double predestination

religion

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June 25, 2026

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Double predestination is a religious doctrine, primarily within Christianity, stating that God has eternally chosen certain individuals for salvation and others for damnation. This concept is distinct from determinism and fatalism, as it is understood to operate alongside human free will, though salvation is ultimately attributed to God's eternal decree.12

This doctrine is most closely associated with John Calvin and the Reformed tradition. While some interpretations suggest God's foreknowledge of future faith guides predestination, double predestination posits that God actively wills both election and reprobation, meaning God determines who will be saved and who will be lost, irrespective of their actions. This view was affirmed as Reformed orthodoxy at the Synod of Dort in 1618.13

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predestination
…extreme is the notion of double predestination, commonly identified with Calvinism and especially associated with the Synod of Dort (1618–19) and appearing also in some of the writings of St. Augustine and Martin Luther and in the thought of the Jansenists. According
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…extreme is the notion of double predestination, commonly identified with Calvinism and especially associated with the Synod of Dort (1618–19) and appearing also in some of the writings of St. Augustine and Martin Luther and in the thought of the Jansenists. According
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The Protestant Heritage
Justification by grace through faith
…sovereignty and initiative, taught “double predestination,” which asserted that God predestined some people to be saved and others to be damned. Some theologians argued that God predestined humans before the fall of Adam, and others saw it as a new act of God consequent upon man’s fall. Non-Calvinist churches…
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…sovereignty and initiative, taught “double predestination,” which asserted that God predestined some people to be saved and others to be damned. Some theologians argued that God predestined humans before the fall of Adam, and others saw it as a new act of God consequent upon man’s fall. Non-Calvinist churches…
Read More