Predestination
There was much in the theology of John Calvin that Wesley appreciated and affirmed. He wrote that on the doctrine of justification he and Calvin were but a "hair’s breadth" away from each other. Wesley also liked much of Calvin's doctrine of the Holy Spirit (He thought Luther's account of the Spirit was stunted).
But when it came to the Calvinist understanding of predestination, John Wesley pounded the pulpit expressing himself in no uncertain terms. Even though he published an essay entitled "Predestination Calmly Considered," there was nothing gentle about Wesley's response. In his sermon "Free Grace," Wesley referred to the Calvinist view that God has assigned some to hell as portraying "God as worse than the devil." Like Calvin, Wesley believed that God is the one who takes the initiative to offer salvation. Without grace salvation is impossible. But, unlike Calvin, the offer is made to all, and all persons through God's prevenient grace have the opportunity to respond. Divine grace is necessary for saving faith, but such grace can be resisted by the individual.
Father John's problems with Calvin's "double-predestination" can be summarized in a three-fold manner: First, it is a rejection of free will. Thus, our seeming choice is not a choice at all; it is simply smoke and mirrors.
Second, it raises serious questions about the justice of God, who holds persons accountable for something they cannot choose in the first place. It is tantamount to a parent insisting her child spill his juice on the carpet and then punishing him for it.
Third, it undermines the motivation for Christian discipleship and mission. Why go into the world and preach the gospel if it has already been determined who is saved and who is condemned? The Calvinist response that we should preach the gospel because Christ commands it still does not deal with the truth that those chosen for life will accept it whether it is proclaimed or not, and those assigned to perdition will reject the message whether the gospel is spoken or not; the decrees of God, after all, will not be falsified.
Wesley quotes 2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." For Wesley, the Calvinist doctrine of predestination is contrary to the testimony of Scripture that God offers the invitation to all and that all are able to accept it.
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I would love to get the Wesley/Methodist interpretation of the miracles Jesus has done in my life for His Glory as it relates to predestination. Or is this blog post it? I, personally, don't believe Jesus predestines some to hell, but I do believe He predestines some to be with Him. Jesus is God. He can do what He wants to do. The Wesley predestination analogy makes about as much sense to me as telling God He wasn’t fair to do miracles in my life and not others! I didn't choose Him to do this, I wasn't even a Christian for most of it!... But I still have some Wesley beliefs as Jesus opened my eyes to understand scripture and become a Christian in a UMC, and I have some Calvin also as it was in a Calvin church Jesus put together all that He has done in my life for His glory! These different Wesley vs. Calvin beliefs is why I look to Jesus and not Wesley or Calvin first and why I struggle with fitting into a church!