It is God’s Desire that All Are Saved
This is proper and acceptable before the face of God, Who desires all men to be saved and come to a full experiential knowledge of the truth – 1 Timothy 2:3-4
God has not determined that some would perish, but rather is longsuffering towards all so that they can make room for a change of the mind (Repentance).
The Lord is not slow of promise as some regard slowness, but is longsuffering unto you, while not determining some to perish, but all to make room unto repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9.
However, this does not mean that humans can force God to save them by their works, for salvation is God’s choice, not by the desirous will of humans. He showed this through the selecting of Jacob over Esau before they were born. Rather than giving Esau the birthright to the promise given to Abraham, God chose Jacob before either one had done good or bad for the purpose of showing that it is not about what humans want, but God’s choice (Romans 9:11). This was done to prove a point, it is not the one who desires or the one who runs, but God who chooses to give mercy (Romans 9:16).
How God chooses to provide salvation is His choice, not ours. God states today that to be saved we are to take Him at His Word and believe that Christ died on behalf of our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
God did determine that certain things would happen. He chose that Christ would die and be raised from the dead (1 Peter 1:20). He chose that all who would be in Christ would have their bounds […]