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Chapter: 14.27
(Section 14: Selective Salvation)
Copyright © Michael Bronson 1998 - 2005
BibleHelp.org

God Almighty, by the very definition, is sovereign. An almighty God can do whatever He wants. God Almighty answers to no one and does not have to give an account of His actions to anyone.

While it is true a sovereign God can do whatever he likes, it is not true that he does everything. A person’s actions are reflective of his nature. A person acts in a way that’s consistent with his personality. A loving person will act one way and an unloving person will act the opposite.

To illustrate, let’s consider the treatment of a pet dog. For the most part, the owner of a dog is "sovereign" over his dog (this is especially true in undeveloped parts of the world). For the most part, the owner can treat his dog any way he wants and his actions will go unchallenged. Yet, the owner’s treatment of his dog will be consistent with his nature. A good owner would never mistreat his dog even though his "sovereignty" gives him this freedom. Contrary to what some people think, sovereignty does not mean a person has the freedom to do whatever he wants. The person’s nature dictates the "limits" of his freedom.

God Almighty is also bound by these "limits." God Almighty will never do anything that would contradict His nature. Since God is righteous, just, and fair, He will never do anything that is unrighteous, unjust, or unfair. His actions are motivated by love, compassion, and tenderness.

Yes, it is true God could choose to treat people the same way Saddam Hussein does. He could be mean, abusive, and unjust. However, acting this way would mean He was not righteous, just, or loving.

When you think about it, we are very fortunate God is not like Saddam Hussein. Imagine what eternity would be like if God was an evil person. It is bad enough thinking about how close Hitler came to ruling the world; think about what it would be like if Satan had sovereign control over everything.

Let’s go back to the subject of selective salvation. Would God arbitrarily select certain people to go to Hell with absolutely no chance of redemption or deliverance? Would God arbitrarily sentence a person to eternal punishment even though he had not done anything to deserve Hell? (Remember, the choice of sending a person to Hell was not based on any quality of the person being selected. This death sentence was issued long before the person was born or even committed his first sin.) I believe this would be totally inconsistent with everything we know about God. I believe this completely defies God’s just, righteous, and loving nature.

Other Chapters in this Section

Home
Up
PART 1: What is Selective Salvation?
PART 2: What Does the Bible say about Selective Salvation?

What does the Bible Say?
Why, then, do some still Believe in Selective Salvation?
Interpreting the Bible
Does All mean All?
How Could God make it any Clearer?
Does it all Add Up?
Are People Perishing Despite God's Desire for their Salvation?
Why did Jesus Cry out for Their Forgiveness?
What is "Election" and "Predestination?"
Does a Sovereign God do Whatever He Wants?
The Sovereignty of God
Failures of Great Leaders in the Bible
God's Foreknowledge

PART 3: Problems with Selective Salvation
PART 4: “Choice” –The Achilles’ Heel of Selective Salvation
PART 5: Difficult Questions Answered
Appendix: Foundational Documents used by Selective Salvationists

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