Does God Desire the Salvation of All?

[Van]

"Does God Desire the Salvation of All?
If God desires for people to repent of sin, then certainly he desires them to be saved, for
salvation is the fruit of such repentance. Some Calvinists, however, have denied this conclusion,
reasoning that God cannot possibly desire something that never takes place. But
I have dealt with that objection already. Scripture often represents God as desiring things
that never take place. As we have seen, he wants all people to repent of sin—but we know
that many people never repent. And there are many, many other examples. God desires
that all people will turn from false gods and idols, hold his name in reverence, remember
the Sabbath, honor their parents, and so on. But those desires are not always fulfilled.
The reason is that God’s “desires” in this sense are expressions of his preceptive
will, not his decretive will. His decretive desires always come to pass; his preceptive
desires are not always fulfilled. So there is nothing contrary to Calvinistic theology
in the assertion that God wants everyone to be saved."

The above excerpt reflects the considered and thoughtful opinion of someone working very hard to serve Christ as he has the light. In my opinion, it is unadulterated hogwash.

Can God desire something that never takes place? What if God desires all to repent and believe by their autonomous choice, rather than compulsion by irresistible grace? If God then provides the opportunity for salvation by Christ laying down His life as a ransom for all, those to be saved and those never to be saved, that would be consistent with God's stated desire.

God sets before us the choice of life or death, salvation or the second death, and He begs us to choose life. Do some people never during their lifetime hear or understand the gospel? Yes. They will receive perfect justice in the hereafter. Do some people lose their ability to understand the gospel before it is presented to them? Yes, soil #1 of Matthew 13. Again, they will receive perfect justice. Do some people hear and understand the gospel but only embrace it superficially, and therefore their "faith" is not credited as righteousness? Yes, soil #2 of Matthew 13. Do some people hear the gospel and understand the gospel, but do not make Christ the overriding priority of their lives, and therefore their "faith" is not credited as righteousness? Yes, soil #3 of Matthew 13. These soils were receive perfect justice in the afterlife.

Bottom line, God does not want everyone or anyone to be saved by compulsion. But God does want and has made provision for everyone who understands the gospel to be saved by autonomous choice.

 

[searchingtruths]

"Does God Desire the Salvation of All?
If God desires for people to repent of sin, then certainly he desires them to be saved, for
salvation is the fruit of such repentance. Some Calvinists, however, have denied this conclusion,
reasoning that God cannot possibly desire something that never takes place. But
I have dealt with that objection already. Scripture often represents God as desiring things
that never take place. As we have seen, he wants all people to repent of sin—but we know
that many people never repent. And there are many, many other examples. God desires
that all people will turn from false gods and idols, hold his name in reverence, remember
the Sabbath, honor their parents, and so on. But those desires are not always fulfilled.
The reason is that God’s “desires” in this sense are expressions of his preceptive
will, not his decretive will. His decretive desires always come to pass; his preceptive
desires are not always fulfilled. So there is nothing contrary to Calvinistic theology
in the assertion that God wants everyone to be saved."

The above excerpt reflects the considered and thoughtful opinion of someone working very hard to serve Christ as he has the light. In my opinion, it is unadulterated hogwash.

Can God desire something that never takes place? What if God desires all to repent and believe by their autonomous choice, rather than compulsion by irresistible grace? If God then provides the opportunity for salvation by Christ laying down His life as a ransom for all, those to be saved and those never to be saved, that would be consistent with God's stated desire.

God sets before us the choice of life or death, salvation or the second death, and He begs us to choose life. Do some people never during their lifetime hear or understand the gospel? Yes. They will receive perfect justice in the hereafter. Do some people lose their ability to understand the gospel before it is presented to them? Yes, soil #1 of Matthew 13. Again, they will receive perfect justice. Do some people hear and understand the gospel but only embrace it superficially, and therefore their "faith" is not credited as righteousness? Yes, soil #2 of Matthew 13. Do some people hear the gospel and understand the gospel, but do not make Christ the overriding priority of their lives, and therefore their "faith" is not credited as righteousness? Yes, soil #3 of Matthew 13. These soils were receive perfect justice in the afterlife.

Bottom line, God does not want everyone or anyone to be saved by compulsion. But God does want and has made provision for everyone who understands the gospel to be saved by autonomous choice.

I agree

The Bible is about obedience to the word of God and the salvation given to those who put him first.

God is pleading with people to choose him, telling people he wants to save them but only to their choice and of the consequences.

 

[Armchair Apologist]

God makes it quite clear that he "Takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked..." (Ezk 33:11) and Jesus was obviously brokenhearted over Jerusalem's condition after his dressing down of the scribes and pharisees in Mt 23:37-39.

Nevertheless, the scriptures are quite clear that God is sovereign over whom he saves stating "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion" (Rom 9:15) so both are true.

 

[Silverhair]

God makes it quite clear that he "Takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked..." (Ezk 33:11) and Jesus was obviously brokenhearted over Jerusalem's condition after his dressing down of the scribes and pharisees in Mt 23:37-39.

Nevertheless, the scriptures are quite clear that God is sovereign over whom he saves stating "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion" (Rom 9:15) so both are true.

And if one keeps reading in Rom 9 they will see who it is that God on.

Rom 9:30 What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
Rom 9:31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.
Rom 9:32 Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
Rom 9:33 as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”

 

[Kai]

I believe 1 Timothy 2:4 definitively answers the question presented in the OP, but I recognize that many commentators have tried to dig deeper than that.

Some have suggested that God desires all to be saved as part of His revealed will but only permits some to be saved as part of His secret will. Others have suggested that God desires all to be saved, but “all” should be limited to classes of people. I personally find neither explanation to be all that convincing.

@Armchair Apologist has correctly pointed out that God also has to be sovereign over whom He saves. When a person turns to Christ in repentance and faith, even then, He is not obligated to save them. He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy and compassion on whom He will have compassion. At the same time, God has promised that He will do so regardless, because He is faithful and cannot deny Himself.

 

[Ben1445]

Without trying to repost what has been already…

Revelation 4:11
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Ezekiel 18:32
For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.


And again for emphasis,


Ezekiel 33:11
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

But as Abraham asks and the Lord affirms,…


Genesis 18:25
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?


And this statement applies both ways.
The judgment of the wicked is a given here in Genesis 18. The salvation of the righteous was what was in question.

So God created all men for His own pleasure, knowing that there would be some people who would not please Him.

Romans 9:22
What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

Many use this illustration and say that there is no point since God already knows (while others take it further and say He has already decided) that people will be disobedient. But the key is knowing what Romans is saying. They were not fitted to be vessels of wrath. They are fitted to destruction because they are the vessels that receive the wrath of God.


What is the solution for the vessels of wrath?


2 Timothy 2:21
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Again the responsibility comes to the judged.
Purge yourself. Turn yourself. Choose life. Come unto me.
These are the commands that are rejected by those who will receive the wrath of God. They do not reject because they are fitted to destruction. They will be destroyed because they have rejected God. There should be no doubt that God is willing that all come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But there is a time no longer accepted for repentance. God is longsuffering because He is pleased when the vessels that are subject to His wrath turn from evil to Him.

1 Cor. 6:9-11
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

God is able to take the vessels fitted to destruction and make them a vessel unto honor. If God has done it to you, why should you be surprised that God can do it to anyone else? And there is no mystery in how it happens. The wicked who persist in their wickedness are judged with wrath. The wicked who turn to the only Saviour, who has given Himself for them, and now calls all men everywhere to repent, those wicked who turn will be judged with a mercy rich enough to cover all wickedness.

If God meant only some of every nation were to be called, surely He could have been more honest and said some men everywhere. Had He meant to exclude any He could have been more honest and said all men most anywhere. This would allow room for some places where God would not be interested in saving. What we are told is all men everywhere.
So let God be true and every man a liar.

Without doubt, God desires the salvation of every person.

 

[Ascetic X]

If God meant only some of every nation were to be called, surely He could have been more honest and said some men everywhere. Had He meant to exclude any He could have been more honest and said all men most anywhere. This would allow room for some places where God would not be interested in saving. What we are told is all men everywhere.
So let God be true and every man a liar.

Without doubt, God desires the salvation of every person.

The only way humans can be justly judged is the truth that everyone can obtain salvation, for Jesus died for all, so whosoever will may come to Him.

Why one person accepts Christ while another rejects Him is mysterious. Seeds of faith are planted and have different growth according to the soil of heart, but what determines the soil? Cause and effect are not easy to discern.

But we know that free choice is involved, for God would not arbitrarily impose salvation on some and deprive everyone else.

If God was “sovereign” in the sense of forcing people into salvation or damnation, no accusation could be made to unbelievers at judgment day.

 

[kyredneck]

Without doubt, God desires the salvation of every person.

So then, without doubt, every person will be saved...

 

[kyredneck]

God would not arbitrarily impose salvation on some and deprive everyone else.

...and, as usual, never mind what the scripture saith:

Romans Chapter 9

18​	So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will be hardeneth.

 

[Ascetic X]

So then, without doubt, every person will be saved...

God desires all to be saved, but He will not force people to be saved.

The gift of free choice is clearly stated in many scripture verses.

If our decision was not involved, God could not judge anyone.

Joshua 25:15

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

 

[kyredneck]

If God was “sovereign” in the sense of forcing people into salvation or damnation, no accusation could be made to unbelievers at judgment day.

^This^ 'common complaint' against God is answered here:

Romans Chapter 9

19​	Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he still find fault? For who withstandeth his will?
20​	Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus?

 

[kyredneck]

God desires all to be saved

So then, without doubt, every person all will be saved...

 

[Martin Marprelate]

Without doubt, God desires the salvation of every person.

Psalm 115:3. 'But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.' Which begs the question of why everyone is not saved.
The fact of the matter is that 'Whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be saved' (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13). There is no question about it; heaven is wide open to whoever will come in repentance and faith, and there is no reluctance in God to receive them.
But left to their own devices, men and women will not call on the name of the Lord other than as a swearword (John 3:19; 5:59; Romans 3:10-18; 1 Cor. 2:14 etc.). If it were true that God did not love anyone enough to save him, then heaven would be entirely empty.
But the good news is that God does love people enough to save them. Therefore the Father gave to the Son a vast crowd of people, so huge that no one can count it (Rev. 7:9-10), to redeem, and the Son has done exactly that; not even one of those people will under any circumstances be lost (Matt. 11:25-27; Luke 10:21-22; John 6:37, 39; 10:11, 14-16, 26-30; 17:2, 6, 24; 18:9; Acts 13:48; 1 Cor. 1: 21-24 etc.).

The fact is that salvation is not of us, but of God (Jonah 2:9; Rev. 7:10).