Election conditional upon foreseen faith; Arminian; free will and prevenient grace
The RCCG teaches an Arminian understanding of predestination and election. God, in his foreknowledge, foresees who will believe in Christ and chooses them for salvation, but this election is conditional upon the foreseen faith of the individual. In other words, God predestined believers before the foundation of the world, but only those whom he foreknew would believe. This position preserves both God's sovereignty and human free will.
The church denies Calvinist double predestination—the notion that God arbitrarily predestines some to salvation and others to damnation. Instead, the RCCG teaches that God extends prevenient (preceding) grace to all people, which enables them to respond to the Gospel. God genuinely desires all humanity to be saved and provides the grace necessary for response. Human beings possess genuine free will and are responsible for their choices. The gospel is offered to all, and those who freely choose to believe are incorporated into God's plan of salvation.
Key Distinctions
- Election model:
- conditional — foreseen faith; Arminian
- Double predestination:
- rejected
- Free will teaching:
- free will; prevenient grace enables response
Scripture References
Sources
- RCCG Doctrine Manual
- Enoch Adeboye, teachings on predestination
- Arminian theology as embraced by RCCG