I believe in predestination, wherein God chooses whom He will save and destroy the rest on judgment day, as do a small number of others. The rest of you believe in "free will" salvation, otherwise known as Arminianism. People like to call predestination "Calvinism," but that is a misnomer, as John Calvin did not create, discover or originate the doctrine of predestination, he believed it and taught it to others. Predestination is in Scripture. Just as Calvin's name is not found in Scripture, neither is the name of Jacobus Arminius, from which the word "Arminianism" derives. John 1:12 is one of the favorite verses quoted to validate Arminianism. Yet, John 1:13, which is directly related to John 1:12, is rarely, if ever also quoted. Arminianism is completely built upon and depends totally upon the false concept that each individual has the ability, intellect and opportunity to "chose" to believe or not, that each person determines whether or not they "get saved." As I heard a pastor say, "Everybody chooses where they will spend their eternity." This ability to "chose" is directly related to man's "free will." The reason John 1:13 is ignored is that the verse totally destroys the concept that man has the "free will" to choose or reject the gospel and by his "free will" determines if he "gets saved" or rejects the truth.
John 1:13 Which were born(spiritual birth that comes from God, James 1:18), not of blood (being Jewish), nor of the will of the flesh,(that which man desires), NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN, but of God.
In order to teach "free will" salvation requires a pastor to either ignore verses that teach predestination or twist the predestination verses if they quote them. The main "proof text" used to teach that God "wants to save everybody" is, of course, 2Pet 3:9. However, this verse has not been translated properly, in that a couple of crucial words is left out. Peter wrote, "...but is longsuffering to us-ward..." Whenever the word "us" is used in the New Testament, it is only used to refer to the sheep, the believers, the predestinated. It is never used to mean "all people." So Peter wrote that "God is longsuffering to His sheep..." As a result of clarification, the verse should properly read,"... not willing that any of us (sheep) should perish, but that all of the sheep will come to repentance." In church buildings, pew warmers will often hear the phrase, "God wants to...", "God wants to bless you," "God wants to use you," "God wants to do a mighty work in your life,..." Yet, there is no verse that uses the words, "God wants to..." Rather than "God wants to...," Scripture teaches that God does whatever He wants to do, in the case of people, no person can prevent God from acting nor does God have to get permission from a person before God can act on a person, or that "God will never do something against a person's will."
Psalm 115:3, 135:6
Isa 46:10
Dan 4:35
Let's look at some predestination verses using logic rather than a skewed view.
Isa 55:11, a favorite verse in many church buildings.
So shall my word be that goes forth out of my voice: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I purpose, and it will prosper (succeed) in the situation/circumstance to which I send it.
This verse is easy to understand. By the meaning of the verse, if God sent His word to individuals with the purpose of those individuals "getting saved," then, these individuals would "get saved." God's word would prosper in the goal of which it was sent. So, if God "wants" all people to get saved, why doesn't He simply send His word to all individuals? Why doesn't He tell every individual exactly what each individual needs to hear to "persuade" or "convince" each individual to "Accept Christ?" ("Accept Christ" is not found in Scripture.) Your camp teaches that God pursues people, something not found in Scripture. Your camp teaches that God "woo's people." Again, another tradition of man not found in Scripture.
A person has to have their spiritual eyes and ears open to understand salvation, which is a spiritual thing, 1Cor 2:14 But the natural man (man in the flesh) recieveth not the things of the Spirit (spiritual things) of God: for they (spiritual things) are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerened. A person has to have their spiritual eyes and ears open to understand the spiritual truths in Scripture. A person has to have their spiritual eyes and ears opened in order to believe in Jesus. If so, what do you do with these verses?
Mat 11:25 At that time, Jesus, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou has hid these things from the wise and prudent and has revealed them to babes. Hmm, God "wants" everybody to "get saved?" But He hides knowledge and understanding from the wise of the world? If a person needs spiritual knowledge and understanding to obtain salvation, but God hides it from them, how can you say God wants everybody saved if He keeps the crucial and necessary information from them? And Jesus gave thanks for this action of God!
Read this carefully, Mat 11:27 All things are delivered to me from my Father: and no human knows the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any human the Father, except for the Son, and he TO WHOMSOEVER THE SON WILL REVEAL HIM.
Hmm, no person, of their own efforts and intellect, can ever come to know the Father. Jesus has to reveal the Father to people! According to this verse, Jesus chooses to whom He will reveal the Father. This also means that Jesus doesn't reveal the Father to all people.
Mat 13:10-11 And the disciples asked Jesus, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" Jesus replied, "Because it is granted to you to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but it (the ability to understand) is not granted to them." Hmm, the ability to understand the mysteries of the kingdom, spiritual eyes and ears opened, is only given to some and the rest are kept in spiritual darkness. Again, crucial information is given to some and kept unknown to others.
Lk 9: 43-45 "... Jesus said to his disciples, "Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men." BUT THEY UNDERSTOOD NOT WHAT JESUS WAS SAYING, IT WAS HID FROM THEM...
Lk 19:42...but now they are hid from your (spiritual) eyes.
John 8:47 "He that is of God hears God's word. You do not hear God's word because you are not of God."
John 10:26-27 "But you don't believe me because you are not one of my sheep...My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me."
John 12: 37-40 "... THEREFORE THEY COULD NOT BELIEVE because Isaiah had said, " He (God) has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they could not see (with spiritual eyes), nor understand with their heart (mind), and be converted, and I should heal them. God prevented them from believing. Why would God actively prevent people from believing if He wants everybody saved? How does salvation come? When a person believes, Acts 16: 28-31. If believing is the first part of salvation and is necessary for salvation, and God prevents people from believing, how does that fit in with "God wants everybody to get saved?"
2Cor 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.
Eph 3:5 Which in other ages WAS NOT MADE KNOWN UNTO THE SONS OF MEN, AS IT IS NOW REVEALED UNTO HIS HOLY APOSTLES AND PROPHETS BY THE SPIRIT.
2Tim 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord GIVE YOU UNDERSTANDING IN ALL THINGS.
1John 4:6 We are of God: He that knoweth God hears us; he that is not of God does not hear us. "Hear" here does not mean simply audibly hearing words. For the sheep, it means to hear with spiritual ears having been opened to the truth. For the goats, it means that their ears are spiritually closed, made deaf.
These verses are in your bible. I can show many more which teach that God opens eyes and ears and God closes eyes and ears. But these verses are never taught or explained. Why? because they all contradict Arminianism. Notice, there is not one mention of God closing off spiritual understanding as a response or reaction to people "rejecting the truth." The "lost" in 2Cor 4:3 are lost because God purposed them to be lost before they were born. They are born lost, they live their lives as lost people and they will die lost. You may disagree, but this is what belief in predestination teaches.