"Say unto them, [ As ] I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 33:11).
But free will is subject to Faith, and it only exists and operates through Faith, through which salvation comes, which, on a greater plane, eliminates the need to condemn both sides, as both defend and promote the importance of faith for salvation. I'm not saying that there aren't flaws in both interpretations. Only the revelation of Scripture is perfect. Predestination is an unquestionable decree of God, to such an extent that it supports free will, and God's power of foreknowledge is above free will, without needing to destroy it, for the vehicle God chose to save the elect it is Faith.
Preaching the Gospel has the main objective of generating Faith in the hearts of the listeners, its main objective is the salvation of souls. The emergence of true Faith in a heart opens the way, condition, and legality for God to forgive that person's sins and bestow upon him, through Christ's perfect life and righteousness, the Gift of Eternal Life. If today's preachers and theologians had a little more foresight and spiritual insight, which is gained in continual obedience, sacrificial seeking, and walking in the presence of God, there would be less strife and divisions in the midst of the Church. The Church is not a political organization or a business enterprise. The Church is the current Carrier and Extension of the Kingdom of God on Earth among all nations, and which does not reside in names, nor in earthly entities or temples, but is the Body of Christ, composed of all the saints, those who are truly saved and born of the Spirit by Faith in the Gospel. The Head of this Body, Jesus Christ the Son of God, is seated above all the heavens at the right hand of God. It is a commandment of God and of Christ that the Church be united, in one thought, spirit, soul and faith, under the lordship of one God and one Lord. Would it be logical that the theological disagreement of predestination has the power to divide the Kingdom or the Revealed Word of God? Certainly not. The Gospel is perfect, but only the Holy Spirit can give the correct interpretation of the heavenly realities contained in it.
Faith is the beginning of everything. The men and women of this world are born with a single greater purpose: to face a heavenly and divine test of Faith. In short, saving faith means recognizing God as true through the witness and redemptive work of his Son. Don't spend your time discussing theology, just pray, study the Scriptures, and walk in the presence of God to gain witness, vision, and insight into the Word of Truth. Knowing God is infinitely more powerful than tearing yourself apart discussing theology. I'm not saying you shouldn't study all theology that is biblical. Study, yes, starting with a thorough knowledge of the Bible, but get your vision of faith by personally knowing the Almighty God of the Bible you preach. God is real and alive, eternally alive. It is more important than theories and discussions. To have the power of God you must know the God of Power. Having contact with the Almighty and blessed heavenly Father who saves us, in Christ, will still be more important than a theologian degree, in any case. He is our heavenly Father. He is, at least if we are truly saved in Christ. This is more important than anything else, believing in Christ and becoming a new creature, according to His life and His image, which begins first in the spirit.
Having the Life of Christ is the greatest of all, and that comes only through a sincere and surrendered Faith. Faith comes when the preaching of the Gospel is done with witness and power. Not just with words, but with testimony and power. The center of the Gospel is Jesus Christ, and that's all that matters. If Christ really is the center of preaching, the witness and power will be made manifest, and souls will believe, and there will be salvation upon them.
We cannot divide the Gospel, It is unison, singular and integral. Or is it perhaps divided? Certainly not. I myself am, here, arguing with you that invariably there is and always will be a point of unity to resolve every theological or interpretive question of the Bible, because the Gospel is perfect, and all the Work of God is perfect. If I too, or someone else, by chance, am in error, still the Truth of God and His Word remains eternally unison, singular and indivisible. God's Sovereign Predestination and free will can be harmonized by the same fact that Election is decreed by God's Foreknowledge, but not by His Imposition. Salvation comes by Free Faith, given by the Free Grace of God and the offer of salvation given to all men, who are free to believe or despise the Gospel.
God chose and predestined the elect not by capricious choice or imposition of will, but because He is God and knows the interior of hearts and all future from eternity. Election was held before the foundation of the world, before Adam sinned. And who is he who, while still in this world, can explain eternity, where God dwells, and whence He makes His decrees? Only the Elect, in whom there will be Faith, will respond to the preaching of the Gospel and be saved. Understanding in this way, we have both the security of salvation and the obligation to fight for the faith, to remain in the faith until the end and to fight for the preaching of the Gospel, fighting with the hearts of all men as possible, absolutely, without any hesitation, so that Faith may be born in the hearts of the Elect, whom no one knows beforehand but God, and they may obtain salvation. The apostle Paul said, "Therefore I suffer all things for the elect's sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." (2 Timothy 2:10)." That is, predestination does not mean accommodation or carelessness, but greater effort, perseverance and struggle in the Way of Faith to the end, for, according to the Scriptures, Election has to pass through the Test of Faith, where he who is truly saved will go through tribulations and combats of afflictions so that the truth of the Life of Christ may be proved and manifest in him. If anyone does not persevere to the end, and gives up the Faith, it means that never existed in this one.
Keep fighting yourself in the way of faith, remaining faithful to the end, for if you give up, it will be manifest that you are not an elect and you will be lost. If you have true election and salvation, you must fight the path of faith to the end, to keep strong in your faith, in obedience to the constant practice of the Word of God and in uninterrupted communion with Him in prayer, and in unity and communion with the other brothers in the faith, with all the others truly chosen in Christ. "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God; and whoever loves him who begets him also loves him who is born of him." (1 John 5:1). "And this commandment we have from him, that he who loveth God, love his brother also." (1 John 4:21). And you can't help but strive in preaching the Gospel, after acquiring a proper knowledge of the Scriptures, with the power of the Holy Spirit, whether you believe in free will or not, and striving with the hearts of men that the tares may be separated from the wheat, and the elect unto salvation be manifested and saved, through the arising of true Faith in the Testimony of the Word of God in their hearts.
