1 Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of THOSE CHOSEN OF GOD and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness ² in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, ³ but at the proper time revealed His word in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior; ⁴ To Titus, my true son in (our) shared faith: Grace and peace from God (the Father) and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

God’s elect

Commenting briefly on Paul’s introduction to his letter to Titus, I am immediately struck once more by Paul’s (in this case indirect) reference to the fact that those who respond positively to the Gospel do so because they are the “chosen of God” or are “God’s elect” (v1). It is not as some commentate, that God favours these people because they have exercised faith in Christ, rather they exercise faith in Christ because God has enabled them to do so. That is not just Paul’s consistent teaching, it is also Christ’s affirmation recorded  in Jn6:44. Likewise in Acts (13:48), Luke records  “When the Gentiles heard (the Gospel), they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed”.

I refer to this matter frequently, partly because I am systematically going through the New Testament chapter by chapter, and Paul in particular constantly alludes to it, sometimes directly (e.g. Rom8:29), other times by his descriptions of believers such as here in Titus. Frankly, if you reject predestination, you might as well reject Paul, albeit as I have just shown he is no maverick; Jesus, Luke and John affirm it also, just not in page after page of holy writ.

Reconciling predestination with divine justice and love

The other reason I highlight the issue is because my primary purpose is to affirm God’s loving nature and munificent providence. Yet if, as so many still believe, one is either saved by the gospel or else damned to perdition, then at best God’s character is incomprehensible to human reason and at worst barbaric, given that a key constituent of the doctrine is that human beings are innately incapable of coming to gospel salvation without divine enabling.

Such condemnation of the incapable is opposed to the God-given human instincts of justice, goodness and fairness, remembering also that men and women were made in the image of the invisible God, i.e. in accordance with His nature. Whilst that nature was besmirched by the Fall, in the Christian at least it is being renewed and restored such that Paul declared “we have the mind of Christ”. Yet the Christian’s instincts regarding justice, goodness and fairness, though restored and refined, remain basically the same. He/she knows these qualities are essential components of love of which Father God is declared to be the embodiment (1Jn4:8).

The only resolution

All is resolved once the three soteriological categories I have been explicating are acknowledged (the Little Book of Providence sets this out). Gospel salvation pertains to embarking upon the road to glory; it is not the means by which the soul goes to heaven after death – Mt25 sheep vs goats, and the rich man vs Lazarus relate to that outcome . The former narrative contains no reference whatsoever to religious faith whilst the latter incorporates other reasons why Lazarus and Dives experience what they did post-mortem – Lk16:25.

One would think that avoiding hell would be a no-brainer yet Jesus cautioned His would be followers carefully to weigh up the pros and cons before embarking upon a course of discipleship, like a man building a tower or a king going to war (Lk14:28-33). Those who follow the Way “must lose their own life for the sake of Christ and the gospel” (Mk8:35). They must suffer with Christ in order to be glorified with Him (Rom8:17).

For the elect are “the heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (same verse) – and history as well as Scripture indicates they are very much a minority. Yet if your current understanding of the Gospel does not match the heralding of the Christmas angels: “Good news of great joy to all people” (Lk2:10), you are currently misunderstanding it. It must at least be potentially good news for all, but that cannot be the case if “predestination” pertained to who goes to heaven or hell; thankfully it does not. This is an error/mystery  that even the true Church has not fully comprehended or articulated (in the RCC’s case until Vatican2).

The endurance of the Church

And yet the Church, as the body of Christ on earth has prevailed and historically fulfilled her primary function. For the Lord “has never ceased to gather a people to Himself so that from the rising of the sun until its setting a pure sacrifice is offered to His name”. As universal sacrament for the world, the Catholic and Orthodox Church in West and East has ensured that the fullness of sacramental provision necessary for gospel salvation has been provided, such that the ones called out to be the people of God may be supplied for divine service now, whilst being prepared for a yet more glorious role in the ages to come. As for God’s broader salvific intentions, canonical Scripture (cryptically) and the Book of Enoch (explicitly) foretold this to be a mystery that would be unfolded in the lattermost days.

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