Dr. Gary
Gromacki
Associate Professor of Bible and
Homiletics
Baptist Bible Seminary
Clarks Summit,
Pennsylvania
<ggromacki> at <bbc>dot <edu>
DSS View
At Qumran there were strict and moderate views of predestination. The strict view of predestination (deterministic) is expressed in the Rule of the Community, the War Scroll, and Thanksgiving Hymns. The most thorough presentation on predestination is found in the Thanksgiving Hymns.
Randall Price writes, "The Qumranic teaching on predestination is considered the most distinguishing of the Sect's doctrines. This is because it cannot be traced in the same form to any other Jewish Sect except the Essenes (Josephus, Antiquities 13.171-173), unless it be identified with the sect, and Jewish-Christianity (if predestination is accepted in the New Testament). Most scholars deny that the Qumran Sect drew their concept of predestination from the Old Testament; thus they believe that the New Testament references to predestination were influenced by the Scrolls. However, predestination is found in the Old Testament, especially with respect to Israel (election) and her adversaries (divine hardening). This should be seen as the common source for both the Qumranic and Christian formulation of the doctrine." (Randall Price, Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls [Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1996], 202).
"From the God of Knowledge comes all that is and shall be. Before ever they existed He established their whole design, and when, as ordained for them, they come into being, it is in accord with His glorious design that they accomplish their task without change. The laws of all things are in His hand and He provides them with all their needs. He has created man to govern the world, and has appointed for him two spirits in which to walk until the time of His visitation: the spirits of truth and injustice. Those born of truth spring from a fountain of light, but those born of injustice sprint from a source of darkness. All the children of righteousness are ruled by the Prince of Light and walk in the way of light, but all the children of injustice are ruled by the Angel of Darkness and walk in the ways of darkness." (1QS 3:15-21)
"You alone did [create] the just and establish him from the womb for the time of goodwill, that he might listen to your covenant and walk in all your ways, and that [You might show Yourself great] to him in the multitude of Your mercies, and enlarge his straight soul to eternal salvation, to perpetual and unfailing peace. You will raise up his glory from among flesh. But the wicked You did create for [the time] of Your [wrath], You did set them aside for the day of slaughter, for they have walked in a path which is not good. They have despised Yo[ur] covenant and their souls have loathed your [truth]; they have taken no delight in all Your commandments and have chosen that which You hate. [For according to the mysteries] of Your [wisdom], You have ordained them for great chastisements before the eyes of all Your creatures, that [for all] eternity they may serve as a sign [and a wonder] and that [all men] may know Your glory and Your tremendous power." (1QH 7:14-21)
The Qumran community also taught a more moderate view of predestination. The emphasis was more on foreknowledge that foreordination and preterition rather than reprobation. The Damascus Document states the Qumran Community's view of the destination of the wicked:
"They will have no remnant nor survivor. From from the beginning God chose them not; He knew their deeds before they were ever created and hated their generations, and He hid His face from the Land until they were consumed. For He knew the years of their coming and the length and exact duration of their times for all ages to come and throughout eternity. He knew the happenings of their times throughout all the everlasting years." (CD 2:6-10)
The judgment of the pre-exilic community was brought on by their own actions. Because they broke covenant with the Lord, the first temple was destroyed.
"the members of the first covenant became guilty and were given over to the sword when they forsook the covenant of God and chose their own desire and went about after the stubbornness of their hearts by doing each man his own desire" (CD 3:10-12)
New Testament View
Predestination is the act of God in which He preplans the destiny of the elect. The New Testament teaches that God has predestined the elect to adoption (Ephesians 1:5), to an inheritance (1:11) and to ultimate conformity to Christ (Romans 8:29-30). Romans 8:29-30 says, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." NT scholars differ over whether the New Testament teaches double predestination. Romans 9:17-18 says, "For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show my power in you, and that my name may be declared in all the earth. Therefore, He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens." The question is when does God harden. I personally hold to the view that sinners harden themselves to God and the gospel and as a result God hardens them to their ultimate judgment.
DSS View
The Essenes believed that justification was given on the basis of a person's works rather than solely by the grace of God. They believed that God accepted them because of their good works.
"...we have written to you some of the works of the Law which we consider were good for your people, [for we have seen] that you have wisdom and knowledge of the Torah. Understand all these matters and seek from Him that He correct your counsel and distance from you evil thoughts and the counsel of Belial, in order that you shall rejoice in the end when you find some of our own words true. It will thus be imputed to you as righteousness that you did what was right and good before Him, for your own good and for the good of Israel" (4Q397 26-32)
New Testament View
The Christian view of justification is different from the Essene view. For the Christian, justification is the act of God who declares a sinner righteous because he believes in the righteous Christ who died and rose again. Christians believe that justification is by grace through faith in Christ. The word "justify" means "to declare righteous." God is a righteous Judge (2 Tim.4:8). How can He declare sinners righteous? There are three options. He can condemn them, compromise His own righteousness, or change sinners to make them righteous. The New Testament teaches that when a sinner trusts Christ as his personal Savior then the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the sinner. That is, God erases the sins of the sinner and places the righteousness of Christ on the sinner's account. The result is that God as a righteous Judge can declare a believing sinner righteous. Paul wrote, "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:24-26). Paul also wrote, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom.5:1).
DSS View
The Essenes believed that God in his righteousness could forgive their sins.
"And I, if I stagger, God's grace is my salvation forever. If I stumble because of a sin of the flesh, my judgment is according to the righteousness of God, which stands forever...In His righteous fidelity He has judged me; in His bounteous goodness He expiates all my iniquities, and in His righteousness He cleanses me of human defilement and of human sinfulness" (1QS 11:9-14)
New Testament View
The Christian emphasizes that forgiveness of sins is related to the work of Christ on the cross. Forgiveness of sins is emphasized in the teaching of the New Testament. Remission (Mt.26:28; Mk.1:4; Lk.1:77; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 10:43; Heb.9:22; 10:18) and blotting out (Acts 3:19) are synonyms of forgiveness. Forgiveness is an act of a loving and merciful God. God can forgive sins because Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the price of sinful man's redemption. Ephesians 1:7 says "In Him (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God inn Christ forgave you." 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
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LINKS TO OTHER DSS WEB PAGES BY DR. GARY GROMACKI
Doctrine of God Doctrine of the Bible Doctrine of Man and Sin
Doctrine of the Community Doctrine of the Messiah Doctrine of Eschatology
Archaeology of Qumran Bibliography on the DSS Web Sites on the DSS