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Are People Perishing Despite God’s Desire for their Salvation?
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Chapter: 14.24
(Section 14: Selective Salvation)
Copyright © Michael Bronson 1998 - 2005
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If the doctrine of selective salvation is true, we have to conclude everyone who is supposed to get saved will get saved. No one is unnecessarily going to Hell. Everyone who God wants to go to Heaven will make it to Heaven.

If all Christians stopped witnessing and supporting missionary efforts, there would not be any decrease in the number of people going to Heaven. Article 11 and "Error VI" (Canons of Dort) says all of the elect will make it to Heaven. None of the elect will go to Hell.

Is this what the Bible teaches, or does the Bible teach people are going to Hell against God’s desire? If the Bible teaches people are going to Hell against God’s desire, selective salvation cannot be true. It would be a contradiction if God chose a select few to go to Heaven while desiring the salvation of the remainder. Following are some verses that show people are perishing despite God’s desire:

Hosea 4:6	*For a lack of knowledge*, my people perish
Matthew 23:37	Jesus said He *longed to gather the Jews* to Himself as a hen gathers her chicks, but the Jews were not willing
Luke 13:34	Similar to the verse above
Luke 13:3	"*Unless you repent*, you too will perish"
Luke 13:5	Similar to the verse above
Ezekiel 3:16-19	We are to warn the wicked. If we don’t, he will die for his sins, but God will hold us accountable for his blood. If we do warn the wicked *and he does not turn, he will die from his sins*, but we won’t be held accountable.
Ezekiel 33:1-9	Similar to the verse above
Ezekiel 33:5	This verse says if a person heeds a warning, he will be saved. *If he doesn’t heed the warning, however, he will die in his sin*. This person does have a choice.
Luke 10:2	Jesus said the harvest is plentiful, but the *laborers are few*
Matthew 9:37	Similar to the verse above
Ezekiel 18:23	"*Do I take pleasure in the death of the wicked?"* declares the Sovereign Lord." Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?"
Ezekiel 18:32	"For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone," declares the Sovereign Lord. "Repent and Live!"
Ezekiel 33:11	"As surely as I live," declares the Sovereign Lord, *"I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked,* but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways. Why will you die, O house of Israel?"
Jeremiah 8:20	"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, *and we are not saved*."
James 5:20	"Remember this: Whoever *turns a sinner from the errors of his way* will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
1 Cor. 15:34	*Some have not the knowledge of God* and this is our shame
Matthew 23:13	The Pharisees had "shut up Heaven." Not only were they not going to Heaven themselves, *they were blocking others from entering*
Matthew 19:24	It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a *rich man to go to Heaven*
2 Peter 3:9	*God does not want any to perish*, but wants all to come to repentance
Matthew 18:14	*God is not willing* that any of these little ones be lost
John 4:35	Don’t say there are four months to the harvest. Look, the *fields are ripe for the harvest.*
Luke 10:2	The harvest is plentiful, but *the workers are few*
Matthew 9:37	Same as above
Luke 12:47-48	Those who don’t know God’s will *are still punished*
Romans 1:18-2:1	*All sinners are without excuse* and destined to Hell
Romans 2:12	Those who sinned without the law *will perish without the law*

In the section What about Those "Without the Gospel?" I cover this issue in great detail. (This section is 29 chapters long.) I show how people are needlessly going to Hell. There is substantial evidence proving the number of new Christians in an area is directly related to the number of strong Christians in that area. Areas with a large number of solid Christians have a large number of new believers, and areas with little or no gospel witness have few or no new Christians.

Exposure to the gospel is so important that children from Christian homes are much more likely to become Christians than children from atheistic homes. In fact, children from solid and mature Christian homes are more likely to become Christians than children from weak or inconsistent Christian homes.

Once again, as I said before, if people are going to Hell against God’s desire, then the doctrine of selective salvation cannot be true. This issue of exposure needs to be seriously addressed by Selective Salvationists.

Other Chapters in this Section

Home
Up
PART 1: What is Selective Salvation?
PART 2: What Does the Bible say about Selective Salvation?

What does the Bible Say?
Why, then, do some still Believe in Selective Salvation?
Interpreting the Bible
Does All mean All?
How Could God make it any Clearer?
Does it all Add Up?
Are People Perishing Despite God's Desire for their Salvation?
Why did Jesus Cry out for Their Forgiveness?
What is "Election" and "Predestination?"
Does a Sovereign God do Whatever He Wants?
The Sovereignty of God
Failures of Great Leaders in the Bible
God's Foreknowledge

PART 3: Problems with Selective Salvation
PART 4: “Choice” –The Achilles’ Heel of Selective Salvation
PART 5: Difficult Questions Answered
Appendix: Foundational Documents used by Selective Salvationists

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