ALL THAT THE FATHER GIVES ME SHALL COME TO ME: RE – INTERPRETING THE TENSION BETWEEN DIVINE PREDESTINATION AND HUMAN FREEWILL

Résumé

The tension between divine predestination and human freewill is perennial and hydra headed because of its unending controversy in theological and philosophical discourses. Various scholars have attempted to resolve this tension but their efforts seem not to yield the desired result. The tension arises as to whether God could predestine an individual to a particular fate and the individual is still free to choose, perhaps, a different fate for himself. In other words, is there no dissonance when we say that a thing is bound to happen and that the actor is not bound to act? Again, if the omnipotent God wills all men to be saved, does this not contradict the position of some philosophers and theologians that God has predestined some people to be saved while the rest of mankind is consigned to damnation? Or does he will that only a certain set of people (the elect) would be saved and the rest to be damned? Several Biblical texts contain these divergent positions which pose some epistemological problems. Some are in favour of predestination while others convey the notion of freewill. In other words, some can be said to advocate divine predestination while others could be alleged to defend human freewill. This has given rise to different schools of thought. Some hold on to predestination while others hold on to freewill. But holding on to either of the positions seems to be holding on to half truth and the danger is that one may be holding on to the wrong half. This paper is intended to re - examine this controversy in order to see if it is possible and tenable to propose a hallowed relationship between divine predestination and human freewill. The paper would be of great benefit to man who is always curious about metaphysical issues. It would also provide a framework for the right action for the anthropos in the cosmos.