Chapter 16 | Is Death a Fitting Punishment?

The idea that God’s judgment upon the wicked will be equal and opposite to his reward for the faithful is not a new one. It evolves in large part upon whether or not one finds death a fitting punishment for the wicked? This is a deep and provocative question. Many can see that God is not willing to subject the wicked and disobedient to eternal punishing,[1] which goes beyond the wages of sin or the death revealed in the original command.[2] Those with this perspective are referred to as conditionalists.[3] Likewise, there are just as many who are convinced God is willing and obligated to punish them forever. These are referred to as traditionalists.[4] The latter see that being an infinite God, any sin against him is likewise infinite and requires an infinite punishment,[5] or because God blesses the righteous with eternal life, the wicked and unrepentant of humanity must receive an equal and opposite eternity of continual punishment and death.[6]

 

Neither of these viewpoints is new. Both have their roots in scripture and in history reaching back to the second century A.D. and Tertullian. The challenge is to filter them through the revelation in scripture in the largest context possible with the help of God’s Holy Spirit rather than the history of tradition. Unless our presuppositions are based on the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, we risk an incomplete and less effective theology. As I delve into the roots of these ideas, it’s important to differentiate between motive and misunderstanding. It is not my intent to challenge the motives or faithfulness of those who support certain ideas or theology. I only seek to reveal and determine the validity of those ideas which become the filters through which we see, or don’t see, the full context of God’s work in Yeshua the Christ.

The Fate of Humanity’s Wicked

Though you might consider my views to be equivalent to those of the conditionalist, I would have to disagree on several counts. Though our view on the nature of man and mankind’s final punishment is the same, I found some of the conditionalist arguments superficial and not sufficiently rooted in the fundamentals of the gospel. The same can be said for the views of the traditionalists. I found their arguments for never-ending punishing lacked an awareness of a larger context and consideration for the fundamental elements of the gospel. It is not the purpose of this book to resolve the differences between the conditionalist and traditionalist views fully, but to provide sufficient evidence to show the traditionalists view of the unending killing of wicked and unrepentant humans to be contradictory to an unfiltered view of the gospel and the underlying perspective of New Testament authors.

 

In addition to Paul’s understanding and presuppositions about God’s righteous judgment as a wrapper for Christ’s redemptive work, there is the overwhelming evidence throughout all of scripture that contrasts life with death, though not always distinguishing between the two types of death. How one defines death impacts the conclusion one will arrive at regarding the nature of death. My goal has been to utilize the will and purpose of God as the basis for that definition. However, I am aware that the conclusion one comes to about the nature of death is impacted greatly by one’s understanding of the nature of mankind; whether man is mortal or immortal. This conflict appears to be what is at the core of the traditionalist versus conditionalist discussion. Though I’ve addressed it in part, and have shown my viewpoint to be on the side of the mortalists, to fully address the nature of man in the context of God’s work in Christ would require the space of another whole book. I will therefore defer that subject for later and return our focus to the definition of death and the fate of the wicked as described in scripture.

 

To discuss the judgment that is awaiting the wicked, one must first define the wicked and consider their condition in relationship to that of those made righteous in Christ. Recall that humanity doesn’t reach this level of wickedness on their own. They are aided by the negative influence of elohim from the unseen realm. To define the general characteristics of the wicked, we’ll begin in Psalm 37. A reading of the entire chapter reveals the following characteristics for the wicked and the end intended for them.

 

Characteristics of the Wicked transgressors seek to slay the righteous and the innocent without the law of God in their hearts enemies of the Lord cast down the poor and needy have no trust in the Lord do not know God forget God love violence	Their End wither and fade away shall be cut off shall be no more killed by their own sword shall perish be consumed and vanish like smoke are cut off shall be destroyed their end is destruction

 

It’s important to recall that all have at one time or another been guilty of some of these characteristics. Yet by God’s grace, the righteous in Christ are called out of them and into his salvation. Israel too acted wickedly in God’s sight,[7] yet God will ultimately redeem them.[8] Recall that the Gentiles are the recipients of grace and mercy today, yet in times past they were not. Gentiles are not considered the people of God except by the grace of God, which calls them into his light.[9] Paul reminds believers of our need to cling to Christ because we were once partakers of this same wickedness, and it should no longer rule us as it once did.[10]

 

Paul clarifies too that Gentiles are not alone in partaking of wickedness. The descendants of Israel are also partakers of that wickedness – in that they chose idols over the living and true God. But this too, God has plans to turn around.[11] It was God’s intent that through their stumbling grace might be extended to the Gentiles.[12] In fact, it is clear that God has subjected all to disobedience so that he might extend grace to all.

As regards the gospel, they [Israel and Judah] are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. (Romans 11:28-32)

 

Since all (Israel and Gentiles) are considered wicked at some point, one is left asking the simple question; what separates the righteous from the wicked? Is it not the grace of God? For it is God who calls the righteous from the wicked according to his will.[13] He has made some vessels for wrath and others vessels for mercy, some for destruction and some for glory.[14]

Does Death Reign Forever?

When Yeshua, the Son of Man appears on the scene, what is it he instructs us to pursue above all things in this life? Within the context of what many call his greatest teaching, the Sermon on the Mount, Christ provides instruction for living the life of obedience in faith. One of the things at the root of that teaching is trust in God for not only the things necessary for this physical/natural life, but those that lead into the next, spiritual life.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

 

It’s not accidental or mere coincidence that the two things we’re instructed to trust God for are the very things Christ brings to the world and which we are unable to attain for ourselves; entrance into the imperishable kingdom of the Father and the maturity and righteous character of his son. These two goals for humanity are the very same represented in the narrative of Genesis 2-3. In order to even grasp, much less value, the righteousness in Christ, one would need to dwell in the moral context by which righteousness or wickedness are discerned. That is the context opened up to us by the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the free will choice of Adam and Eve, though it came through disobedience.

It’s not by accident but clearly at the core of God’s intent to bring many sons and daughters from dust to glory that the role of Yeshua the Christ was established before the foundations of the world were set in place and before Adam and Eve even existed on the earth; to be the source of righteousness leading to life eternal for all those willing to receive God’s gift of grace in Christ our Lord.

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:17,21)

 

Notice the contrast presented by Paul in Romans 5 between what reigns in this life within the physical/natural realm as a result of the one command and the one trespass, and what reigns in Christ; the death of judgment reigning over all Adam’s progeny is contrasted with the grace of God reigning through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The reign of the grace of God surpasses the reign of the death of judgment. The reign of grace is expressed in righteousness and life everlasting, and the reign of death is the absence of that life, not an eternity of reliving death. Paul later reveals in his first Letter to the Corinthians that even death comes to an end when Yeshua overcomes all God’s enemies on our behalf.

Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
(1 Corinthians 15:24-26)

Equal and Opposite Judgment?

One book that addresses both sides of the final punishment issue is Two Views of Hell by Edward Fudge and Robert Peterson. Peterson, a traditionalist who believes scripture teaches never-ending torment in hell for the final punishment of the unrepentant, challenges Fudge, a conditionalist who believes scripture teaches the final punishment is death, the absence of life. The unrepentant are destroyed by fire never to be resurrected again.[15]

 

The perspective of the modern traditionalists has its roots in traditional thinking. Here’s a commentary from Tertullian, regarded as the founder of Latin Christianity, regarding Christ’s claim in Matthew 10:28.[16]

“If therefore anyone shall violently suppose that the destruction of the soul and the flesh in hell amounts to final annihilation of the two substances, and not to their penal treatment (as if they were to be consumed, not punished), let him recollect that the fire of hell is eternal – expressly announced as an everlasting penalty, and let him then admit that it is from this circumstance that this never-ending “killing” is more formidable than a merely human murder, which is only temporal.”

 

Now, Tertullian appears to come to this conclusion not through a coherent connection of scripture but through a series of misunderstandings and conflicting presuppositions. One is derived from a misunderstanding of Lazarus and the Rich Man,[17] and another from his opposing views on what he describes as the two natures of man; his soul and his flesh.

• The soul of a man is separate and distinct from the body.
• Its the flesh that falls by death and is likewise risen in resurrection to life; the soul has no trace of a fall as there is no mortality in its condition.[18]
• Citing Genesis 3:19 he accepts that man is mortal but only applies this to the body not to the man.
• On the one hand, he insists that the soul is incorporeal, yet suggests it possesses some kind of solidity in its nature that enables it to perceive and suffer.[19] This contradiction is necessary in order to satisfy the presupposition of penal punishment for sin immediately at death.
• He accepts that it is the whole man, body and soul, that is judged.

 

The resolution of these contradicting views begins with setting aside any presuppositions when reading Genesis 2:6-7 where the most basic formula for the “nature of man” is given:

and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground -then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Man is formed of the mist and dust of the ground

+

Breath of Life from God (spirit [Ruah])

=

Living Soul, Living Being [Nephesh]

 

Tertullian’s contradictions begin from concluding that man has a soul, when in fact, according to this basic formula, man is a living soul. The attempt to reduce man into constituent parts fails because neither of the constituent parts sufficiently constitutes the man.[20] Without the animating breath of life, man, nor the animals for that matter, would be living creatures. But it’s not the animating breath alone that constitutes the man. For that to be so would make the man pre-existent with no real need of the body of dust. Under those conditions, mankind would essentially be equivalent to the myriad of elohim already existing in the unseen realm. And the same consideration would have to be applied to the other animals that are also said to be living beings [Nephesh] and likewise received the animating breath of life.[21]

 

Another fundamental idea contributing to Tertullian’s inconsistency is the presupposition of penal punishment for sin immediately at death. This establishes the expectation and contradiction regarding what he calls the separate soul to perceive and suffer punishment after death. Yet, as we’ve seen, God claims it’s the soul that sins, not just the body, and it’s the soul that dies.[22] In addition, according to the redemptive work of Christ, judgment comes not immediately at death, but after the resurrection from the dead.[23]

 

Next, the context of Matthew 10:28 appears to be clear regarding the fate of those who come under God’s final judgment. Christ doesn’t correct their dualistic division of a man into body and soul, but uses that to illustrate the comparison is not between components of a man, but the scope of power; do not fear those who can only affect your physical existence, but fear him whose power extends beyond this temporal life and into the next:

• God alone can destroy not only the body (the material part), but the complete man utterly – both material and immaterial (body and spirit) in the second death.[24]
• He alone has the power to restore your life – the living soul. This is what is exemplified throughout scripture.[25]
• Because he has given the faithful an added Spirit (the Spirit of God), he also has power to restore to them more than their physical life (living soul) but an eternal life, thereby changing the equation for the new creation:

Body of mist & dust

+

spirit of man

=

Living Soul

+

Spirit of God

=

Child of God in Christ’s image

 

Lastly, the destruction referenced and which God can administer is an utter destruction, consisting of a lack of life and no hope of a subsequent resurrection to life; this is the second and permanent death.[26] That the second death is administered to those resurrected to flesh and blood as opposed to their resurrection to an immortal state is clear from the statement in Revelation 20:6 regarding the faithful who have a part in the first resurrection to eternal life and immortality and reign with Christ; the second death has no power over them.[27]

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

A key aspect in understanding the relationship and nature of the contrast between the first Adam and the last Adam is the context of their roles. Paul identifies the scope of the context for each in his first Letter to the Corinthians.

Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
(1 Corinthians 15:45-49)

 

Here Paul is reflecting on the process involved in Christ’s work to lead many sons and daughters from the natural realm in which they were created mortal (vs 47,53-54) to the imperishable spiritual realm from which the last Adam came (vs 47). It was never the role of the first Adam to provide for humanity the pathway into the kingdom of heaven (vs 50). This is evident when we look at the conditions which characterized his role:

• Made of the dust of the earth, a mortal living soul
• Created to dwell in the physical/natural realm
• The first command outlines the scope of his role within this physical realm – Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
• Increased our likeness and image of God by an expression of free will and disobedience, leading to the awareness of morality and sin and the weakness of the flesh.
• Introduced his progeny to the righteous judgment of God and the death of judgment as a result of what we are and what we do; fall short of the character and righteousness of Christ.

 

The first Adam was never equipped nor expected to reign over the spiritual realm, only the physical realm in which he was created. And even that role required further equipping with the knowledge of good and evil. Though it came through disobedience, it did come through Adam and Eve’s free will. We cannot overstate the importance of free will. Choice is such a vital component of God’s relationship with humanity that he subjects Adam and Eve to a choice that was necessary for their development as his children, even though it must come through their disobedience. Within the spiritual and unseen realm, the Godhead has countless created beings which fulfill various roles in the heavenly realm. Yet not a single one of these glorious beings chose to be in relationship with its creator, like a child born to a parent. However, for Adam and his descendants, choice becomes an essential part of that relationship. They’re the children whom God seeks to bear in righteousness and great glory. They are the children with whom he’ll dwell in life eternally.

 

The other end of that first choice comes with those who choose to accept the gift of God in Christ, the last Adam. His role, which was established before the world was made, was always intended to complete the new creation through a process established by God; the physical first, then the spiritual. Yeshua alone is the bridge for humanity from the physical realm into the spiritual kingdom of God. For this role, the last Adam was properly equipped.

• He alone came from heaven, the heavenly seed of God
• The scope of his rulership is over both realms; the physical and the spiritual
• Through him comes the redemption of mortal, perishable children of Adam
• He shed his blood and died for all humanity once; condemning the sin which condemned us to the death of judgment, the second death.
• He provides the righteousness humanity lacks by what he is and what he does according to the will of the Father
• He is the author and finisher of the new creation
• Reconciliation to God through Christ is universally available to all. The grace of God is far greater than the sin of man.
• God’s gift of grace is applied conditionally, through acceptance of Christ, for all those who will receive it.

 

Just as acceptance of Christ comes through choice and will lead to life everlasting, so also will rejection of Christ lead to the loss of what life they do have. This is congruent with all that God has done, is doing, and will complete in Yeshua the Christ on humanity’s behalf. When Christ returns to complete the establishment of his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, he doesn’t come to reconcile the world from sin and death; that work has already been completed. What remains is the revelation of God’s will in Christ to the world – to make God known. What he does return to do is to correct the large portion of the disobedient world yet to be called and to displace the unseen forces leading humanity into further opposition to God and his glorious will for them.

And I know his commandment is eternal life. (Fourth Gospel 12:50a)

“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (Fourth Gospel 17:1b-3)

 

If the redemptive work of God in Christ resulted in the condemnation of the sin which condemned all, how can any say that a greater punishment than death is required?

• Did Christ our Lord shed his blood and die for the sin of the world only once for all?
• In doing so, did he not condemn the sin which condemned us to death? [28]
• In God’s act of giving his Son to reconcile the world, does this not reconcile (from God’s perspective) all disobedient, wicked, and sinners? [29]
• Has not the matter of sin been fully resolved in Christ? [30]

 

What remains then is for God and his Christ to be revealed in its fullness and glory to the world. For what purpose, you ask? [31]

• so that the world may believe that you have sent me
• so that the world may know that you sent me
• so that the world may know that you loved them even as you loved me

 

Clearly, it is God’s intent not simply to destroy the disobedient, sinners, and wicked in the world as a final form of judgment, but through the continued work of Christ in his earthly kingdom to lead them into repentance and the obedience of faith.

Some suggest the disobedient, sinners, and wicked are being judged at death, claiming God’s wrath and punishment is upon them when they die. Yet scripture teaches God’s judgment occurs after their resurrection, not before it.[32] Now there is a form of judgment that comes upon mankind at the second death; the condemnation of death which comes as a result of the command and subsequent disobedience,[33] which, unless one is saved from, results in their perishing.[34]

 

Yet we see that God willingly consigned all to disobedience in the knowledge that all who are willing will be redeemed according to his mercy and grace. So far, those who respond in faith to the gift of grace found in Yeshua the Christ are given the assurance and promise of an eternal inheritance, along with the gift of the Holy Spirit to seal that promise. These have a part in the resurrection to glory.[35] But for those unrepentant who reject Christ, and continue so even after being resurrected to mortal life, theirs is the same judgment revealed by Christ – they are condemned to death and destruction – the second death. Because they fail to believe in the name of the only Son of God, the source of life, they must bear the weight of their sins themselves. A weight that requires death, and in the final judgment, they receive the second and final death – where God destroys both body and soul in Gehenna.[36]

The underlying contrast outlined by Paul in Romans 5 represents the very will and purpose of the Godhead to bring many sons and daughters to glory:

• The one command – in dying, you shall surely die.
• The one trespass – Eve took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
• And the many disobedient – Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.
• The one command – And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
• The obedient one – I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
• Moreover, the many made righteous – much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

 

In this, we see that truly, the grace of God is greater-than the sin of man. In that the one command for eternal life was pre-ordained before the foundations of the world, the one command of judgment is a necessary part of the process to achieve it. The first Adam fulfills his role to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth while unknowingly preparing for the last Adam, by whom many once disobedient sons and daughters will inherit righteousness and eternal life in the kingdom of God. A kingdom which has no end and no death.

Is There Free Will in Christ?

Having seen that Christ and his role for redemption was established before the world was formed, we must consider the implications and application this has for those God calls. Does their being chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world[37] in any way inhibit their choice in responding? As with most things theological, there are multiple viewpoints to consider when attempting to answer this question. The two viewpoints I’ll touch on here are the Reformed and the Arminian. Each has something to contribute to the discussion.

 

The Reformed view is that God’s grace is decisive in bringing about personal salvation; he chooses, you don’t. Predestination is unconditional.[38] I would summarize the Reformed view of predestined salvation as – sovereignty at the expense of free will. The Arminians hold to the idea that God chooses to extend his grace and we choose to respond. Predestination is conditional on an individual’s earnest and faithful commitment to Christ. It’s relational in all its contexts, not one-sided. I characterize this as – sovereignty with the union of wills.

 

Like Piper, I conclude that there is room for both viewpoints. Piper addresses the key difference between the two views by focusing on a vital question and its answer as revealed in scripture.

“What does God will more than saving all? The answer the Aminians give is that human self-determination and the possible resulting love relationship with God are more valuable than saving all people by sovereign, efficacious grace. The answer the Reformed give is that the greater value is the manifestation of the full range of God’s glory in wrath and mercy (Rom. 9:22-23) and the humbling of man so that he enjoys giving all credit to God for his salvation (1 Cor. 1:29).”[39]

 

From the perspective of the mystery of God in Christ, both views have a part in the process leading humanity from the dust of our initial creation to the new creation in Christ. It cannot be denied that there are clear expressions of God’s sovereignty:

• As Creator of the unseen realm
• As Creator of the physical and natural realm, which was initially incomplete and unfit for the divine realm
• By its nature, all of the natural creation first requires redemption. In this, God’s will was sovereign.
• God intended a redeemer in Yeshua the Christ before the world was formed. Yet this didn’t represent the end of God’s work in Christ, but its beginning.
• Christ is the only bridge from the physical/natural to the spiritual and divine. Yet that sovereignty is applied for those who willingly surrender to the gift of grace and the obedience of faith offered in Christ.[40]
• God will complete all he has set his hand to do

 

The importance of relationships is essential and interwoven into the work of God in Christ, once redemption has been achieved. Christ’s kingdom building doesn’t end there; it begins there. It’s in the post-redemptive world that God calls many sons and daughters into Christ as recipients of this new covenant. Covenants are by nature the product of relationships and are based on choice and free will.[41] The incarnation of the Son of God is an expression and gift of grace that is unwarranted if sovereignty is supreme over relationship. Though the predestination and manifestation of Christ into the natural realm is certainly a sovereign act of God to achieve reconciliation with his incomplete, imperfect, and mortal children, Christ’s work doesn’t end there; more is needed.

 

I’ve concluded that these two views are not mutually exclusive, but reflect an interdependency in our relationship with God that is often overlooked. It is through taming our free-will and self-determination that God will achieve the full range of his glory. Both are essential aspects of the overriding will of God to bring many sons and daughters from dust to glory. As the Reformers observed, the humbling of humanity is an equally essential part of this process. God established that humility in part by creating us incomplete, imperfect, and mortal. It’s the extreme expression of man’s self-determination, his pride and arrogance, that distances himself from God. Yet God desires that the wicked turn from his way and live,[42] so he provides a way in Christ for all to surrender to the obedience of faith. However, that surrender comes voluntarily and not by coercion.

 

Secondly, the Reformers reliance on Romans 9:22-23 suggests they see that God has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, as the final state of God’s judgment. The destruction of the vessels of wrath being referred to here includes the disobedient and unbelieving in Israel. As was shown previously,[43] Romans 10 and 11 clearly reveals there is something awaiting them beyond their destruction should they not remain in unbelief. This points to the future work of God in Christ which goes beyond the redemptive act. Elsewhere, God has promised he will take every step toward reconciliation with the disobedient in Israel and lead them to repentance and belief.[44] Those steps include wrath as correction to lead them to repentance, but it doesn’t end in wrath. After repentance comes mercy and a new covenant, which has a glorious outcome for those who willingly surrender to the obedience of faith in Christ.

 

This same pattern of correction, repentance, mercy, and a new covenant is repeated for the nations and for those resurrected to judgment. This too we’ll delve into in more detail in the next section. Like God’s chosen people, all humanity will be confronted with the reality that is Christ, the last Adam, and the choice opened to us by the first Adam; I have set before you life and good, death and evil; therefore, choose life![45] This same choice is echoed in Christ’s teaching about how one is to respond when God calls, as illustrated in the parable of the talents.[46] Those who responded earnestly and faithfully were rewarded with greater responsibility and shared in the joy of their master. He who out of fear made no effort to increase what his master had given him was cast out of the master’s presence. Though the Master is sovereign, he obviously seeks earnest and faithful commitment from those who appreciate and value what he has poured out on them. This I describe as a unity of wills, and will be discussed further in the next section.

 

Clearly this stage of kingdom-building for the descendents of Israel will not occur until Christ returns to establish his kingdom on earth.[47] An important conclusion one is forced to accept as a result of Christ’s future covenant with disobedient Israel is that today is not the only day of salvation.

Does Foreknowledge equal Predestination?

An underlying presupposition which must be addressed is God’s foreknowledge of Christ’s work as it relates to predestination; does the one necessitate the other? Many believe that God’s foreknowledge (those who are called to Christ, for example) ensures the certainty of their receiving salvation. This was not the case for God’s calling to Israel as his chosen people, and it’s not the case for those called to Christ. Even Christ claimed that many are called, but few are chosen.[48]

 

Dr. Michael Heiser, in his groundbreaking work on the Unseen Realm, addresses this complex issue and resolves it with clear examples directly from scripture.[49] He makes clear from scripture what logic dictates; that divine foreknowledge doesn’t necessitate divine predestination. God’s foreknowledge of what will happen doesn’t remove the other party’s free will or self-determination to arrive at that foreknown event.

I’m of the mind that both the Arminian and the Reformed views concerning predestined salvation are part of a process to achieve a unified goal that reaches beyond redemption; the goal of God to bring many sons and daughters from dust to glory, and the desire of humanity to be complete in their image and likeness of God through Christ our Lord.

By the sovereign will of God and the predestined role of the Lamb of God, humanity was never intended to achieve the complete, divine likeness on their own. Only through the intercession of God’s Holy Spirit, now available to all through Christ our Lord, was humanity to continue its development from the physical and natural realm with a hope and promise of attaining the spiritual.[50] Only through Yeshua the Christ do we move from perishable to imperishable, and to finally partake of the tree of life.[51]

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9)