DOUBLE PREDESTIINATION–THE PREREQUISTE FOR TULIP DOCTRINE–The Root of TULIP vs The Bible

An Introduction

🏛️ The Calvinist Claim:
Just as God unconditionally elects some to salvation, He also predestines others to damnation—without regard to their choices.

🔍 The Biblical Rebuttal:
God is just, merciful, and desires all to be saved. Condemnation is always tied to rejection, not to a predetermined fate.

⚖️ Biblical Truth: God Judges Justly—Not Arbitrarily

1. **God Takes No Pleasure in the Death of the Wicked** 
Ezekiel 18:23; 2 Peter 3:9

2. **Condemnation Comes from Rejection** 
John 3:19; Romans 2:5–6

3. **Sovereignty Is Not Determinism** 
Deuteronomy 30:19; Acts 17:30

4. **Romans 9 Does Not Teach Double Predestination** 
Romans 9:22–23; Romans 11:32

5. **Hell Was Not Prepared for People** 
Matthew 25:41


Double Predestination – A Biblical Critique

🏛️ The Calvinist Claim:

In classical Calvinism, double predestination teaches that just as God unconditionally elects some to eternal life, He also actively predestines others to eternal damnation. This is not merely a passive "passing over," but a sovereign decree determining both salvation and damnation before anyone is born, based solely on God's will—not human choice.

This view insists:

  • God’s election of the saved is not based on foreseen faith.

  • Likewise, God’s reprobation of the lost is not based on foreseen rejection.

  • Both outcomes are determined by God’s eternal purpose, for His glory.

As Calvin put it: “By the decree of God, some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation.”

🔍 The Biblical Rebuttal:

While the Bible speaks of election, it never portrays God as pre-damning souls without regard to their choices. Instead, it shows a God who is patient, just, and desires all to be saved, while holding individuals accountable for rejecting Him.

⚖️ Biblical Truth: God Judges Justly—Never Arbitrarily

  1. God Does Not Take Pleasure in the Death of the Wicked

  • Ezekiel 18:23 – “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?”

  • 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord… is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

These verses are incompatible with the idea that God created some people with no possibility of salvation.

  1. Condemnation Is Always the Result of Willful Rejection

  • John 3:19 – “This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.”

  • Romans 2:5–6 – “Because of your stubbornness… you are storing up wrath… God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done.’”

Judgment is always portrayed as just recompense for rebellion—not a pre-scripted outcome.

  1. God’s Sovereignty Does Not Mean Deterministic Fatalism
    God’s sovereignty includes His ability to create beings with freedom. Sovereignty does not mean He causes every choice—it means nothing escapes His rule, even when people choose evil.

  • Deuteronomy 30:19 – “I have set before you life and death… now choose life.”

  • Acts 17:30 – “God commands all people everywhere to repent.”

If God commands all people to repent, then damnation cannot be His secret will for some.

  1. Romans 9 Does Not Support Double Predestination
    This is the go-to chapter for Calvinists—but context matters.

  • Romans 9:22–23 – “What if God… bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction…”
    The “preparation” here can be self-induced (as in Hosea 13:9, “You destroyed yourself”), and the tone is hypothetical: “What if…?” not dogmatic declaration.

Moreover, Romans 9–11 must be read as a whole. Paul ends this section saying:

  • Romans 11:32 – “God has bound all over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on all.”

  1. Hell Was Not Prepared for People

  • Matthew 25:41 – “…the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
    God did not create hell as a holding cell for reprobates He predestined to damnation. People go there only by rejecting truth and grace.

🪞 A Righteous Judge, Not a Cosmic Puppeteer

Double predestination turns God into the author of damnation, undermining both justice and love. But Scripture presents God as a just judge who offers mercy, warns persistently, and holds individuals accountable for their own choices.

🔚 Conclusion:

Double predestination is a man-made extrapolation, not a biblical doctrine. The God of Scripture loved the world, gave His Son, and commands all to repent. Those who are lost perish not because they were created for destruction, but because they refused to love the truth and so be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

God predestines no one to hell. He desires none to perish. His arms remain open until the end. He hates even the death of the wicked. (Ezekiel 18:31-32)

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