
At first glance, the absolute sovereignty of God seems to contradict the idea of human freedom. Yet Arthur Pink affirms that human beings remain responsible for their choices, even though their will itself is under divine sovereignty. These two truths coexist within God’s plan. Acts 4:27–28 illustrates this well: the human authorities who crucified Jesus acted according to their own will, yet everything occurred “according to the definite plan of God.”
God’s sovereignty therefore does not nullify human responsibility; on the contrary, it makes it possible, since everything that happens in the universe is under His control. In the work of redemption, God’s sovereignty is manifested in a salvation that is entirely His work.
Divergent views on predestination raise fundamental questions concerning human free will and divine foreknowledge, making this a subject of significant debate in contemporary theological discourse. This debate has divided theologians for centuries. Those who strongly defend God’s sovereign predestination unto salvation sometimes verge on strict determinism, or even fanaticism, while those who emphasize human free will may, at times unconsciously, deny God’s sovereignty.
Calvinism and Arminianism are two Protestant theological systems that differ primarily on the role of human free will and divine grace in salvation. Calvinism emphasizes the absolute sovereignty of God (irresistible grace, unconditional election), whereas Arminianism stresses humanity’s ability to cooperate with divine grace through free will, making salvation possible for all but conditional upon faith, with the possibility of falling away. It should be noted that within the diversity of the body of Christ, there exist many combinations of Calvinism (the five points of TULIP, or fewer), Arminianism (the five articles of the Remonstrants of 1610, or fewer), or syntheses of these two perspectives. Many believers hold that both systems fail to explain the inexplicable and profound mystery of the mind of God. Yes, God is entirely sovereign and knows all things. Yes, human beings are called to make a sincere decision to place their faith in Christ in order to be saved. There is a real tension between these two seemingly contradictory truths, yet they find their full meaning in the infinite wisdom of God.
Without entering into these endless debates, we propose here a neutral reflection on these themes, based on the epistles of Paul, seeking to describe Paul’s understanding of these two fundamental concepts: predestination and free will. By analyzing key Pauline texts, particularly from Romans and Ephesians, the article explores how Paul situates Christ as the center of salvation history, interprets predestination in Christ, and integrates human responsibility. It argues that Paul maintains a deliberate tension between predestination and free will, viewing them as parallel realities within God’s eternal and temporal plans.
Prayer:
Thank You, Father, for You knew us and loved us even before the world was. Thank You for choosing us in Christ to be holy and blameless before You, according to Your good pleasure. In the name of Christ! Amen!
II- Reflection
A personal understanding of predestination and free will is crucial for a believer, since these issues touch on the nature of God, human responsibility, and salvation. Believers are often called to find a personal balance—a “personal perspective”—that integrates these concepts without falling into fatalism or into a view that diminishes God’s power. This is a spiritual journey of understanding, frequently marked by paradoxes that human reason alone cannot resolve, but which faith enables us to embrace, as it helps us grasp how divine sovereignty coexists with the human capacity to choose.
Our Approach Based on Paul’s Perspective
We do not seek to answer the question, “Who is right, the Calvinists or the Arminians?” Rather, based on our reading of Scripture, we address the question: “How does Paul actually think about these two realities without opposing them abstractly?” In our view, this is a difficult yet necessary task, for the reasons mentioned above.
Christ as the Center of Gravity
In Pauline thought, Christ truly stands at the center of gravity. Everything flows from his person: his crucifixion and resurrection form the foundation of salvation, and his new life radically transforms the believer’s existence. Christ thus becomes the focal point of faith, morality, and Christian cosmology, since it is through him that humanity is reconciled to God and salvation becomes possible.
The following three fundamental points constitute Christ as the pivot of Pauline thought:
Christ, the Starting Point and Foundation of Pauline Thought
Resurrection: The central event and starting point of Paul’s theology is the resurrection of Christ, which attests to his divinity and his victory over death, as affirmed throughout the Epistles.
Redemption: His death on the cross is a redemptive act that frees believers from condemnation, granting forgiveness and new life.
Justification: In Christ, individuals are declared righteous and adopted by God, on the basis of Christ’s righteousness imputed to those who believe.
2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Romans 4:24–25: “It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”
Romans 8:17: “And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Through union with Christ, our status is completely transformed: from the status of “sinner” to that of “righteous”, and from the status of “stranger” to that of “child of God”.
Christ, the Center of New Life in Pauline Thought
New Identity (United with Christ, ‘We in Christ’ and ‘Christ in Us’): The believer, baptized into Christ, is called to live a new life in which the old self is crucified with him (“in Christ,” 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come”), and in which Christ lives within the believer (Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me…”).
Morality and Ethics: The love of Christ becomes both the model and the driving force of Christian conduct (agapē love), replacing the old law as the guiding principle.
Hope: Earthly life is understood as an ожидание of future glory with Christ; salvation is already secured, yet its full realization lies beyond this present life.
Christ, the Center of the Universe in Pauline Thought
Cosmology: Christ is not only the center of salvation history, but also the principle by which the universe is reordered, uniting heaven and earth, Jews and Gentiles, into one body—the Church (Colossians 1:15–20).
II-1 Concept Paulinien de la Prédestination
Although Paul often associates predestination with Christ, he does not always explicitly use the phrase “predestined in Christ.” Nevertheless, he makes extensive use of the concept of predestination, frequently linking it to Christ as the means through which this destiny is fulfilled. This is especially evident in key passages such as Ephesians 1, where he states that we have become heirs “in him” (Christ) after having been predestined. While the exact wording may vary, the central idea remains that God, from all eternity, chose those who would be saved, and that this election is realized through union with and faith in Jesus Christ.
The idea of being “predestined in Christ” is found in passages such as:
Ephesians 1:4–5: “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,” that is, “predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son.”
There is no ambiguity in these verses: God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world; in other words, God predestined us in Christ.
Romans 8:29: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
Because Christ is the center of gravity, Paul insists that predestination is accomplished in Christ, emphasizing that our salvation and eternal destiny depend on our relationship with Jesus, rather than on an arbitrary choice disconnected from him. Predestination is not an isolated act, but part of God’s redemptive plan that reaches its fulfillment in Christ.
Ephesians 1:11: “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.”
Paul does not reduce predestination to a mere grammatical formula. Rather, he makes a crucial theological point: Christ is the means through which destiny is accomplished.
Salvation originates in God, not in humanity (Ephesians 2:8–9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”)
God’s initiative is gracious, sovereign, and prior (2 Timothy 1:9: “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began”).
God does not merely react to humanity; God acts. Paul affirms that God is not passive, but that he initiates salvation and acts powerfully to reveal his will, working according to his plan rather than simply in response to human actions (Romans 9:16: “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy”).
Paul frequently emphasizes God’s sovereign action and humanity’s inability to fully comprehend it. He insists that God does not conform to human wisdom, but reveals his mysteries through the Spirit, showing that true understanding comes from God rather than from ourselves. The passage 1 Corinthians 2:11–16 highlights that divine wisdom is inaccessible to human intellect alone and requires the work of the Holy Spirit to be understood and lived out, enabling believers to have the mind of Christ.
II-2 Foreknowledge and Predestination According to Paul
The key biblical text that reflects the connection between foreknowledge and predestination is found in Romans 8:29: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that his Son might be the firstborn among many brothers.” This passage shows that Paul places foreknowledge before predestination, without confusing the two. The Greek term proginōskō (“to foreknow”) goes beyond mere intellectual awareness. For Paul, to “know” someone—following the Hebrew biblical usage (e.g., Genesis 4:1)—often carries a Semitic sense of affection and intimate personal relationship. Thus, when Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God “foreknew,” he is not saying that God simply observed future facts, but that he set his love upon certain persons from all eternity.
For Paul, this is a relationship of love (1 Corinthians 8:3: “But if anyone loves God, he is known by God”).
How Is the Relationship Arising from Foreknowledge Expressed?
In human reasoning, when we speak of a “relationship,” we usually imply a notion of symmetry between two parties. If foreknowledge is relational and rooted in love, how can it be a genuine relationship if the initiative seems to come solely from God?
In Paul’s thought, the relationship is initially asymmetrical, since God enters into relationship before the human being is even aware of it. God initiates the relationship first, expressing his recognition, attachment, love, and relational choice. In Galatians 4:9—“But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God”—Paul clarifies that the relationship begins with God’s initiative, who first “knows” (that is, loves and chooses) the believer.
However, this relationship becomes symmetrical over time. According to Paul, the human response to this divine initiative is faith—personal, free, committed, and responsible (Galatians 2:20; Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”).
Paul describes the relationship between the Spirit of God and the human spirit as one of intimate cooperation and mutual testimony. The divine Spirit—the Spirit of adoption—comes to dwell within the human spirit, enabling believers to experience and proclaim intimacy with God by crying, “Abba! Father!” At the same time, the Spirit bears deep inner witness to the human spirit, confirming that the believer is truly a child of God, thus establishing assurance of sonship and salvation (Romans 8:15–16).
In summary, God’s relational foreknowledge is a relationship initiated unilaterally by God, made reciprocal over time through the believer’s faith, and kept alive by the Spirit. According to Paul’s “golden chain” of salvation described in Romans 8:29–30, foreknowledge logically precedes “predestination in Christ.”
II-3 Damnation or Reprobation according to Paul
If one speaks of predestination, it is almost inevitable to address the notion of double predestination, that is, the parallel decree of salvation and damnation. In fact, double predestination was formulated later within certain strands of Calvinism.
Paul’s view of what Calvinism calls “damnation” (or reprobation) is found primarily in Romans 9. While Calvinism often reads this chapter as teaching double predestination—namely, that God actively chooses both the saved and the reprobate—Paul’s text is more nuanced. Paul never explicitly teaches a predestination to damnation in the sense of a positive decree symmetrical to predestination to salvation. Double predestination is therefore a later theological construction within Calvinism, not a direct Pauline formulation.
What Paul Clearly Affirms (Without Ambiguity)
Paul explicitly and repeatedly affirms that God positively predestines to salvation in Christ (Romans 8:29–30; Ephesians 1:4–5; Ephesians 1:11).
Paul is not a naïve universalist, for he clearly states that:
Some will perish (2 Thessalonians 2:10: “and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved”);
The wrath of God is revealed (Romans 1:18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth”);
Their end is destruction (Philippians 3:19: “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things”);
Judgment and perdition are real, serious, and irreversible.
However, in describing this perdition, there is a fundamental difference from the Calvinist framework. Paul’s vocabulary is asymmetrical in its presentation of salvation and perdition.
For salvation, Paul uses terms such as chosen, predestined, called, justified, glorified.
For perdition, Paul employs asymmetrical terms such as rejection, hardening, unbelief, disobedience, stumbling/fall.
Paul Never Uses the Expression “Predestined to Perdition”
In Romans 9:22–23, Paul uses the metaphor of the potter to illustrate God’s freedom to form vessels of mercy and vessels of wrath, yet he does so with deliberate asymmetry:
Vessels of mercy: Paul explicitly states that God “prepared beforehand for glory” (active form with direct attribution to God).
Vessels of wrath: Paul uses a different construction, employing a passive form—“prepared for destruction”—without directly attributing this preparation to a creative act of God. Many exegetes recognize a deliberate asymmetry here and note that the Greek suggests that these vessels have, in a sense, prepared themselves through unbelief.
Paul therefore does not explicitly say that God actively prepares some for damnation, nor does he directly attribute such preparation to a creative act of God.
This deliberate asymmetry in Pauline logic is further reflected in Romans 11:32: “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.” This verse:
Indicates that all humanity stands under the judgment of sin, incapable of saving itself, thus revealing the universal need for God’s mercy;
Reveals that God’s ultimate purpose is to extend mercy to all who believe in Jesus Christ, by faith rather than by works of the law, thereby displaying the greatness of his grace;
Emphasizes that no one is saved by personal righteousness, but solely by divine grace;
Shows that God’s intention is to save rather than to condemn, even using unbelief as a means to reveal his ultimate mercy.
Romans 11:32 thus reveals a universal salvific plan, in which human failure (disobedience) becomes the catalyst for the fullest expression of God’s mercy in Christ, reaching the whole of humanity. This verse would be difficult to reconcile with a strictly symmetrical doctrine of predestined damnation as found in some forms of Calvinism.
It should also be noted that Paul focuses on sovereign hardening, citing the example of Pharaoh to show that God “hardens whom he wills.” For Paul, this hardening is not an arbitrary condemnation to hell from birth, but a divine action within history intended to manifest God’s power and glory through the rebellion of some. God confirms a direction already chosen, withdraws restraint, and allows human beings to persist in their refusal (Romans 1:24: “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity…”; Romans 1:28: “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind, to do what ought not to be done”).
II-4 Free Will or Responsibility
Paul does not use the philosophical term “free will” in the way theologians employ it in the debate over “predestination and free will.” Nevertheless, he strongly emphasizes human responsibility. He affirms that human beings make real choices, yet their will is, by nature, enslaved to sin until it is set free by grace. Responsibility is expressed through the duty to believe, to obey, and to “work out one’s salvation.”
Humanity “Before” Christ
Human beings are born enslaved to original sin (Romans 6:17: “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart…”). They act freely and choose voluntarily according to their desires and sinful nature, and are therefore incapable of submitting to the law of God (Romans 8:7: “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot”). Prior to regeneration, in their fallen nature, human beings are unable to choose spiritual good—and above all, unable to choose God—without divine intervention. Human freedom before Christ thus exists in a bound condition.
Humanity “After” Christ
Human beings are born again in Christ and freed from sin. After this new birth (or regeneration), they are released from the bondage of sin, made alive, responsive to the voice of God, and able to act freely (Romans 6:18: “And, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness”). They experience true freedom, for “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers now desire what God desires.
Freedom, therefore, is not natural; it is a gift from God, given by God.
II-5 Paradox or Tension Between Predestination and Free Will
Paul is neither a philosopher nor a systematic theologian. His perspective is neither Calvinist nor Arminian in the strict sense, but apostolic and evangelical—a Christian outlook centered on the Church as the Body of Christ, aiming to manifest the fullness of Christ in His power and reign through the proclamation of the Gospel to all humanity.
Christ is the foundation of humanity’s reconciliation with God through grace, the forgiveness of sins, justification by faith, and the promise of eternal life.
Paul deliberately allows the tension between these two concepts—Predestination and Free Will—to remain without attempting to resolve it logically, for several reasons:
1. Respect for the Divine Mystery
Paul acknowledges that human understanding is limited when confronted with the depths of God’s wisdom. Rather than explaining how the two coexist, he often concludes with praise for the unsearchable wisdom of God (Romans 11:33).
2. The Potter Metaphor
He uses the image of the potter and the clay to show that it is illegitimate for the creature to challenge the Creator’s right to dispose of His creation. The sovereignty of God is an axiom that is not open to debate.
3. A Pastoral, Not Speculative, Purpose
Paul writes for the edification of the Church, not for philosophical speculation.
He uses predestination to cultivate humility and assurance (salvation rests on God alone).
He emphasizes responsibility to call people to evangelism and to a life of holiness (human beings must respond to the call).
4. The Experience of His Own Life
Paul lived this paradox himself: he was sovereignly apprehended by Christ on the road to Damascus (election), and yet he subsequently devoted himself wholeheartedly to his mission (responsibility).
Paul maintains that these two truths are like the two parallel rails of a train track forming a railway line. Although they never appear to meet within our limited human logic, both are necessary to carry the message of the Gospel.
III- Conclusion
Two Parallel Plans
It seems to me that Paul places predestination and free will on two parallel planes—what theologians call parallel truths or antinomy, that is, two principles that appear to contradict each other yet are both true at the same time. These two parallel planes do not merge and affirm that God’s total sovereignty and human responsibility coexist without canceling each other out.
They are as follows:
1. The Plane of Eternity (Sovereignty)
On this plane, God exists outside of time. Predestination affirms that salvation is not accidental. God is not surprised by who responds or who does not. This is the plane of assurance: if you are in Christ, you are held by a divine hand that had already planned to welcome you even before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4: “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”).
The incommensurability between the finite (the creature) and the infinite (God) suggests that human understanding is limited when confronted with the divine essence, even though God reveals Himself through nature and Scripture. While faith enables us to believe in God and draw near to Him, full comprehension of God remains inaccessible to the human intellect, for He is a transcendent being—an enduring divine mystery that is fundamentally unfathomable and surpasses human reason. These are the limits of humanity in the face of the infinite.
2. The Temporal Plane of History (Responsibility)
On this plane, God addresses humanity within time. This is the plane of invitation and of the Good News. Paul is a tireless evangelist: if he believed that everything was already mechanically “settled,” he would not exert himself so intensely to persuade, implore, and preach (2 Corinthians 5:20: “We are therefore ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”).
For Paul, the invitation to “get into Christ’s boat” is sincere and genuinely extended to every human being. The well-known verse “those whom he predestined he also called” (Romans 8:30) represents this call urging the individual to enter Christ’s boat; without this divine initiative, no one would have either the desire or the ability to do so.
Regardless of the perspective of God’s sovereignty, Paul strongly insists on the necessity of a human response and on the universal offer of salvation, for he writes: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
Paul speaks of predestination as a motive for praise (“If you are in the boat, it is not because you are better, but because God loved you first”), as in Ephesians 1:5: “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will.” Above all, this concerns the choice of a people (Israel, then the Church in Christ). God decided to have a family; the invitation to join this family is extended to the whole world, but those who respond discover, once inside, that God had already been waiting for them.
Paul’s Affirmation
God is the initiator. God calls and prepares hearts.
Paul maintains that human beings must “grasp” the offer by faith.
Paul never says, “God chose that you be lost no matter what you do,” but rather, “God has done everything so that you may be saved in Christ.”
It is wise not to confuse the plane of divine sovereignty with the plane of human responsibility, but to allow them to unfold in parallel.
Errors in Theology
In theology, the following errors are often made:
If one retains only predestination, one ends up with a cold notion of destiny (fatalism), where humanity becomes a puppet.
If one retains only human response, one ends up believing that salvation depends on our efforts or intelligence, which gives rise to pride or anxiety.
These errors generally do not stem from ignorance of certain biblical texts, but from the way theologians prioritize and interpret them within their overall theological system. Each framework shapes how the whole biblical canon is understood.
In my view, the real crux of the problem is not first the text itself, but the definition of the word “predestination,” which determines the entire system. Everything depends on what one means by predestination. In a positive sense, it is a sovereign promise of God oriented toward glory and rooted in Christ.
Paul deliberately maintains this tension by telling us that we must “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (human response), while immediately adding that “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (divine action) (Philippians 2:12–13).
When Paul reaches the highest point of this tension (Romans 9–11), he does not conclude with an explanation, but with a doxology:
Romans 11:33–36:
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’
‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
It is a divine mystery that allows the believer to be both fully responsible for their choice and fully grateful to God for His grace.
Prayer:
O Heavenly Father! I praise You for Your sovereignty and Your eternal love. You predestined us in Christ before the foundation of the world, according to the good pleasure of Your will. Thank You for making us acceptable in Your beloved Son. Thank You for calling me by Your Spirit, for justifying me by faith in Jesus, and for giving me the hope of glory. Grant me to live each day to the praise of Your infinite grace. In Christ’s name! Amen!
Bibliography
What Is Predestination? (By R.C. Sprout)
Une explication de la predestination
Help! I’m Struggling with the Doctrine of Predestination
Prédestination et prescience divine : quel rapport ?
Prédestination et prescience divine : quel rapport ?
Que dit la Bible au sujet de la prédestination et du libre arbitre ?
From Foreknowledge to Glory: GOD’s Plan for our Redemption
L’élection divine : Quand et comment l’apôtre Paul en parle-t-il ?
Une explication de la prédestination
In Christ's Love
