#859 Sending Someone to Hell by Taking His Life

Dr. craig’s response

I think that the Molinist doctrine of divine providence based upon God’s middle knowledge provides a plausible answer to this question, Nathan. Middle knowledge provides God with knowledge of how every possible person that He might create would freely act in any circumstances in which God might place him. By choosing to create certain persons in certain circumstances, God can direct the course of human history to achieve His ends without abridging human freedom.

It seems to me that an all-loving God, who desires the salvation of every human being, such as the Bible describes would not allow someone to die and be lost if He knew that that person would freely embrace salvation were he to live but a little bit longer. Via His middle knowledge, God can know that even if a certain person were not to be killed, he still would not freely come to saving faith. God can thus ensure that anyone who is killed is a person who would not have been saved, even if he had lived somewhat longer. Therefore members of our military services or policemen, who are sometimes called upon to take a human life, need not be troubled by the thought that by taking the life of the enemy or criminal he is consigning that person to a destiny that he would have otherwise escaped.