If God Desires All to Be Saved, Why Aren’t They?

Ask Pastor John
Episode: 1923

[AnthonyJohnson-puie]

Pastor John is so wise and brilliant. I thank God for his ministry! He's attempting to explain the infinite wisdom of God to our finite brains.

[lovabletrash]

The fact that he allowed me to seek him and feel him even when i did not deserve it, all because of his will, is all the more terrifying to think about.

[TrevorR]

"Jacob I have loved, but Esau I hated." Seemed pretty harsh given they hadn't done anything yet. But we can't forget that God does not exist within time as we have a concept of it. From God's perspective before a person is even born their entire life and all the choices they will make with their "free will" has already happened. God can give righteous judgment and predestine someone because he knew everything about a person before they knew it about themselves. From our limited experience of reality we can never assume what God has chosen for ourselves or each other. We should never try to determine if someone is going to hell or not because we are unable to judge rightly the way God is. Instead we should do as our lord commands and preach the gospel to all men, finding those who receive it.

[nekaylasmith]

What a blessing and right on time. Happy Passover ❤

[snoopycharlie]

Why not a combination of both? God sees the will of Man outside of time. Therefore He determined to send a deception, but only after leaving the options of grace open to everyone to choose/ reject Him first in their timeframe, respecting their autonomy. He is then still saddened and unwilling to punish, but the perfect Judge must follow through on the moral and spiritual law that was set. It takes nothing away from God's glory to say he allows Man make decisions, but He can and does intervene at certain points, involving certain people, to accomplish His specific plan. Love the biblical references always given in support of the answers given in these episodes. Thank you for speaking God's word above all else.

[mattr.]

I don't see why man's free will is so important. I'd be okay with having God's will "forced" on me if it meant avoiding eternal torture.

[User_Brandon]

Beautiful video!! Praise the Lord for He is good always!

[PristineAutoDetailing]

Don't let these arguments of theology keep you away from hitting your knees, digging into his word, and sharing it with everyone.
It almost seems like it's the pride of men that get into these debates that most of the time is between believers 😂. It's almost like it's satans stumbling block from us sharing the gospel with non believers, I catch myself all time time getting into these debates with brothers verse sharing the good news with non believers.

Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

[jessszabo]

I have come to see this a little differently. As a parent of children... let's say you have multiple children. You want all of them to be successful, providing for themselves, independent of you but as they are seperated from you, you have less and less control and say over what they do or don't do. Your influence over them, when they are grown, is completely dependent on their asking for your influence/opinion/help and them choosing whether or not to accept or listen to your advice and "will." I really, really desire all of my children to succeed and I am willing and able to help lead them to that success, even when it's hard, even when they make mistakes... as long as I'm breathing, and as long as my kids want me around, I will be available to them, not to enable destructive behavior or lifestyles, but to help them live the best life that I feel that they can live. But it is entirely up to them to listen/not listen.... do or do not do. I might have a child that is extremely receptive to what I say and do and flourishes and I might also have a child that never listens or never asks and does their own thing and reaps the consequences. Now I am not God... I am a fallible human and my advice isn't always perfect and maybe the one who doesn't listen ends up doing so much better than I thought they would and it was better that they didn't listen to me. But our Heavenly Father IS perfect and His heart to help us is even greater than ours for our children... but He had placed the choice in our hands. He knows what evil people will choose and plans accordingly, to further His glory. He hardens hearts and sends delusions, but it does not say He hardens a heart that would have otherwise been open to Him.. it's implied that the heart that is hardened was already hard. The ones who were sent delusions were also already deluded. We're either lost or found, saved or damned... we either love God and listen to Him or we hate Him and have no desire to hear of Him. If your child has no desire to hear from you and hates you... don't you still love them? Wouldn't you still do anything you possibly could to help, heal and restore them to you?
That is the real cost of the cross.
He wanted ALL to come to Him, but with our free will He knew that not all would.
This is the cost of free will.
This is the cost of the cross.
He saw what it would take to have a true people for Himself.... how many people would have to live in pain.. how many people would suffer... how many people would reject Him.. He saw every evil thing that would ever happen... every evil that people would do, some even while proclaiming His name. He saw all of this on the earth.... and He made it anyway.
WHY???
Because of us that would choose Him. He saw us from the beginning. And He said we were worth all of it.
He is just. He is loving. He desires all, and paid for all... but He also decided not to override our free will, because He wants our relationship to be genuine and unspoiled.
He is the Most High... that means, by nature and definition that ANYTHING OTHER THAN HIM is LESS THAN HIM.
Just by being other --- we are less... that is how evil entered creation. God made another. Therefore every possibility of evil now exists.
My children are different from me. We have things in common... but they are different. They are going to choose things I wouldn't choose and they wouldn't choose some of the things I choose. I still love them.. I love them in spite of their differences and I love them BECAUSE of their differences.
If I could only love a child that was exactly like me then it wouldn't be them that I was loving... it would be myself.
How can we all be so utterly different from God and also be able to be with Him for all of eternity??? THE REDEMPTION OF THE CROSS!!!! The cross, takes something that began broken and imperfect and makes it whole and perfect. We will be like Christ, but also keeping our individual identities for all of eternity. You will have your body, but GLORIFIED. You will still be you.. but even more you than you are now because you won't be weighed down by pain, sin and disease. You will be free to worship your King for eternity.. with your unique voice... with your unique song that only you can sing with your entire being.. because only you fully know all that He did in you to get you there by His side. We'll get to hear the songs of others and sing our own song too... Hallelujah!!!! Praise God and thank you anyone for reading.. I'd love to hear your thoughts as I respect John Piper so much and his followers are surely a bright, spirit-filled bunch!

[minorsingingairhead]

Calvinist logic: It is clear that God predestines certain things to take place (see Acts 4:27). Therefore, God predestines everything that takes place by His all-encompassing sovereignty.

[markfsimpson]

Thank You, Good-Sirs

Have a thoughtful Easter Weekend

Hallelujah!

Amen 🙏🏻

[jbweakley]

I appreciate referencing both possible approaches to this difficult topic. I must say Arminianism seems to be the approach that equates “God is love”. In order to have love you must have free choice. Thus God desires all to be saved just and yet all are not are in agreement. As a groom loves his wife but what kind of marriage is a forced marriage vs how beautiful is a marriage with both turning by their own free will towards each other. So Jesus will come for his bride. It is still by his grace that we are saved and even by his divine strength does he give enough clarity for us to choose whether to take the forbidden fruit or not in such moments otherwise we would be overrun by satan who if he has his way would give no such choice.

[jesussaves]

Scripture clearly teaches its God’s will for all to be saved scripture also teaches that not all will be because not all will believe. The answer to the question is quite simple.

[IHIuddy]

Because they choose to deny his free gift of grace through faith.

[domingosalbertocarruagem]

Good question. really true Gos´s will is to save everyone, and bible is so clear in this sinse, but is importante to recognize that God in himself creat the way that the humankind should be save, and even willing to save everyone, it´s only possible by his word. grace alone!

[Adventure-stuff]

Well put, and thanks for putting this in context Desiring God. Have a blessed week ✝️

[ehecken]

I believe there is much more going on than we are capable of understanding but we will understand when we pass over.

[ricklamb]

Good question, I'll ask Him when I see Him.

[Mojo]

It's always interesting how many other christians always want to disagree with this, they are typically very adamant regarding "man choosing, " lol while somehow also simultaneously saying that God is sovereign. The Biblical God is (and always has been) in control of everything. Man's nature would promptly send "him" to Hell if it wasn't for God's gift to His elect.

[feciriaco]

God desires all people to be saved..if people don't like to be saved ..it's their choice..God can't force Himself..men has a responsibility to respond whether to follow God or not