For Calvinists: Struggling with Matthew 22:14

There’s some things I tell folks not to worry about. This is one. Yes, we can have the discussions, and debate the topic until we are called home. But this should not be something to worry about.

The important thing is to put your trust in the finished work of Christ. To love Him, love the Father, love the Spirit. Have fellowship with other saints. Spend real time in the word and in prayer. These discussions can come later.

I have no problem addressing this question, but I wanted to put that out there first.

Tania11 said:

I could use prayers.

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That I will do.

I question some theological presuppositions I suspect are in the background of your original post. To have an issue with God over the fact that he did not save enough people to satisfy the requirements of your presuppositions seems to misunderstand why God created in the first place. How do you know God created for the purpose of saving as many people as he can? This sounds like a doctrine called Molinism.

In Reformed theology we have a doctrines called the 5 sola's. One of them is Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone"). God did not create the universe for the purpose of saving as many people as he can, but he created to glorify himself.

There is another presupposition in the background, this is the Achilles heal of Christianity, the existence of evil in the world. If God is good, why is there so much evil? Why are there so many unsaved? This question has driven some to question the power of God or the goodness of God. Why so much sin?

The answer is the same, because God is God and he created for his own glory. It is for the glory of God that sin must exist in more than just theory, but in actual practice. Satan had to fall and Adam had to fall for sin to exist in more than just theory and for God to show the glory of his righteous judgement on sin, evil and rebellion against him. He will also show the glory of his holiness by taking things intended by men for evil, and using them for good (see Genesis 50:20).

In your mind, does God really exist just for the purpose of saving as many as he can? God would like to save a few more, but he just cannot do it? What a weak God. Will God spend eternity at the doorstep of hell weeping over those he could not save in his insufficiency, just wishing he could have done more, but he just could not do it? God saved a few and then wimped out on the rest? Really?

Not my God. Let God be God. You and I are nothing but creatures. We are but clay in the potters hands. Just read the 2nd half of Romans 9 and see the sovereign choices of God. This universe is certainly not made by God for the purpose of saving people, but for Gods glory. The fact that God chose to save anyone at all shows his grace, love and mercy.

Soli Deo gloria

Tania11 said:

No, this is not Molinism for me to have this sort of question. I want to know what's biblical. This is a struggle that Luther himself had:

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When you say that "I'm still getting saddened over the fact that not many are going to be saved..." As I said, that is very Molinist like. It pictures God as trying to save as many as he can. Its not full blown Molinism, but it is Molinist like.

Tania11 said:

"Doubtless it gives the greatest possible offence to common sense or reason, that God, Who is proclaimed as being full of mercy and goodness, and so on, should of His own mere will abandon, harden and damn men, as though He delighted in the sins and great eternal torments of such poor wretches. It seems an iniquitous, cruel, intolerable thought to think of God; and it is this that has been a stumbling block to so many great men down the ages. And who would not stumble at it? I have stumbled at it myself more than once, down to the deepest pit of despair, so that I wished I had never been made a man."-Martin Luther

I cannot say if God is more glorified in sending the majority of humanity to hell than bringing more undeserved mercy.

Some verses imply He wants mercy than hard justice.
James 2:13 ...Mercy triumphs over judgment

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This is very much out of context. In the context, James begins with the illustration of a man being given the best seat in the Synagogue because of his wealth and the poor man getting the bad seat. The phrase here relates to men, not God, we should show Mercy to others despite their financial status. The beginning of the verse tells us what God will do, his judgment will be without Mercy to those who show no Mercy. This has nothing to do with God trying to send everyone to heaven.


Ezekiel 18:23
Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

Again, this verse should be put in the context. The chapter is about the proverb in 18:2. The accusation is that God is punishing Israel in captivity due to the sins of the fathers. In the siege of Jerusalem, many died (physically) and many went into captivity but it was not due to the sins of the fathers. See verse 32... "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord." This is speaking of the punishment of physical death due to the invasion and captivity. It has nothing to do with God trying to save everyones souls.

Your original post has some serious errors. One of the problems is that you want more people saved. That would not solve the problem. Even if only 1 person ever went hell, the same issue would exist.

you said.... I know God didn't have to save any----I get that response but I think to that response "Why would He create just to send all of His creation to hell?".
The same problem would exist even if one went to hell.


That's why I asked this question about these verses. Some here give many different interpretations. Perhaps I shouldn't make a clear cut case on how many are saved on a parable.

Again, it is not reasonable to make an issue of how many are saved. Your missing the high and clean fresh air and beauty of the sovereignty of God and the glory of God. You said it yourself, God does not have to save anyone.

If there were 10 murder/rapist in a pond drowning while they are shooting guns and hating God, how many is he required to save? If he saves even one, it manifests is Mercy, Grace, and kindness. Even one is sufficient to manifest his glory.

I'm not convinced that we actually know how many will be saved. In Mat 22, the people Jesus called (probably referring to Jews or maybe Pharisees and other leaders) were called and mostly not chosen. However Jesus then says to bring in the whole rest of the world, including both good and bad. Of those, one person was found not prepared. It's common for scholars to say that the many .. few comparison in 1st Cent Jewish terminology is simply fewer, and doesn't imply how much fewer.

Here's a comment from Davies and Allison:

"Our line does not appropriately conclude the parable if the words are taken literally and the reference is (as Gundry, Commentary, p. 440, has it) to the king’s final invitations; for we read of only one guest being cast out. It seems better therefore either to give the words a Semitic meaning (‘All are called but not all are chosen’) and/or to apply the verse to the entirety of the parable: many were indeed called, for a summons went out three times; but only some (those asked at the end) responded. In either case the use of ‘chosen’ coheres nicely with the rest of the parable, in which God has been the chief actor and in total control from the beginning. Still, it is quite clear from the parable that individuals make their own choices:"