April 20, 2024
The Bible says that God wills for all men to be saved. The Apostle Peter wrote, “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” (II Peter 3:9).
John 3:16 tells us that “whosoever believes on Him (Christ) should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The last invitation of the Bible declares, “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” (Revelation 22:17).
These verses of scripture prompt me to suggest that there are at least six evidences to indicate why God wants all people to be saved.
(1) God has placed within us a desire for immortality. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 the Bible says that God has “put eternity in hearts.” I took a course in Anthropology when I was in college and wrote a paper on the religions of aboriginal tribes in remote areas of the world such as the religion of the Nama Hottentots in Southwest Africa and the Dreamtime religion of the aboriginal tribes of Australia .
Michael Jordan, the author, not the former NBA basketball player, has written a book entitled Encyclopedia of Gods: Over 2,500 Deities of the World. The book is the most broadly-based reference work yet produced on gods from all over the world from A-a, the sun goddess of Mesopotamia, to Zurvan, the Persian god of fate.
Solomon, the richest and wisest man in ancient history, wrote the words in Ecclesiastes 3:11 pertaining to “eternity in our hearts.” He explored every conceivable avenue of potential satisfaction and concluded, “everything under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:17). Solomon ended his search to fill that God-shaped vacuum in his life and said, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
(2) Perhaps the greatest evidence that God wants all people to be saved is seen in the fact that He gave up His only begotten Son for our redemption. The Apostle Paul stated, “For He (God) hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (II Corinthians 5:21).
In order to provide salvation for us, Jesus suffered excruciating physical pain through his scourging, physical abuse, and crucifixion. He experienced abandonment from God when his fellowship with His Father was broken for the first time. Jesus also experienced divine judgment when God’s wrath was poured out upon Him because of our sins.
(3) God wants us to be saved because He knows how sin diminishes us, beleaguers us, and hinders us from accomplishing God’s divine purpose for our lives. The Bible says that God has plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11), but sin thwarts God’s plan and prevents us from experiencing God’s best.
Sin separates us from God and puts forgiveness, peace, and joy out of our reach. Those who fail to commit their lives to Jesus Christ are doomed to live an unfulfilled life and carry around the gray ghost of guilt. God doesn’t want us to live in defeat and frustration, but in peace and victory.
(4) God wants all people to be saved, because He is not willing for any to perish. The Apostle Paul said, “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (II Corinthians 5:11). God created hell for the punishment of the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41), but it will also be the final destination for those reject Christ (II Peter 2:4-9).
A loving God doesn’t want anyone to be cast into fiery torment for all eternity. However, a just God has no alternative but to judge the unrepentant sinner.
(5) God wants all people to be saved, because He has prepared a glorious place for every born again believer; and He desires to spend eternity with all those who have surrendered their lives to His only begotten Son.
In John 14: 2-3 God specifically tells us that this heavenly city is the workmanship of Christ Himself. Jesus was a carpenter, a builder; and He told us that He was going to prepare a place for us – mansions for our eternal home. What a wonder those mansions must be, because the Lord created the universe in six days, but He has already spent over 2,000 years preparing our homes in heaven.
(6) It Is obvious that God wants people to be saved, because He has commissioned believers everywhere to share the Gospel with those who are lost and undone. In fact, there are numerous passages of Scripture urging us to “tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.”
The last words of someone are always considered to be of extraordinary importance; and Jesus’s last words urging us to become His witnesses to a lost world may be found in Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:14-18, Luke 24:44-49, and Acts 1.8. God is so interested in the salvation of souls that He has commissioned a whole army of believers to evangelize the lost from every tongue, tribe and nation.
The Christian Index had “The Plan of Salvation” in our print edition for years and we provide it to our online readers as well so you can refer to it and share it with others whenever the opportunity arises.
