If God is not willing that any should perish, if God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, if God calls all men to repent and believe the gospel, and if God desires all men to be saved, then how come only a few are saved?

Ever read or watched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Did you pick up the key difference between Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and Aslan’s execution? Click to enlarge.

A while back, on a Friday, at the end of a working week, a colleague turned to me and asked, “Why wouldn’t God, if He could, out of love, save everyone?” In my head I was thinking, “Guess this means I won’t be joining the rest of the bunch for a beer then.”

I mean why not though? He loves everyone doesn’t He (John 3:16)? He doesn’t desire anyone to perish does He (2 Peter 3:9)? So what’s with the eternal punishment deal (Revelation 20:10)?

Well if I believed in universalism I’d believe that all would ultimately be saved. Happy days. If I was a Hyper-Calvinist it would bother me because I’d not think that God cared in first the place. But I’m something else, so I guess this is a question that I need to answer for myself.

This is the deductive answer: God made man. He made man perfect. All men chose to sin. Sin is punishable. Sin is punishable by death. Therefore all men are justly punishable. Because of sin man cannot reconcile to God. Man doesn’t want to anyway. God has a plan. The plan is Jesus. Jesus died to appease God’s wrath for man’s sin. Jesus died while the sinners were still sinning. The sinners didn’t deserve it. Jesus died to show God’s love. Because the sinners, of themselves, wouldn’t choose God, God chooses them. Therefore salvation is a work of God. Salvation is a demonstration of His glory. Therefore God reconciles some men to Himself to His glory.

God is not willing that any should perish. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. God calls all men to repent and believe the gospel. God desires all men to be saved. Those that are saved are saved to His glory. Romans 5:8 – 10 says:

“⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath {of God} through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Um, there were about 12 15 18 more questions in that last paragraph. Ha. We carried on talking for about 4 hours. Eventually I had to call my wife and tell her I’d be late.

Colors to the mast and all that. Tear it apart.