Homily for the First Sunday of Great Lent: On the Predestination of Our Salvation #
John 1:43–51
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today, during the Divine Liturgy, we heard a reading from the Gospel of John, which recounts how, on His way to Galilee, Jesus Christ met Philip and said unto him: Follow Me (John 1:43). Philip responded to this call and followed Christ. Of his encounter with the Lord, Philip said to Nathanael: We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph (John 1:45). This predestined meeting between Philip and Jesus marked the beginning of his apostolic ministry and the path to salvation.
Why did this fateful meeting take place for the Apostle Philip? Was it a mere coincidence, or was it foreordained by Divine Providence? It is this interplay of Divine Providence and human will in the matter of salvation that we shall now consider.
In his treatise On Foreknowledge and Predestination, St. John of Damascus writes: Predestination is the work of the Divine command, based on foreknowledge. God, according to His foreknowledge, predestines that which is beyond our power; for God has already predestined all things according to His foreknowledge, as His goodness and justice require.
The purpose and design of God’s predestination, according to Holy Scripture, is as follows: God will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). The Bible states that God knows all things from the beginning to the end of the world’s history: Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure (Isa. 46:10).
Holy Scripture speaks of God’s foreknowledge concerning the events of world history, though without precise determinations, as seen, for example, in the Revelation of the Apostle John. As for the destinies of individual men—the predestination of the course of a person’s life—this is an exceedingly complex question, unfathomable in its depth to our minds. Our reason is weak and limited, unable to comprehend the Divine will. It is sufficient for us to know that God foresees all things and desires our salvation, and that with His help we can attain salvation if we so choose, for we are free in this matter. If God had predestined some to salvation and others to destruction, then it would be impossible to speak of human free will and choice. Moreover, such a predestination would lack both divine love and justice.
God, in His care for the salvation of His creation, acts according to His will: Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth (Rom. 9:18). St. Isaac the Syrian, reflecting on God’s will in the work of salvation, writes: Who can withstand His face or resist His will? God sometimes grants freely; at other times He requires works of purification before bestowing a gift; and sometimes, even after works of purification, He does not grant here, but reserves it, that He may bestow the vision at its appointed time. The Lord’s longsuffering in working for the salvation of every person is illustrated by the parable of the barren fig tree: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down (Luke 13:6–9).
The good will of God for our salvation and His boundless mercy are also attested by the words of the Apostle John the Theologian: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). St. Gregory the Theologian testifies of the coming of the Savior into the world: The Sun of Righteousness hath shone for all, hath lived for all, hath died for all, and hath risen for all. Indeed, God, the Lover of mankind, desires that we all be saved, but without His gracious cooperation and aid, we are incapable even of willing, much less of doing good.
The will of God, according to the Gospel, is the predestination of all to salvation: Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish (Matt. 18:14). The Savior endured a painful and shameful death upon the Cross so that the gift of His redemptive Divine sacrifice might extend to all who believe in Him: Who gave Himself a ransom for all (1 Tim. 2:6), One died for all (2 Cor. 5:14). Concerning predestination to salvation, the Apostle writes: He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will (Eph. 1:4–5).
Thus, from the beginning of creation, the entire human race was predestined for salvation. In his work An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, St. John of Damascus, reflecting on the question, Why did God, who foreknows all things, create those who would sin and not repent?, writes: God creates all things good; yet each, by his own will, becomes either good or evil. Therefore, when the Lord said of the sinner, It had been good for that man if he had not been born (Mark 14:21), He was not condemning His own creation, but rather the evil that arose in His creature due to its own will and negligence. Speaking of Divine foreknowledge, St. John of Damascus further writes: Since the all-knowing God foresaw that man would transgress and be subject to corruption, He created from him a woman, a helper like unto him. She was to be his helper in preserving the human race even after the transgression, through procreation.
Adam, through his fall, lost the great gift of divine adoption. Jesus Christ came into the world to call all to salvation. He says: I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day (John 12:46–48). Many do not hear or accept this gracious call and gift, rejecting the Savior and salvation, and thus bringing upon themselves condemnation and destruction. The will of God is but one wing for salvation; the other is our own will, that we may take flight to the heavens. The combination of God’s will and human will determines our salvation. God desires our salvation, and if man also desires it, then he may be saved.
From the beginning, God created man free in his will, and He takes care that our free will be directed toward Him, aligning with His desire for our salvation. The Lord is almighty in His power, while man is free in his choice. However, man’s freedom is constrained by sin, for whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin (John 8:34). Therefore, just as man cannot be saved without the grace of God, so too will God not save man without his free will. God does all that He wills, but man, if he wills, being possessed of free will, can, with God’s help, abstain from sin. Grace, says St. John Chrysostom, though it be grace, saves only those who are willing. Thus, God, strengthening the apostles, bestows upon them the grace of the Holy Spirit, yet also calls them to labor and strive—to go forth preaching to the ends of the earth and to suffer martyrdom. When choosing St. Sergius of Radonezh from his mother’s womb, God knew that he would labor humbly throughout his life in fasting and prayer, in building and tilling the land. God desires to save all men but requires that each cooperate in his own salvation through toil.
The question of predestination at times provokes bewilderment. As Scripture states, even before Esau and Jacob were born, God foretold to their mother Rebecca that one of them would be stronger than the other, and that the elder would serve the younger. For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth; it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (Rom. 9:11–13).
From this, a question may arise: What does it mean that God abundantly bestows His grace upon one and not upon another? Where, then, is our freedom to order our own salvation? God is entirely free in His creation. One must remember that as the earth is distant from the heavens, so too are human destinies different from the judgments of God: For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord (Isa. 55:8).
The Lord, having created every man in His own image and likeness, undoubtedly knows his soul’s disposition, his inclination toward good or evil, and his willingness or unwillingness to follow the path of salvation. Concerning the Lord’s knowledge of our ways, the Psalmist David declares: O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me… Thou understandest my thought afar off… and art acquainted with all my ways (Ps. 138:1–3). From this knowledge, God carries out His predestination and calling of each person, as the Apostle states: For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified (Rom. 8:29–30). By this, the Lord implies man’s free ability to accept his election or to reject it.
The Almighty God loved Jacob and St. Sergius because He foresaw their God-pleasing disposition, and He condemned Esau and Pharaoh, knowing beforehand their evil nature. He hath mercy on whom He will (Rom. 9:18), for He foresees who will be a man of good and obedient will. Thus, the Lord regards the Apostle Philip as a vessel of blessing, for He foresees his turning to God, just as He foresees the impiety and destruction of Pharaoh. Seeing Jacob’s obedience, God loved and blessed him, which caused Jacob to be hated by the proud Esau. Therefore, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (Mal. 1:2). The obedient is loved by God, while the disobedient is despised. This does not apply only to ancient times or solely to Jacob and Esau, but it is always true and applies to all.
As the sun sends light and warmth upon all without distinction, so too does God deny no one the opportunity to receive His grace. Yet on the Last Judgment, the Lord will choose only the righteous to dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven. There, preference will be given to the most worthy, to whom it is prepared (Mark 10:40), as Christ said to Salome, the mother of the apostles James and John, when she asked Him to determine in advance a place for her sons in His Kingdom. And though these apostles were related to Him, He denied Salome’s request, thereby confirming that God is always just.
Thus, in this life, God does not single out anyone as already saved but calls all into His Kingdom, yet He chooses for His service only the most worthy and obedient to His will. For Thine it is to show mercy and to save—this is His predestination: that to those who desire and perform the works of salvation, God grants His grace.
Even if a man, at birth, has done neither good nor evil, God still sees and rightly discerns his soul, which is mysteriously predestined even in his mother’s womb, as was testified before the birth of John the Baptist and St. Sergius. The Apostle affirms that God foresees all things and that in Him there is neither hypocrisy nor injustice, for He says to Moses: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion (Ex. 33:19). God judges each according to his worth; He is not deceived by cunning, does not regard rank, does not respect persons, nor does He accept bribes (Deut. 10:17).
We know that the Lord is not only longsuffering and merciful, but He also hardens—that is, He chastises those who oppose His good will. The Apostle Paul, using Pharaoh as an example, shows how God both wrathfully chastens and has mercy: What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory? (Rom. 9:22–23). This hardening is a punishment intended for the correction of those who, through their deeds, stubbornly prepare their own destruction by the malice of their proud and unrepentant hearts. In this punishment, too, the mercy and longsuffering of God are manifest.
Speaking of election unto salvation, Blessed Theophylact writes:
Many deceive themselves with vain hope, thinking that they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and be numbered among those who rest in the heights of virtue, harboring lofty thoughts of themselves in their hearts… Many are called, for God calls many, indeed all, but few are chosen, few are saved, few are found worthy of God’s election. Predestination is the work of God, but election or rejection depends on us; the Jews were called, but they were not chosen, for they were disobedient to the One who called them.
A question may arise: If God knows what will happen and if He already knows who will end up in hell, is it then pointless to labor in order to avoid it? Indeed, God foresees all things; He knows whether we will be in paradise or in hell, whether we will be written in the book of life or marked in the book of death. St. Gregory of Nyssa writes: The righteous judgment of God corresponds to our disposition. As is our inner state, so does He render unto us from Himself. Just as a mirror reflects our appearance, so too does Divine foreknowledge reflect our will and our destiny.
God directs all toward salvation—He foresees it, yet He also foresees the destruction of the sinner. He who commits evil deprives himself of the grace of God and thereby punishes himself. Thus, the Apostle Peter denied Christ not because Christ foresaw his denial, but rather, Christ foresaw Peter’s denial because the apostle had not yet attained firm faith. That is, Christ was not the cause of Peter’s denial; rather, Peter’s own inclination to weakness of faith was the basis of the Lord’s foreknowledge.
Our salvation or perdition is not predetermined by God. As we change our lives, so too may God change His judgment concerning us. That is, we always have the possibility of salvation with God’s help, for we are free in our choice. God desires the salvation of all, but if a man does not labor toward it, if he does not strive to live a God-pleasing life, then, despite the opportunity for salvation, he will perish. Concerning this, the prophet declares: Mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee (Ezek. 7:4).
Thus, God’s foreknowledge does not hinder either His desire to save us or our freedom to attain salvation. However difficult the question of predestination may be, we must always remember that God desires our salvation, for He is the Lover of mankind, and we always have the possibility of being saved. His grace and our will—these are the foundation of salvation. God desires it—let us also desire it!
To confirm what has been said, let us again turn to Holy Scripture: God led the prophet Jeremiah to the house of the potter, where he saw the craftsman working on a vessel. The vessel was marred in the potter’s hands, but he reshaped it as seemed good to him. Then the Lord said to Jeremiah: Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in Mine hand (Jer. 18:6). From this, we see that just as the vessel was corrected by the hands of the potter, so too does the Lord, by His grace, correct the repentant sinner. But the correction of the vessel was only possible while the clay was still soft and malleable; if it had hardened, correction would have been impossible. Likewise, if a person delays repentance, he becomes hardened, and just as a flawed clay vessel is broken and its shards cast away, so too will the Lord deal with the unrepentant sinner on the Day of Judgment.
What awaits us—paradise or hell? No living person can know this beforehand. All will be revealed at the Last Judgment, and it is not given to us to know whether the Lord will count us among the righteous or the sinful, whether we shall receive from the Judge a crown of glory or be condemned to eternal torment. They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:29). God has predestined man for eternal life, but man, through sin, often destroys God’s design. It is up to us to determine our own fate.
Thou seest the penitent and runnest to meet him as a Father, says the canon to Jesus, speaking of God’s help to those who desire salvation. Let us, therefore, strive with all our strength to cooperate with God’s will, which leads us to the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us repent, forsake the filth of sin, and dedicate our lives to the high purpose of our salvation, for it is to this that God has predestined us. To Him be glory, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen!