My mom heard a pastor preach on the subject of double predestination or reprobation, that God predestined or ordained some people to salvation and God ordained others to hell. The manner in which this preacher taught this subject left my mom in total despair over the salvation of some of her loved ones. The Scriptures do not leave believers in despair. God was not teasing in his Word when he declared, “Whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (Jo 3:16).

I agree with John Calvin that the doctrine of double predestination or reprobation is a “dreadful” doctrine. Calvin, in his The Institutes of the Christian Religion, wrote: “The decree, I admit, is dreadful.” [1] However, I disagree with John Calvin that this “dreadful” doctrine is biblical.