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speculative construction of a God who wills damnation of some is 2 Peter 3:9, which declares unequivo- cally that God “does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” Why is Lutheran thinking so dif-


ferent? An important distinction is made in the Formula of Concord. It’s a distinction between God’s foreknowl- edge and God’s eternal election. The confessors acknowledge that God knows all things “before they happen.” Yet this foreknowledge is not the cause of sinful activity, “for which people are responsible themselves.” That is, “God’s foreknowledge is


not ... the origin or cause of evil (for God does not create evil or produce it, and God does not aid or abet it). Instead, the evil, perverted will of the devil and human beings is its origin.” Eternal election, on the other hand, serves to describe God’s mercy for what has been lost to sin through human disregard of God’s grace. The Formula teaches that God’s


response to sin is Christ rather than punishment. Here the justice of God might be questioned. Yet this is pre- cisely what the Formula doesn’t do. Rather, the notion of election is drawn out in eight points, beginning with the cross—Christ’s victory over sin and death—the ultimate expres- sion of God’s love for a rebellious world (John 3:16). Also the means of grace (i.e., the merit and benefits of Christ distributed through his word and sacraments) are given a promi- nent place in this discussion of what the word of God reveals about God’s election. Again, there is simply no mention of the preordination of some to damnation in this exposition. There is much left unresolved in


such an understanding. The origin of evil remains a mystery, as does a human freedom so remarkable that it could turn its back on the gracious election of God. To paraphrase the


Formula, one might say that although humans are free to sin they aren’t free to reconcile themselves with God, an activity that always comes by God’s initiative through the means of grace. In the end, then, the sure election of some (and not all) who respond in faith to the promises of God revealed in the gospel of Jesus crucified and risen also remains a mystery. Yet, even so, the “Solid Declara-


tion” states, “if we want to consider our eternal election to salvation prof- itably, we must always firmly and rig- idly insist that, like the proclamation of repentance, so the promise of the gospel is universalis, that is, it per- tains to all people.”


Look to Romans 9-11 The biblical text that contains the most thoroughgoing reflection over the tangle of issues that surround the topic of predestination is Romans 9-11. Paul struggles with making sense of the evidence that much of wider Judaism isn’t responding to Christ with faith. One would expect Paul to end with a


condemnation, but he doesn’t. Rather, he considers the election of Israel by God and declares “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (11:28- 29). Paul notes in verse 32: “God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.” For those baptized into the death


and resurrection of Christ, the Lutheran understanding of predesti- nation, deeply grounded in the word of God rather than the secret counsel of God, should be a source of great comfort. And for those who remain outside of the body of Christ, there also is hope. At one point in Article 11 of the


“Solid Declaration” there comes a remarkable list of biblical witnesses that reveal the universal intent of God’s mercy (John 1:29, John 6:51, and 1 John 1:7 and 2:2). The reach of God’s election in Christ, it seems, is as far ranging as is God’s mercy. That the church might find itself empowered to spread this good news is an inevitable response to the Lutheran understand- ing of predestination. 


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SHUTTERSTOCK


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