Double Predestination

Definition and Meaning

Double predestination is the doctrine that God decreed, or determined beforehand, from eternity to elect some people to salvation and to reprobate others, that is, to leave them to perish in their sin. It is called "double" because both outcomes, salvation and perdition, are held to fall within God's decree. It is distinguished from the position that speaks only of the election of those who will be saved, and it is one view within the broader doctrine of predestination.

Reformed theology generally does not regard election and reprobation as being of the same character. Election is understood as an act of God's active grace. Reprobation is understood as God's passing over sinners (preterition), and the responsibility for perdition is said to lie in people's own sin.

Biblical and Historical Background

Proponents cite Romans 9:18–23, which contains the analogy of the potter; the accounts in Exodus of God hardening the heart of Pharaoh; and Ephesians 1:11. Opponents cite 1 Timothy 2:4 and Ezekiel 18:23, which teach that God desires the salvation of all people.

The doctrine is rooted in Augustine's theology of grace. The ninth-century monk Gottschalk is known to have asserted it explicitly and to have been condemned for doing so. During the Reformation, John Calvin defined predestination in the Institutes of the Christian Religion as God's decree by which some are foreordained to eternal life and others to eternal damnation. This line of thought continued in the Canons of Dort (1618–1619) and in chapter 3 of the Westminster Confession of Faith.

Other traditions view the matter differently.

• Arminianism and John Wesley held that predestination is based on faith foreknown by God, and they rejected the doctrine of reprobation.
• Lutheranism affirms election to salvation but does not attribute perdition to God's decree.
• In the twentieth century, Karl Barth reinterpreted the doctrine, teaching that Christ is both the Elect One and the Rejected One.

Practice in the Korean Church

• Presbyterian: Presbyterian denominations that hold the Westminster Confession of Faith as their doctrinal standard address double predestination in theological education. However, because the Confession itself urges that this doctrine be handled with special prudence and care, preaching often emphasizes gratitude for and assurance of election rather than reprobation.
• Methodist, Holiness, and Full Gospel: Denominations in the Wesleyan theological tradition, such as the Korean Methodist Church, the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church, and the Korea Assemblies of God, emphasize prevenient grace and human response and do not accept double predestination.
• Baptist: Within the Baptist tradition, both Calvinist and non-Calvinist views are present, and positions vary by church and theologian.

Debates among denominations are covered in more detail in the article Predestination and Free Will.