How do the Orthodox interpret the numerous verses that make reference to God's predestination of the elect? Because you can't just handwave those verses away or give them some transparently inaccurate interpretation. They're very clear in their language and meaning, and the theme is touched upon repeatedly in both the Gospels and the Epistles. Of course we can argue and speculate as to the nature of predestination/determinism vs. free will and how both concepts seem to exist simultaneously in scripture (I believe this is one of the topics that Paul refers to about us seeing through a glass darkly - such things are essentially impossible for us to understand from our human perspective and can only be reconciled in the omniscient mind of God which exists outside of space and time entirely).
But the Bible is very clear in saying that God has predestined certain individuals to salvation. Our exact understanding of how that works will assuredly remain imperfect on this side of heaven, but paradoxically, a complete understanding and internalizing of this doctrine leads one to behave in much the opposite fashion as one might expect (it instills an overwhelming degree of humility and desire to please God, rather than being a "license to sin" as some would characterize it).
Most of all, I think it should be emphasized that no Reformed/Calvinist Christian believes in predestination simply because they prefer that doctrine or because they're looking for some kind of easy road to salvation. They believe it because it's very plainly what the Bible says. In other words, the interpretation of scripture does not follow the pre-existing doctrine, rather the doctrine is itself entirely derived from the clear teaching of scripture. Predestination did not spring out of Calvin's head sui generis. Augustine wrote about it, and it's a doctrine/theme referenced repeatedly in both the Old and New Testaments. So portraying it as some kind of wacky Protestant heresy pulled out of thin air is simply absurd.
Because God already knows how we will use our free will. God knows which of us will choose him. God has predestined it so that we will all choose in a way towards or away from Him.
But only God is capable of knowing such things. From our perspective, we 100% have a choice, even though God already knows how we will choose. The point of predestination is within the larger context of Paul's letter to the Romans 8: That our sufferring would not be in vain.
The
entire point to describing predestination is listed in the two sentences Romans 8:18-19:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God;
The entire point of listing predestination afterwards is to stress these first two points: That that reason the entire universe was created, was that so that the sons of God may inherit His glory. Paul is stressing the paradise to come. And to stress this point, he focuses on the grand plan of God, how everything that happens always happens according to the Will and Knowledge of God, which is standard OT teaching.
Thus, saying the elect are predestined does not mean that anyone who has accepted Christ is among those who are guaranteed saved, because they have already been chosen to be saved; it simply means that those who do save themselves, are ultimately saving themselves according to the Will of God, and it was always predestined this way.
That does not mean it was
predetermined. Destiny does
not mean determined. Predestination is according to the mystery of God who exists outside of time and space, whereas predetermination leaves no room for free will and only exists within a mechanical universe. I believe Prots get destiny and determination confused with each other, because this is a very difficult concept to understand.
God knows how we will use our free will, but this does not mean we do not have a free will. We are freely capable of choosing or rejecting Him. Just because God knows our destiny in how we shall use our wills, does not mean that how we use our will is outside of His Will.
His Will has always been to create a paradise for His sons, who will come to know Him through His Son, and it has already happened according to His Will. We are simply watching it play out in real time, according to our limited human senses and knowledge, but we have absolutely no way of knowing what the future will bring because we only exist in time and space (temporal).
That is why using predestination as a practical concept is dangerous; we cannot know our destiny because we cannot know the Will of God. We can only know what God has revealed to us through His Son, that we must choose Him and we must act with force towards Him to stay on the narrow path and not fall into the wayside (Mt. 7:14).
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Christ spoke to us in terms of choices; will you choose the narrow or wide gate? God already knows which one we will choose, but, it is still our choice to make.
