Question (from Q&A card): If God predestined people to go to heaven, that means—in a sense—that God predestines people to go to hell. If so, is he sad about it? Think about it, don't just "whatever", damn it! How does God’s choosing us affect evangelism?
Response: Wow, that's a passionate question. Ironically enough, the whole idea of "damning it" does come from the idea that God damns people to hell...
Ok, now for predestination: the Bible does clearly say that God has predestined people to salvation. For example, Ephesians 1:5 says, "God predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will." God predestines people to salvation in Jesus. Here's the deal: all of humanity is born in sin and on their way to hell. God, in eternity past, sees this as a just consequence of human rebellion, but in mercy decides to predestine—choose, elect, and set aside—some people for salvation. The question always arises, "well, then why didn't He save everyone?" The answer is not given to us, but we can say it is just for God to allow people who choose hell to go to hell. Also, it is within God's prerogative to be merciful to whomever he pleases [See Romans 9].
The word "predestination" only refers to those whom God has saved. It never refers to those whom God has not saved. You might say that it is by default that He is predestining them to hell, which in one sense might be true, but it is more biblically accurate to say that God allows people to go to hell, which they themselves have chosen. Hell is a place created for the devil and his angels—not for men. But, when men decide to link up to the rebellion of Satan, they go to the place of Satan. He technically doesn't send them to hell because, due to the fall of humanity, all are headed for hell on their own accord. It never makes God happy to condemn the wicked: "Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?" (Ezekiel 18:23).
Consequently, this does not affect our zeal in evangelism, because the New Testament clearly tells us that human will is indeed involved in the process to a degree. Take the apostle Paul as an example. He not only wrote most of the stuff in the NT about predestination, but he also spent his whole life doing zealous evangelism. This is not an oversight on his part, but rather a righteous response to the Gospel message … and to predestination.
- Harvey
