15 神的预定——神有其目的Predestination - God has apurpose
《简明神学》Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs，巴刻（J. I. Packer）著/張麟至译，更新传道会，2007年。https://yibaniba.blogspot.com/2020/01/blog-post_98.html
15 神的预定——神有其目的
Predestination - God has a purpose
耶和华说：[我曾爱你们；你们却说：[你在何事上爱我们呢]] 耶和华说：[以扫不是雅各的哥哥么？我却爱雅各，恶以扫。]（马1:2-3）
四十多位作者，在上下纵横一千五百年的时间内写成了六十六卷圣经。他们看到自己和他们的读者，都被包括在神为这个世界所进行祂那至高上的目的中---这目的使祂创造世界，罪虽曾破坏过它，但神的救赎工作却使祂的目的得以恢复。这目的本质是要表达神和祂有理性的受造物之间，那种无止息的互爱与互相享受---这种互爱显明在他们献给神的敬拜、赞美、感谢、尊荣、荣耀与侍奉中，以及神所赐给他们的交通、特权、喜乐与恩赐中。
圣经作者们回顾神为促进神救赎的计划，以往曾为被罪恶破坏的大地做过什么；他们向前看神救赎的计划，完成的那日，就是当全地被神重新创造得无比荣耀之日（赛65:17-25；彼后3:10-13；启21：1-22:5）。他们宣扬神是大能的创造主与救赎主，并恒常地安居在神多重的恩典工作上---这工作是神在历史中作的，要为祂自己得着一群百姓，就是一个多人的群体，叫神可以完成祂与他们互爱的初衷。这些作者们坚称：神已经显明祂自己绝对掌控着祂的计划，直接到作者记载的地方为止，祂也依次达到祂所计划的；所以，祂仍在绝对地掌控，按照祂自己的旨意行作万事，以完成祂的救赎计划。我们得在这个思想架构下（弗1:9-14；2:4-10；3:8-11；4:11-16），来询问有关预定的问题。
[预定]这个字常是用来指：神预先所安排之世界历史上所有的事件，不论是过去的、现在的，还是将来的，这个用法相当恰当。不过，在圣经和主流神学里，[预定]特别是指神在尚未有世界与其他居民之前的永恒里，祂所做得决定---这些决定与罪人个人的最终命运有关。事实上，新约圣经使用的[预定]和[拣选]（这两个字是同一个意思）这两个字眼里，支指神选择特定的罪人，使他们得到救恩与永生（罗8:29；弗1:4-5,11）。然而，许多人指出，圣经也将那些至终不得救的人，归因于神先做了一个决定，（罗9:6-29；彼前2:8；犹4）。所以更正教的神学通常定义，神的预定包括了祂两方面的决定：从罪中拯救一些人（即所谓的[拣选]），并定罪其余的人（即所谓的[被弃]），此两者是并行的。
[神根据什么来选择，使人得到救恩呢？]不少时候有人这样回答这个问题：[根据神的预知：神预先知道每一个人接触福音后，会否选择基督作他们的救主。]在这样的答复里，预知意指着神这边被动的先见---祂先知道人将要怎样---如此而已，却并没有预先决定他们的行动。可是：
（1）罗马书八章29节，罗马书十一章2节（参彼前1:2和1:20）的[预知]是[先期而爱]和[预先决定]的意思，并没有旁观者期望什么事自然会发生的想法。
（2）因为所有的人凭天性而言，都是死在罪中（即与神的生命隔绝，对祂没有反应者），唯独神可以赐予人内在的新生命。听见福音的人若没有这赐予，无人会悔改、信靠神（弗2:4-10）。耶稣说：[若不是蒙我父的恩赐，没有人能到我这里来。]（约6:65，另参6:44；10:25-28）。罪人之所以会选择基督，唯独是因为神已拣选了他们，并且更新他们的心，感动他们选择祂。
虽然就着人的自决意义而言，所有人的行动都是自由的，但是按照神的永旨和预定而言，并没有一个人是不受神掌管的。所以，基督徒们应当为着他们的归正感谢神，仰望祂保守他们常在神所引领进入恩典中，并且按照祂的计划，有信心的等候祂最终的凯旋。
PREDESTINATION
GOD HAS A PURPOSE
“I
have loved you,” says the LORD. “But you ask, `How have you loved us?’ “Was not
Esau Jacob’s brother?” the LORD says. “Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have
hated....” MALACHI 1:2-3
The
forty and more writers who produced the sixty-six books of Scripture over
something like fifteen hundred years saw themselves and their readers as caught
up in the outworking of God’s sovereign purpose for his world, the purpose that
led him to create, that sin then disrupted, and that his work of redemption is
currently restoring. That purpose in essence was, and is, the endless
expression and enjoyment of love between God and his rational creatures—love
shown in their worship, praise, thanks, honor, glory, and service given to him,
and in the fellowship, privileges, joys, and gifts that he gives to them.
The
writers look back at what has already been done to advance God’s redemptive
plan for sin-damaged planet earth, and they look ahead to the day of its
completion, when planet earth will be re-created in unimaginable glory (Isa.
65:17-25; 2 Pet. 3:10-13; Rev. 21:1-22:5). They proclaim God as the almighty
Creator-Redeemer and dwell constantly on the multifaceted works of grace that
God performs in history to secure for himself a people, a great company of
individuals together, with whom his original purpose of giving and receiving
love can be fulfilled. And the writers insist that as God has shown himself
absolutely in control in bringing his plan to the point it has reached as they
write, so he will continue in total control, working out everything according
to his own will and so completing his redemptive project. It is within this
frame of reference (Eph. 1:9-14; 2:4-10; 3:8-11; 4:11-16) that questions about
predestination belong.
Predestination
is a word often used to signify God’s foreordaining of all the events of world
history, past, present, and future, and this usage is quite appropriate. In
Scripture and mainstream theology, however, predestination means specifically
God’s decision, made in eternity before the world and its inhabitants existed,
regarding the final destiny of individual sinners. In fact, the New Testament
uses the words predestination and election (the two are one), only of God’s
choice of particular sinners for salvation and eternal life (Rom. 8:29; Eph.
1:4-5, 11). Many have pointed out, however, that Scripture also ascribes to God
an advance decision about those who finally are not saved (Rom. 9:6-29; 1 Pet.
2:8; Jude 4), and so it has become usual in Protestant theology to define God’s
predestination as including both his decision to save some from sin (election)
and his decision to condemn the rest for their sin (reprobation), side by side.
To
the question, “On what basis did God choose individuals for salvation?” it is
sometimes replied: on the basis of his foreknowledge that when faced with the
gospel they would choose Christ as their Savior. In that reply, foreknowledge
means passive foresight on God’s part of what individuals are going to do,
without his predetermining their action. But
Foreknow
in Romans 8:29; 11:2 (cf. 1 Pet. 1:2 and 1:20, where the NIV renders the Greek
foreknown as “chosen”) means “fore-love” and “fore-appoint”: it does not
express the idea of a spectator’s anticipation of what will spontaneously
happen.
Since
all are naturally dead in sin (i.e., cut off from the life of God and
unresponsive to him), no one who hears the gospel will ever come to repentance
and faith without an inner quickening that only God can impart (Eph. 2:4-10).
Jesus said: “No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him” (John
6:65, cf. 44; 10:25-28). Sinners choose Christ only because God chose them for
this choice and moved them to it by renewing their hearts.
Though
all human acts are free in the sense of being self-determined, none are free
from God’s control according to his eternal purpose and foreordination.
Christians
should therefore thank God for their conversion, look to him to keep them in
the grace into which he has brought them, and confidently await his final
triumph, according to his plan.
