神的預定
from: 巴刻着《簡明神學》（Concise Theology by J. I. Packer）
誠之摘錄

神的預定：神有其目的（計劃）
Predestination: God Has a Purpose

耶和華說：「我曾愛你們。」你們卻說：「你在何事上愛我們呢？」耶和華說：「以掃不是雅各的哥哥嗎？我卻愛雅各，惡以掃，使他的山嶺荒涼，把他的地業交給曠野的野狗。」（瑪1：2-3）

四十多位作者，在上下縱橫一千五百年的時間內，寫成了66卷聖經。他們看到自己和他們的讀者，都被包括在神為這個世界所進行的，祂那至高無上的目的（計劃）之中──這目的（計劃）使祂創造這世界，罪雖然曾經破壞過它，但神的救贖工作卻使祂的目的得以恢復。這目的的本質是要表達神與祂（有理性）的受造物之間，那種無止息的互愛與互相享受──這種互愛顯明在他們獻給神的敬拜、讚美、感謝、尊榮、榮耀與事奉中，以及神所賜給他們的相交、特權、喜樂與恩賜中。

聖經作者們回顧神為推進這個救贖計劃，在那個曾被罪惡破壞的大地上做過什麼；他們也向前看神救贖計劃完成的那日，就是當全地被神重新創造，而得無比榮耀的日子（賽65：17-25；彼後3：10-13；啟21：1-22：5）。他們宣揚神是大能的創造主與救贖主，並恆常地安居在神多重的恩典工作上──這工作是神在歷史中所作的，要為祂自己得着一群百姓，就是一個有很多人的群體，叫神可以完成祂與他們互愛的初衷。這些作者宣稱：神已經顯明祂自己絕對掌控着祂的計劃，直到作者記載的地方為止；祂也按照順序達成所計劃的事。所以，祂仍在絕對地掌控，按照祂自己的旨意行作萬事，以完成祂的救贖計劃。我們必須要在這個思想架構下（弗1：9-14；2：4-10；3：8-11；4：11-16），來詢問有關預定的問題。

「預定」這個字通常是用來指：神預先所安排之世界歷史上所有的事件，不論是過去的、現在的，還是將來的。這個用法是非常恰當的。不過，在聖經與主流神學裡，「預定」特別是指神在尚未有世界與其上的居民之前的永恆里，所作的決定──這些決定與罪人個人的最終命運有關。事實上，新約聖經使用的「預定」和「揀選」（這兩個字是同一個意思）這兩個字眼，只指神選擇特定的罪人，使他們得到救恩與永生（羅8：29；弗1：4-5，11）。然而，許多人指出，聖經也將那些至終不得救的人，歸因於神先作了一個決定（羅9：6-29；彼前2：8；猶4）。所以，更正教的神學對神的預定的定義，通常包括了祂兩方面的決定：從罪人中拯救一些人（即所謂的「揀選」），並定罪其餘的人（即所謂的「被棄」），此兩者是並行的。

「神根據什麼來選擇，使人得到救恩呢？」不少時候，有人會這樣回答這個問題：「是根據神的預知：神預先知道一個人接觸福音後，是否會選擇基督作他們的救主。」在這樣的答覆中，預知的意思是指神被動的先見──祂預先知道人將要做什麼──如此而已，卻沒有預先決定他們的行動。可是：
（1） 羅馬書8：29，羅馬書11：2（參彼前1：2和1：20）的「預知」，是「先期而愛」（fore-love）或「預先決定」（fore-appoint）的意思，並沒有旁觀者盼望什麼事會自然發生的想法。
（2） 因為所有的人，就其天然的本性而言，都是死在罪中的（即與神的生命隔絕，對祂沒有反應的），唯獨神可以賜予人內在的新生命。聽見福音的人若沒有這個恩賜，沒有人會悔改、信靠神（弗2：4-10）。耶穌說：「若不是蒙我父的恩賜，沒有人能到我這裡來。」（約6：65；另參6：44；10：25-28）。罪人之所以會選擇基督，唯獨是因為神已經揀選了他們，並且更新他們的心，感動他們選擇祂。

雖然就人的自我決定的意義而言，所有的人的行動都是自由的，但是按照神的永恆旨意與預定而言，沒有一個人是不受神掌管的。

所以，基督徒們應當為着他們的歸信而感謝神，仰望祂保守他們常在神所引領進入的恩典中；並且按照祂的計劃，有信心地等候祂最終的凱旋。

PREDESTINATION
GOD HAS A PURPOSE
by J.I. Packer

“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 ????ure 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 ????ure 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 ????ure 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
1. 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.
2. 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.

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/packer/predestination.html