Catholic DOGMA: DOUBLE Predestination

Summary

This video delves into the Catholic understanding of predestination, addressing its complexities and historical controversies. It contrasts Catholic teachings with heresies like Pelagianism, Semi-Pelagianism, and Calvinism, while explaining the roles of grace, merit, and free will. The speaker explores key theological positions, including Molinism and Thomism, focusing on whether predestination occurs before or after considering human merit. Through examining magisterial teachings and historical context, the video offers a thorough explanation of predestination, its theological implications, and its place within Catholic doctrine.

Takeaways

• 😀 Predestination is a Catholic doctrine, but it is often misunderstood as a Calvinist concept.
• 😀 Catholics believe that God desires the salvation of all, but only predestines some to salvation.
• 😀 The Catholic Church teaches that predestination involves God's preparation of the means to salvation, not just the elect’s final destination.
• 😀 The tension between divine grace and human free will is central to Catholic teachings on predestination.
• 😀 Catholic theologians, like St. Robert Bellarmine, Francisco Suarez, and Luis de Molina, have proposed different ways to understand predestination.
• 😀 Predestination is distinct from election; election refers to God’s choice of individuals, while predestination refers to the means God arranges to bring them to salvation.
• 😀 The Catholic Church rejects the concept of double predestination, which asserts that God predestines some to salvation and others to damnation.
• 😀 Semi-Pelagianism and Pelagianism are considered heresies because they either deny God’s grace or undermine human free will, respectively.
• 😀 God’s grace, according to the Church, always precedes any merit in the individual.
• 😀 The Church teaches that God does not positively predestine anyone to hell, but allows people to fall into sin due to their free will and then justly punishes them for their sins.

Q & A

What is the Catholic Church's position on predestination?

The Catholic Church teaches that predestination is a doctrine, but not in the same way as Calvinism. While Calvinists believe in double predestination (the idea that God predestines some to heaven and others to hell), Catholics believe that God predestines some individuals to glory, based on His will and mercy, but does not predestine anyone to hell.

What is the key difference between Catholic and Calvinistic views of predestination?

The key difference is that Calvinism teaches double predestination—God predestines some to eternal life and others to eternal damnation. In contrast, Catholic theology teaches that God desires all to be saved, and only some are predestined to salvation, while reprobation (the damnation of the wicked) is a consequence of their own sin.

How do different theological systems like Molinism and Thomism differ on predestination?

Molinism, particularly as taught by Luis de Molina, argues that God predestines individuals to glory based on His foreknowledge of their free choices. Thomism, as taught by St. Thomas Aquinas, emphasizes that God predestines individuals to grace and glory entirely according to His will, not based on any foreseen merit.

What is the Church's teaching on the freedom of the will in relation to predestination?

The Church teaches that God predestines individuals to glory, but that this predestination does not override human free will. Human beings still cooperate with God's grace and must choose to accept it, which preserves the freedom of the will while affirming God's ultimate sovereignty over salvation.

What is meant by 'antecedent reprobation' and how does it relate to Catholic teaching?

Antecedent reprobation refers to the idea that God predestines some people to hell before they commit any sin. Catholic theology rejects this view, affirming that God does not predestine anyone to hell. Instead, God permits individuals to fall into sin due to their free will, and reprobation is the just consequence of their actions.

What is 'positive consequent reprobation' as mentioned in the transcript?

Positive consequent reprobation is the concept that God predestines the punishment of hell for individuals based on the evil they have freely chosen to commit. This reprobation happens after the individual sins and is a just consequence of their actions, not a predestination to evil from the outset.

What role does God's mercy and justice play in Catholic predestination?

Catholic predestination is based on God's mercy, where He graciously bestows salvation on the elect, and His justice, where He punishes those who freely reject His grace. The Church teaches that predestination to salvation is an act of God's mercy, while reprobation is a just consequence of human sin.

How does the concept of grace fit into Catholic teaching on predestination?

In Catholic theology, grace is the principle of salvation. Predestination is about God's preparation of grace to lead the elect to salvation. The first grace, which is necessary for salvation, is given by God before any consideration of merits. Thus, grace is given freely and precedes human cooperation.

What does the term 'merit' mean in the context of Catholic predestination?

In Catholic theology, merit refers to the good actions or dispositions of a person that are made possible by God's grace. The Church teaches that while human actions can merit rewards, the initial grace that leads to salvation is given freely by God and is not based on prior merit.

What is the significance of the Council of Valence in understanding Catholic predestination?

The Council of Valence, in 855, affirmed that while God desires the salvation of all, He predestines some to salvation and others to destruction, based on their freely chosen actions. It also clarified that God's mercy precedes any merited good, and evil is a result of human malice, not divine predestination.