In the KJV, that verse reads "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."
Try as you might, that verse speaks to me of a universal desire of God that mankind would turn to Him. He is not willing that anyone should die, but His desire is that all come to repentance. If God's grace is as irresistible as the Calvinist claims it to be, why does God simply not move all mankind to repent and live in harmony with Him? Could it be that, because of the separation caused by the Fall, and by the ingrained will that a sovereign God granted His creation, that mankind has to come to God, or reject God, under their own volition after hearing the preached Word and feeling the drawing power of the Holy Ghost of God?
Context is always the key, always. Who was Peter referring to here? Here's a hint...
--Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied
unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given
unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath
called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given
unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these
ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
(2 Pet. 1:1-4 KJV)
This is a letter addressed to the elect of God, both Jew and Gentile. It is addressed to those who God has chosen from the foundation of the world. This letter is just as alive now as it was then.
2 Pet. 3:9 is addressed to the
us-ward not willing that any of them would perish, but come to repentance. Now, where does repentance come from, God or man? Here's another hint...
--Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that
the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?(Rom. 2:1-4 KJV)
Sorry, Bro. Willis, but you're using the same Calvinist trap that others have tried. You don't want the word "whosoever" to mean "whosoever," you want it to mean "the Elect." You don't want "the world" to mean "the world," you want it to mean "the Elect." I've been accused before (not here) of over-spiritualizing scripture, but to read John 3:16 literally would give anyone the impression that God sent Jesus for the whole world; not just a small part of it.
The word 'world' doesn't always mean the
'encompassing globe'. There are differing meanings when and where it's used. The same goes for
'all', 'every', 'many', &c. Here are some examples....
--For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold,
the world is gone after him. And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:
(John 12:18-20 KJV)
Now, is the whole world, everyone that was alive at that time gone after Jesus or was it those there that wanted to see Lazarus alive after Jesus resurrected him? You decide...
--
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because
ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
(John 15:18-20 KJV)
--I pray for them:
I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
(John 17:9 KJV)
Is the world referenced here the encompassing world of the world of none believers? You decide....
--I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.(John 17:15-18 KJV)
Here Jesus uses the word 'world' in two differing aspects, the entire world as a whole and also the world of unbelievers...
So words such as 'world', 'every', 'all', &c have differing defintions in regards to their contexts....
The KJV reads "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." This feels like a stretch to apply this verse only to the Elect. Again, you are making "him that heareth" and "whosoever" apply only to the Elect. If that makes you feel better, then go for it. I don't see it that way.
Again, the call is to those who are athirst...IE thirsty. Blessed are they which
thirst and hunger after righteousness, for
THEY shall be filled. Again, who are those who are filled? Those who are hungry and thirsty. Who are those invited to take of the water of life freely? Those who are athirst....IE thirsty....
Sure, it's only for a select few. The rest of you can just give up. You never had a chance. God never loved you and never intended to even approach you with intent to save. You were damned to Hell before you were even created in your mother's womb. You do realize that's the flip side to the Calvinist argument for Election, right? A vast multitude of people bound for Hell and the eventual Lake of Fire through no action of their own, but simply because God never loved them and intended to damn them before the foundation of the world.
Where was God's love at for the ones He told His people to obliterate off the land He had promised to give to the people of Abram's/Abraham's lineage? He told His people to kill even the infants of that people. There was no covenant He made with the Philistines. They had their own God. Where was the love when Jesus told the Pharisees they were of their father, the devil?
God's love is found in His Son, Jesus, and those who were given by Him to Jesus to redeem from the world of the lost. His intended audience was the church....