Free will is the ability to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of responsibility, praise, guilt, sin, and other judgements which apply only to actions that are freely chosen.
Predestination is a doctrine in Calvinism dealing with the question of the control that God exercises over the world. In the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith, God "freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass."
In any conversation about predestination, election, and God’s will in the act of salvation, two verses from Romans 8 are usually cited:
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:29–30)
Election in Christianity involves God choosing a particular person or group of people to a particular task or relationship, especially eternal life. Election to eternal life is viewed by some as conditional on a person's faith, and by others as unconditional. God chose Jonah to be a messenger to Ninevah. He was predestined to be the messenger to the city of Ninevah.
Worded at it's simplest, the question is 1. Assume there's a God 2. Assume this God is "omniscient" 3. Assume "free will" means that individuals can make choices that are not wholly determined by prior influence.
Then the question becomes does "omniscience" refute the possibility of free will?
At least among different groups of Christians, there are four ways in which people resolve this debate (Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views by James k. Beilby, IVP Academic(2001) ISBN-13: 978-0830826520):
I personally believe in the Molinist doctrine. That is further substantiated by my belief that God is a God of love and patience. He is like the loving Father who stands by as the child makes mistakes and learns from them. He is the Father that will not allow those mistakes to harm the child. Ultimately He allows the children to make the choice for themselves.
When Jonah was asked to go to Ninevah he chose not to. Was that going against God? Yes, it was. When Jonah chose to go in another direction was God angry. Yes, He was. But does that negate God's will working through Jonah? No, it doesn't. God still manages to do His desired work through Jonah and He does that in a way that instils fear and respect in others. In other words, God does interfere. God interferes when there is a larger picture at stake. God interfered in the life of Saul because it was necessary to have the Gospel preached to the gentiles. God can interfere because He is Omnipotent. There is nothing that He cannot do.
God wanted to save the city of Ninevah and He wanted to save it through Jonah. It was an act of grace acting not only on Ninevah but also on Jonah because God wanted to empty His heart of hatred and fill it with reverence for Him. The first reading of Jonah often makes God sound dictatorial. When he says that something must be done, it must be done. If you disobey Him you suffer. But do you see the testimony Jonah had as a result of his disobedience? In the light of the New Testament, the story of Jonah holds more worth than a story of God's Omnipotence.
"Nineveh, the capital of the kingdom of Assyria, is first mentioned in Gen_10:11, was founded by Nimrod. It stood on the left bank of the river Tigris, where it is joined by the Khosr, opposite to the present town of Mosul. The Assyrians had already become known in Syria. In B.C. 854 Shalmaneser II. had defeated at Karkar twelve kings confederate against him, among whom is reckoned Ahab King of Israel. Long before his time, Tiglath-Pileser I. had made a great expedition to the west, captured a town at the foot of Lebanon, and reached the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Jehu was compelled to pay tribute to the Assyrians; and Rimmon-nirari, who reigned from B.C. 810 to 781, held the suzerainty of Phoenicia, Samaria, Edom, and Philistia. Jonah, therefore, knew well what his country might expect at the hands of this people."-The Pulpit Commentary.
Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. (Jon 1:1-3)
The Assyrians are powerful and they are the enemy of the Hebrews. Shall Jonah's loyalty lie with his nation or with his God? Jonah's problem was the reluctance to be used for the grace of God. Often times we desire God to act according to our will rather than the other way around. Reluctance and Desire are two sides of a coin. Both are stumbling blocks in the life of a believer and both stop the believer from submitting fully to the will of God. God grants us free will with the expectation that we shall make use of it to choose Him. That is His ultimate expectation from us. Jonah was reluctant and he tried to flee.
Make note that the good word defines Tarshish as lying away from the presence of the Lord. It is quite startling to note that you can exit the presence of the Omnipresence Lord.
"Tarshish; probably, Tartessus, a Phoenician city on the south coast of Spain, and therefore in the opposite direction to Nineveh. He was sent to the far east; he flees to the distant west."-The Pulpit Commentary.
What was the cause of exile from God's presence was not so much as the distance or the direction but the intention in the heart of Jonah! Where God desires obedience Jonah demonstrates stubborn disobedience. In showing the disobedience how is Jonah different from the rebels of Ninevah? The Assyrians, however, did not know God the way Jonah did.
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their (Jews') disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. (Rom 11:29-32)
God ultimately makes known His mercy and that was His plan for Ninevah.
Often times we harden our hearts and fail to show the mercy that we know God would want us to. Whether it be towards the poor, the sick, the elderly; it may be that we are rude to people who are unkind to us. In that, we fail to be the ambassador of Christ.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. (2Co 5:20)
The Tarshish in our lives is our reluctance or our zeal. It depends on how we are inclined to disobey God.
There are two kinds of storms that we face in life. One is the wrath of God and the other is the glory of God. Disobedience incurs God's wrath.
But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea so that the ship threatened to break up. (Jon 1:4)
The storm that Jonah faced was not just an obstacle. It was an insurmountable one. He had two options: to turn around and to be thrown off. To turn around meant to go back to Ninevah and his calling. To be thrown off meant to die. Jonah was so zealous for his nation that he would rather face death by drowning than participate in the salvation of the enemy.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Mat 5:43-45)
Jonah's zeal for Israel was disobedience of God and the wrath was exhibited in the storm. Despite witnessing that wrath Jonah wished to oppose God and he chose opposition through death. In truth, he chose to flee the presence of God by incurring eternal sleep. Would Jonah have gone to heaven if he had died? It is unlikely. However, he did not die because God had other plans for it. God can do anything because He is Omnipotent. That includes sending a whale to swallow him up and spit him out on the shores of dry land.
There is the other kind of storm that the disciples faced. It was the storm meant for the glory of God.
And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marvelled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Mat 8:24-27)
Are you witnessing a storm in your life right now? Decide first where you are with respect to God. Are you standing in His presence or are you trying to flee? If you are trying to flee be careful lest you have to be thrown into the depth, not just of an ocean but hell itself, in your bid to escape the Omnipresent Lord. If you are standing in the presence of the Lord and are yet going through a storm be watchful as you stand and witness and 'marvel' at the glory of God.
When Jonah was in the belly of the fish he prayed for salvation. It took being in the belly of a giant fish for Jonah to see that there is no escape save for turning to God.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” (Jon 2:9)
God allows us to choose our own path but He has laid out our destinies before us. The destinations of our lives are fixed but the path He allows us to choose which way we may. This is the concept of predestination.
Jonah was displeased at the outcome of his own work. His enemies were made to see grace. They were pardoned. He felt like a traitor to his own people. Jonah knew God. He knew the gracious nature of God and it displeased him. His heart was never far from God though he tried to flee his physical presence. Jonah made the mistake of associating God with a particular region. God is not the God of Israel though. The same God can be a gracious God to the Assyrians and that angered Jonah.
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (Jon 4:1-3)
God can use whomever He chooses, willing or unwilling. That is a part of His Omnipotence. He used Jonah despite his unwillingness. But Jonah could have avoided much unpleasantness had he not chosen to flee the presence of God. His willingness could have made things easier for him. What will you choose?
God reveals His Omniscience in knowing the heart of Jonah. God reveals His Omnipresence by hearing Jonah's prayer in the belly of the fish. God reveals His Omnipotence by stopping Jonah's journey, saving him from drowning and getting him to dry land in a miraculous way. But that is not all that is revealed through the story of Jonah.
We see the patience of God in the face of Jonah's disobedience. When Jonah tries to flee Him, God chooses to let him try. He is the patient father keeping tabs on the child while letting him play. When Jonah's antics get too much He reveals His majesty through a storm and a giant fish.
We also see the mercy of God to the people of Ninevah. We also see the compassion of God. In fact, God has to explain His compassion to Jonah and He does not hesitate to explain Himself. That shows the humility of God.
If we wish to be seen in the likeness of God, we may not be tri-Omni but we can be patient, merciful, compassionate and humble. Only then may we call ourselves children of God.