Jesus came to die for the world’s sins, but not the whole world will be saved. Does God not have the power to save the whole world? Certainly, He does, and this was demonstrated by making salvation available to everyone who believes. John 3:16, our favourite scripture concluded with ”…for WHOSOEVER believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Why is everyone not getting in on this?
We have to go to the very beginning; a holy, righteous, and just God created man in the Garden of Eden and gave man specific instructions. Man, not realising he was already like God, disobeyed God’s instructions, which consequently led to the fall of man. Man lost the perfect holiness and righteousness with God he was created with; flesh and sin became the new master of man. The man began living under God’s judgement (a just God must punish any trespass). Man descended into depravity, so much so that God was so grieved that He said every imagination of man was evil. Man lost the ability to desire anything outside or transcending of himself. He chose according to his uttermost desire, which has been corrupted by sin.
Man is so dead in sin (Eph 2:1) that he cannot choose or even desire the offer of mercy by God through Jesus; that is why not everyone will believe, even though salvation has been made available for all. God initiates the journey of salvation in every believer by first enabling them to desire or believe not according to their corrupt nature (Eph 2:1). God chose some people beforehand to bestow this gift upon; this special working of God is not available for everyone, it purely an act of the sovereign will of God before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4), not because of anything anyone has done or based on any merit (Eph 2:8-9). This is purely an act of mercy from God (Exodus 33:19). God actively works in His chosen ones to bring them unto salvation (Jeremiah 24:7, Ezekiel 36:26, Romans 8:28-30, John 6:44-45), while others are simply left to their own depraved heart, remaining under God’s judgement. Some will say this is unfair on the others not chosen by God, NOT AT ALL. God fairly and justly judged all men; God extended his mercy to some men despite what they deserved. Think of it this way, a criminal rightfully serving time for crimes committed, receives a pardon from the government – how many times have you heard of that, it is not unfair on other criminals not pardoned because they are paying for a crime they committed. This is true of all men; even now, in the face of the gospel being preached, most still will not accept the offer of salvation freely available; why, you may ask? Romans 1:21-25 answers this perfectly:
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they obecame futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 pClaiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and qexchanged the glory of rthe immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore sGod gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to tthe dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for ua lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, vwho is blessed forever! Amen.
In this, God’s mercy is demonstrably accentuated and made the focal point. Regarding salvation, grace is for all, but mercy is for few. It is why we ought to spend each day all day being grateful to God for being be part of His chosen, it is indeed a privilege not to be taken for granted because this gift is not available to all men.