This is a difficult question that many people struggle with. At first glance, it may seem unfair that God would not choose to save everyone. However, when we examine what the Bible teaches about salvation, we gain insight into God’s reasons.
The first key point is that all people are sinful and separated from God (Romans 3:23). Because God is perfectly holy and righteous, He cannot tolerate sin in His presence. Sin demands punishment, and the rightful penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). God’s justice and wrath against sin must be satisfied. If He simply ignored sin, He would cease to be just.
Second, salvation is completely an act of God’s grace. There is nothing any person can do to earn salvation or merit God’s favor (Ephesians 2:8-9). God does not owe salvation to anyone. If He chose to save no one and give all people what their sins deserved, it would be perfectly just. The fact that He saves anyone at all demonstrates His great mercy and love.
Third, God’s selection of who will be saved is His sovereign choice. The Bible compares God’s choice of individuals for salvation to a potter shaping clay (Romans 9:20-24). Just as the potter has sovereign right over the clay to make different vessels for different purposes, God has the right to extend mercy to some while allowing others to continue in their sins and face judgment.
Finally, God saves people not only for their own benefit but for His greater purposes. Those He saves, He chooses to adopt into His family (Ephesians 1:5). He makes them new creations who will bring Him glory (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 1:12). Their lives display His grace and kindness in redeeming sinners. In the end, God receives all glory and praise for salvation.
Though the reasons for God’s sovereign choice to save some and not others may remain a mystery, we can trust Him fully. He knows all things – including what is best for His creation and how to most clearly display His attributes of love, mercy, justice and wisdom. We must humbly accept our inability to fully grasp God’s wise purposes.
In summary, God does not save everyone because 1) all are sinful and worthy of judgment, 2) salvation stems from God’s grace alone and not human merit, 3) God is free to have mercy on whom He chooses, and 4) God’s choice brings Him the most glory and displays His attributes most fully. Though this truth is hard for our human minds to comprehend, we can trust God’s righteous judgment and good purposes.
The Universality of Sin
The Bible clearly teaches that all people are sinners and fall short of God’s holy standard (Romans 3:9-20, 23). Ever since Adam and Eve first sinned, humanity has been in rebellion against God (Genesis 3). We are sinners by nature, by choice, and by practice (Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:9-12). This sin has separated mankind from fellowship with a holy God (Isaiah 59:2).
Sin is a reality in every human heart (Jeremiah 17:9). From birth, each person chooses to go his or her own sinful way (Isaiah 53:6). No one is righteous on their own (Romans 3:10). Even apparently “good” people fall woefully short of God’s perfect standard (Matthew 5:48). All people stand condemned and destined for God’s judgment because of their sin (John 3:18, 36). If God saved every person, he would be trampling on His own justice and holiness.
Salvation by Grace Alone
The Bible clearly teaches that salvation comes only by God’s grace and not human effort. There is no way for people to earn salvation or somehow make themselves worthy of being saved (Titus 3:5). Even the best human efforts at righteousness are like filthy rags before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6).
Salvation comes when God chooses to extend His unmerited favor and love. He reaches out to radically transform sinful people, making them new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). This work of regeneration is the sovereign, supernatural act of the Holy Spirit (John 3:8). God gets all the glory for changing hardened, rebellious sinners into humble, repentant believers (Ephesians 2:4-5).
If God saved everyone, universal salvation would minimize grace. It would portray God as obligated, rather than freely choosing to save. It would imply salvation is something owed to humanity, rather than an undeserved gift from God (Romans 11:6). Universal salvation undermines the beauty and wonder of grace.
God’s Sovereign Choice
The Bible plainly teaches that God chooses who will be saved. Jesus told His disciples they did not choose Him, but He chose them (John 15:16). God chooses and calls people to salvation, opening their eyes and heart to respond (Acts 16:14). His choice is according to His grace and good pleasure, not human desire or effort (Romans 9:15-16).
Some verses indicating God’s sovereign election include Romans 8:29-30, Ephesians 1:4-5, 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5, and 1 Peter 1:1-2. Passages like Romans 9 and John 10 affirm God’s right to show mercy to some and not to others. His choices bring Him the most glory and further His plans.
While fully upholding God’s sovereignty, the Bible also teaches human responsibility. People perish because they reject Christ (John 3:18), not believing the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). The gospel invites all to repent and be saved (Ezekiel 18:23, 32; Matthew 11:28-30). This reflects God’s genuine desire for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), even though His sovereign plan is that only some will respond.
God’s Ultimate Purpose
Why doesn’t God save everyone? Ultimately, because His goal is much bigger than universal salvation. God’s purpose is the display of His glory and wisdom (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). He orchestrates all things to most clearly reveal His majesty and holiness.
This purpose is fulfilled in those He redeems from sin. They are adopted into God’s family to praise His glorious grace forever (Ephesians 1:3-6). He uses their lives to demonstrate His patience and transformational power. He will be glorified when they worship Him for eternity (Revelation 7:9-12).
Likewise, God’s justice and wrath are magnified by the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction (Romans 9:22-23). God’s righteous judgment shows that sin will not go unpunished. All things, whether salvation or judgment, serve God’s ultimate purpose of bringing glory to Himself.
God’s choice to save some and not others displays His sovereignty, grace, justice and holiness most fully. He is honored most when His diverse attributes are seen together through both redemption and wrath. If all were saved, God’s full glory in judgment would be muted.
Accepting the Mystery
Though we may struggle to grasp it, the Bible clearly teaches God’s sovereign election. We must avoid imposing our own expectations of “fairness” upon God. His ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Scripture gives glimpses into God’s purposes, but ultimately we have to trust Him. His choices are good and wise, even when we don’t understand them (Romans 11:33-36). We can know that He works all things together for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28).
Rather than demanding that God meet our human sensibilities, we should humbly worship Him. We must accept that the Potter has sovereign right over the clay. We can rest in knowing ourselves loved and chosen by Him through no merit of our own (1 John 4:19). God’s mysterious ways remind us that He alone is God, and we are not.
Our Response
How should we respond to this difficult biblical truth that God does not save everyone? Here are a few key ways:
- Humbly affirm God’s total sovereignty and justice.
- Praise Him for His gracious choice to save any sinners at all.
- Proclaim the gospel call far and wide.
- Find security in your election rather than wondering about God’s secret decrees.
- Trust God’s wisdom and goodness even when His ways are hard to understand.
- Worship Him for His glorious plan to bring Himself maximum glory.
God’s choice to grant mercy to some and justice to others brings Him the greatest honor and praise. We can joyfully rest in His infinitely wise plan, trusting His grace and justice even when His purposes surpass our understanding. How blessed we are to see glimpses of His glory!