By Grace Alone?
by Terry Wane Benton
I pointed out that if God is “not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9), then salvation cannot be by grace alone. If God desires all to be saved, but salvation is by grace alone, then all will be saved. If all are not saved, but God desires all to be saved, then part of the problem is that men have a say in the matter, and it is not a matter of grace alone. It is by grace that any of us are saved, but it is not a matter of grace alone if there are conditions we must meet. If any part is up to us, the total fault is ours if we are not saved. If it is all up to God and He wants us all to be saved, then you can count on universal salvation.
One guy was challenged by the above, and instead of answering the scripture given, he decided to counter that verse with the following verses, which I will address one by one. Does God desire all to be saved and none to perish? Yes! Do the following verses deny what II Peter 3:9 says? Let’s see!
"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible'" (Matthew 19:26 NKJV).
All this implies is that God is the one that makes salvation possible. He makes it possible for us to hear, believe, and repent by the blessings and power of the gospel (Romans 1:16-17). Without the gospel, it would have been impossible for men to be saved. The gospel makes salvation possible, but it does not mean that all men will enjoy salvation. Why? Because making salvation possible does not mean we will all choose to take the offer. All can be saved, but all will not be saved. So, this verse does nothing to explain away II Peter 3:9, which says God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. God made it possible for all to be saved, but all will not repent as they should and must.
"But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases" (Psalms 115:3 NKJV)
This verse does not answer the fact that God wants to give us the choice to choose whether we want Him. If we do not choose Him, that does not deny that He desires us. He is not willing for any to perish, but He is also not willing to make the choice to repent out of our hands. So, again, this verse does not contradict II Peter 3:9, nor does it say or imply that God has not given us any freedom to choose into our hands. He was pleased to make salvation possible for all and pleased to give us the choice to choose life or death (Deuteronomy 30:19). The ball is in our court! He wants us! Do we want Him?
"For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them" (Romans 2:13-15 NKJV).
This passage does nothing to deny that God desires that all men come to repentance to keep from perishing. All this verse says is that some people hear and do what God requires, and others hear but don’t do, and that is the reason some are justified before God, and some are not. This passage agrees that the reason some are not saved is their own fault. They could let God’s law work in their heart to move them to repentance and justification, but they just don’t let it. Thus, it is not by grace alone, but by grace working through faith and obedience, and if some reject the grace offered, it is all on them. God is just, while some will refuse the avenue of justification. It is all on us and not a denial of God’s desire for our salvation at all. Now, if it is all a matter of grace alone, then God would force all to be saved, but He has put responsibility for faith in our hands. So, I’m still wondering how this verse contradicts II Peter 3:9 or explains anything related to it. It simply shows why some men are justified through hearing and doing while others won’t listen and do what they should. Some develop such a nature that they are inclined to hear and do the will of God, while others develop such a nature that they rebel. It is all on us and not on God at all.
"Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You" (Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV).
Nobody denies that there is nothing too hard for the Lord! How does this deny II Peter 3:9? He puts repentance on our part as a condition for salvation. He wants us all to come to repentance, and He will not save us unless we do, but like a loving parent that longs for a rebellious teen to turn back from drugs or alcohol, the parents still love and long for that child, but the turn around is in the hands of that teen. Technically, it is not too hard for the Lord to miraculously change the devil and make him be saved, but it is not His will to force salvation on anyone. People will be lost because they did not choose the Lord’s way of making sinners right. It is not too hard for the Lord to force universal salvation, but it is not His will to take choice out of our hands. So, again, this verse does not deny the truth of II Peter 3:9 that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
"For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:50).
That is what I have been saying. Doing the will of the Father is the condition for being brought into God’s family. God desires all to be in His family, but some won’t repent and come to Him. That is all on them and has nothing to do with whether God desires them. Again, this verse does not deny II Peter 3:9 or show that God is willing for some to perish. It shows that some want to do His will and others don’t, and that is where the problem lies.
"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27 NKJV).
This passage says we have the power to keep ourselves unspotted from the world, and if we don’t, it is our fault. God still is not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance and do right (II Peter 3:9). How does this verse deny II Peter 3:9? How does it relate to the topic at all? It shows that we have responsibility, and if we don’t take responsibility, it is all on us.
"But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:26-27 NKJV).
Anyone can become His sheep by hearing His voice. Getting used to His voice, we learn to stay with His voice, and we learn when an unfamiliar voice is calling. We follow Jesus because we learned His voice and tuned in to hear His voice, shying away from other voices. Thus, we became His sheep. This is what He desires for all people. All can become His sheep, but most choose not to (Matthew 7:13-14). They don’t learn His voice and become His sheep. All His sheep believe in Him because they have heard and learned the safety of being in His fold. The problem is not that He didn’t want others to be His sheep. The problem is that people don’t want to listen, learn His voice, and become His sheep. That still, in no way, denies the truth of II Peter 3:9 that He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance and become His sheep.
"But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?'" (Matthew 20:10-15 NKJV).
This has nothing to do with whether God wants any to perish. This passage shows that the offer for labor and pay was extended, and people took it when they heard the call. Those called late still took the offer when they heard it, and the master paid what each agreed to because that was his right to give as each agreed to. Each did something required, and each got paid as they agreed to. This does not have any connection to whether the Lord is willing for any to perish. It is only about the justice of the owner in giving what He and each agreed to, even if it seems that some worked longer than others. This is undoubtedly not an issue of grace alone, as each had to work to get the pay. The only issue here is whether the landowner and workers made an agreement and fulfilled the terms of the agreement. It also shows that those who worked more cannot expect to get more than others, and they cannot complain if those who worked less get the same pay. All worked and were paid according to their agreement when they heard the call. If I have labored 50 years, and some other person only heard the call late and labored only one year, I will not get more, and they will not get less. That is all this passage says. It does not relate at all to the topic of II Peter 3:9. It does not deny the point that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
All the passages offered show that the rewards of salvation are dependent on us, and they all agree that it is not a matter of grace alone but that it depends on our faith to hear the call to labor for the Master and do all we can when we hear the call of the gospel. Whether that is early or late in life, we must respond to the call when we hear it to enjoy the reward. All these verses affirm that it is not by grace alone, but grace has given us choices and put responsibility in our hands. If we are lost, the fault is ours, and it has nothing to do with God being arbitrary and not wanting us.
God wants you, but do you want Him? He will not force His will upon you! You have a say in your salvation and eternal destiny. He is for you and clearly wants you, but you need to seek Him, grope for Him, and find Him in Jesus! The ball is in your court!
