Predestination

Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul.^[1] Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby God's omniscience seems incompatible with human free will. In this usage, predestination can be regarded as a form of religious determinism; and usually predeterminism, also known as theological determinism.

Predestination has been a topic of debate throughout Jewish and Christian history. In pre-Christian texts like the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees, some writings suggest a mix of determinism and free will, while authors like Ben Sira affirm human choice. Scholars debate New Testament passages such as Romans 8–11, with interpretations ranging from predestination being corporate or service-based, to God choosing some individuals for salvation while leaving others to reprobation. Jewish groups like the Essenes may have believed in predestination, but there were complex differences among sects.

In the early Christian centuries, the Patristic period saw varied views on predestination. Origen tied predestination to foreknowledge of individual merits, while others, like the Thomasines and Valentinus, developed systems of election or salvation according to one’s innate spiritual nature. Augustine of Hippo later emphasized that salvation results from God’s grace rather than human merit, sparking debates over double predestination. Subsequent thinkers, including John of Damascus, Thomas Aquinas, and William of Ockham, further explored how God’s providence, foreknowledge, and human freedom interact, with medieval and Reformation theologians like Gottschalk, Calvin, and Zwingli developing influential predestination doctrines, including double predestination.

Different Christian branches interpret predestination differently. Eastern Orthodoxy emphasizes the synergy of human effort and divine grace, while Roman Catholicism teaches that God predestines in harmony with human response and rejects predestining anyone to sin. Protestant traditions vary: Lutheranism affirms unconditional election to salvation but denies predestination to damnation, Calvinism teaches double predestination, and Arminianism links election to foreseen human faith. The LDS Church rejects predestination but teaches foreordination, emphasizing moral agency. Other variations, like corporate election, focus on God choosing groups or the church collectively rather than individuals.