These days many false teachers have infiltrated into the church to deceive, destroy and loot the believers. One of their false teachings is that there is no everlasting hell and everlasting punishment for the disobedient. But this argument of the Universalists can be ably disproved through a presentation of the Biblical doctrines of predestination and election.

PREDESTINATION

The predestination by God occurs because of the foreknowledge of God, and the foreknowledge of God is because of His omniscience. Predestination is God himself determining to allow what He knew would happen in the universe He created. It is determining to allow some persons to remain unsaved or some others to be saved as they themselves prefer. It is not determining to prevent some persons from accepting the salvation which is equally offered to all. God foreknew that some would and some would not exercise faith unto salvation. Hence predestination was God determining to give His creation full freedom of free-will. Predestination is God determining to allow His creatures with the free will either to conform to His plan and be saved or not conform to His plan and be lost.

This fact is most succinctly proved and expressed in John chapter 3 verses 16-18. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not in condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. Thus we can say that God in His omniscience knew and determined what His creatures will do with their free will. Thus God knew and determined the results of our choices, but did not impose those choices on us. Because God is morally perfect and wants all His creatures to be perfectly free in their choices.

ELECTION AND SALVATION

But in the course of time Adam disobeyed God and sinned. Hence all men stand condemned before God because of their sin. But no one goes to hell because God sends them but because they themselves chose to reject the truth God that had revealed to them. Election is God's choice exercised in His mercy by which He determined to save some people. Election is God's prerogative.  Hence only God knows who the elected ones are. It is based on the mercy and grace of God and not on the personal merit of anyone. Since nobody deserves to be saved no one can complain against God. But God in His impartiality did not decide who are included and who are excluded. Those who meet God’s conditions become the elected ones. The elect are not saved without saving faith. Election does not abolish the need for evangelism. The divine sovereign election and salvation by faith are two parallel truths which are to be accepted by faith.

Election is an eternal event happened in accordance with God’s foreknowledge and predestination. The Glory of God is the purpose of election. Thus God reserves all credit for the salvation of His people. Thus, we read in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 4-12. That: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth: even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ”.

Thus God has chosen some people. This is what we read in John chapter 15, verse 16.  “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you”. Thus the good pleasure of God and His sovereign determination are the most objective and reliable bases for the salvation of all those who are to be saved. Election emanates from the eternal purpose of God. This truth is best explained in Romans chapter 9 verses 15-24. “For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works, but of him that calls; It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy. For the scripture says unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardens. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but O man, who art thou that replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lumb to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”. 

This truth is also explained in the words of Jesus Himself in Mathew chapter 11 verses 25-26. “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight”. Thus election is God's prerogative, because He only knows who the elect are. It is based on the mercy and grace of God and not on the personal merit of any man. Since nobody deserves to be saved, no one can complain against God. This truth is illustrated by Jesus in the parable of the laborers. The laborers were paid for their obedience, irrespective of their labor. In short election is God deciding to save all those who conform to His plan by His grace. This truth is stated in second Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 13-14. “...God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Hence those who do not conform to His plan will be lost. Man is not saved by God’s choice alone. Since the plan is God’s, only those who conform to the predestined plan of God become the elect. But God in His omniscience foreknows who are the saved and the lost.

A person can believe in Jesus Christ, only if that person is called by God the Father. In John chapter 6 verses 44-45 we read that: Everyone that hears and learns of the Father comes to Christ. And from John chapter 10 verses 14, 27 and 28 we can understand that only those who thus really belong to Christ can know Him, hear His voice, believe in Him, and follow Him. From Second Corinthians chapter 4 verses 3 and 4 we can know that if the gospel is hid, it is hid to them that are lost. They are blinded by Satan because of their unwillingness to believe the truth. Christ died for all men and thus rendered them all savable. But only those who choose to receive by faith the forgiveness of sins provided on the cross will be saved. But all will not place their faith in Him and be saved. The Bible in many places agree to the fact that: Every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is from God, is not of God. Who is not with Jesus is against Jesus. There is no neutrality in spirituality. There is no anonymous Christians, no unknown Christ, no cosmic Christ. Thus, though salvation is a gift of God, man has the responsibility of receiving it faithfully. It ultimately happens not by any work of man, but by the grace of God. Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9, and John chapter 19 verse 30 prove that the receiving of salvation is by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. But in order to receive true faith man has to repent and completely trust in God. There is no automatic salvation.