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Predestination
by John Ray
Originally posted to BNN 3/7/2005
PREDESTINATION AND THE 39 "ARTICLES OF RELIGION" OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND
The articles were first issued in 1571 and, up until 1865, every Anglican priest had to swear to his belief in them. Now he only has to swear "general agreement", which means precisely nothing
XVII. Of Predestination and Election.
"Predestination to Life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath constantly decreed by his counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind, and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honour. Wherefore, they which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God be called according to God's purpose by his Spirit working in due season: they through Grace obey the calling: they be justified freely: they be made sons of God by adoption: they be made like the image of his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ: they walk religiously in good works, and at length, by God's mercy, they attain to everlasting felicity.
As the godly consideration of Predestination, and our Election in Christ, is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of the flesh, and their earthly members, and drawing up their mind to high and heavenly things, as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal Salvation to be enjoyed through Christ, as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God: So, for curious and carnal persons, lacking the Spirit of Christ, to have continually before their eyes the sentence of God's Predestination, is a most dangerous downfall, whereby the Devil doth thrust them either into desperation, or into wretchlessness of most unclean living, no less perilous than desperation.
Furthermore, we must receive God's promises in such wise, as they be generally set forth to us in holy Scripture: and, in our doings, that Will of God is to be followed, which we have expressly declared unto us in the Word of God".
This now ancient statement of faith concerns one of the great controversies in early Protestantism. Are we saved by our faith (Luther) or is there nothing we can do to ensure our salvation (Calvin)?
I have always thought that predestination is a pretty nutty doctrine despite the fact that it was a traditional belief in the Presbyterian family into which I was born. There is some scriptural justification for it in the epistles (e.g. Romans 8:29,30) but it flies in the face of everything Jesus taught. He was always telling people what they needed to DO to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Its main exponents used to be the Reformed (Europe) and Presbyterian (Britain) churches but it is now seldom preached anywhere in Christendomn as far as I can gather. It is however still very influential in Islam.
The above official Anglican statement on the doctrine did therefore labour under something of a burden. How to reconcile the various things the NT says on the question? So what we get is to me a rather fun bit of theology. Because it is theology it is very hard to understand but it boils down to saying that we are all indeed predestined to our fate (first paragraph) but it is dangerous to believe that (second paragraph) and we must follow God's law anyway (third paragraph)!
A perfect bit of Anglican compromise even way back in the early days of Anglicanism -- and making about as much sense as modern Anglican theology.
On other issues, however, the 39 articles are admirably clear and blunt. Take article 22:
XXII. Of Purgatory
The Romish Doctrine concerning Purgatory, Pardons, Worshipping and Adoration, as well of Images as of Reliques, and also invocation of Saints, is a fond thing vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God.
"Shove that up your cassock" seems to be the message there. I love it! I like plain speaking. We get more in Article 24:
XXIV. Of speaking in the Congregation in such a tongue as the people understandeth
It is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God, and the custom of the Primitive Church, to have publick Prayer in the Church, or to minister the Sacraments in a tongue not understanded of the people.
So those old guys were pretty straight and to the point when they were not labouring under a need for compromise between opposing viewpoints. Jolly good stuff in my opinion. If you can handle antique English, read the whole thing! You will definitely see real Protestantism at work in them, which is more than you can say about most of Anglicanism today (Sydney diocese of course excepted).
There is a site here that actually "translates" the articles into modern English but that takes away half the fun. I like the emphatic language of the original.
So is there a better way out of the predestination dilemma that the Anglican one? Possibly. I think it could be argued that the "predestinarian" texts in the epistles are really talking about God's FOREKNOWLEDGE and that knowing a thing will happen is a lot different from making it happen. I would not be prepared to argue that in detail, however. I will leave that one to the theologians.
John Ray blogs at A Scripture Blog.
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