A Dialogue on Molinism

A Dialogue on Molinism

As best as I can explain, the doctrine of Molinism is a way of reconciling Arminianism and Calvinism. It supports human free will while also affirming God's providential hand, even when it may rely upon man's free responses. It is rather hard to explain and so that may sound confusing but I give an example of it in this dialogue. In essence, God uses His middle knowledge to know how each individual would freely react in any given circumstance they would be placed in and thus can divinely ordain events in our lives. For instance, my friend was considering looking into a job of profiling for law enforcement and before he even mentioned it to me I told him a story of how I met a profiler and how awesome that experience was. So under Molinism it could very well be that God wishes for him to go down that job route and He knew that had He made me friends with him and I had recently had this encounter that I would freely share this story with my friend in order that it might encourage his taking that route, wether I was aware of it or not. It is also a way of reconciling how those who had never heard the Gospel would freely respond if they had heard regardless of if they were a 1st century Jew or modern day American. All who would accept Christ have been given the opportunity to hear His Word. The following is a dialogue over Molinism that I had with my dear friend Kel.

Me:
I think I've found a good way to explain Molinism. I want you to explain the story of Jonah to me.

Kel:
The story of Jonah? Well God told Jonah to go tell the Ninevites that unless they repented that God would destroy them. Jonah was scared that they would harm him and he also didn't think they deserved salvation so he tried to hide from God on a boat. But, since God is everywhere at all times, He began to create turmoil on the ocean and Jonah knew it was because of him so he told the crew to throw him overboard. Once he did he was swallowed by a giant fish and stayed there three days and nights praying to God the entirety before being spat out. Once out he preached the news to the Ninevites, who immediately repented and sought God's mercy. Expecting God to still destroy them, Jonah sat from a distance and watched. God tried to protect Jonah from his judgment but because of Jonah's unwavering heart He punished him.

Me:
Perfect, could not have explained it better myself. Now here is where the questions come in: Did God know that the Ninevites would repent? Did He know Jonah would flee? Did God know that those exact sailors would agree to throw him overboard? Did God place the big fish there knowing it would swallow Jonah up? And finally the bigger picture question here is: did God know this story would be an example for future and current believers to see God's power and it all be furthered by Jonah's reluctance?

Kel:
I don't know if God knew any of that or if He didn't, what is said about the story of Jonah in the New Testament is that it is a representation of the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Me:
Indeed it is. But then do you believe that God knew this would be a prototype of Christ (as there are countless others in the OT) or was it more so coincidental?

Kel:
Well everything in the Old Testament is meant to point towards Jesus so I would say that yes God intended the story of Jonah to point towards the coming of Christ.

Me:
How then could this be explained through Arminian free will?

Kel:
Ha nice one. That's an excellent point. I would say that it is still a balance of the two because yes God did intend it and everything since the fall has been leading up to Jesus as our ultimate salvation but the choice on how we react to Gods gift of salvation still remains with us.

Me:
That falls in perfectly with Molinism. And the way the Molinist would explain the story of Jonah or any other act for that matter is that God, through His middle knowledge, knew how Jonah would freely act in those sets of circumstances if He were to create Jonah just as well as He knew how you and I were to freely react if we were made in Jonah's place. This also can be used to explain how it says that The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart in order that His glory would further show just as much as Pilate, Herod, and Judas betraying and condemning Jesus which was a sin but also necessary for our salvation.

Kel:
What your saying makes sense but it almost sounds like you believe God chose to determine the courses of action of a select few in order to save many, is that correct in saying?

Me:
That's not determining anyone's courses because they had free will. I'm saying that God placed people in circumstances knowing how they would freely respond in order to further His glory, love, and mercy.

Kel:
Ah alrighty, I think that follows logically and makes sense. That is definitely a valid option for how God works.

Me:
Indeed. And although any option (mainly Calvinism, Arminianism, and Molinism) is viable for how God works I just see Molinism as the most plausible and always an interesting point of discussion. That's why I wished to further explain it to you.

Kel:
I'm glad you did, I think I fall somewhere in the middle of armenianism and Calvinism, possibly molinism but I'm not sure. I enjoy these talks.