Salvation is open to everyone. John wrote, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Paul wrote that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), and “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” (Tit 2:11). And Peter said that God “is not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). These passages affirm that salvation through Jesus Christ is offered to everyone, regardless of background, nationality, or prior belief. They emphasize God’s desire for all people to be saved and His provision of a universal invitation to eternal life. All the benefits of the cross are applied to those who simply believe in Jesus as their Savior. Salvation is by grace alone (we don’t deserve it), through faith alone (not by good works), in Christ alone. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). And Peter said, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). And when the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30), they gave the simple reply, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
Salvation is never what we do for God; rather, it’s what He’s done for us through the Person and work of Jesus who died for our sins, was buried in a grave, raised to life on the third day, and seen by many, as Scripture teaches (1 Cor 15:3-5). Jesus accomplished what we cannot. He conquered sin and death, and He offers salvation as a free gift to all who want it. The Bible emphasizes that salvation is a free gift from God, underscoring His grace and mercy toward humanity. Paul wrote, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23b), and “by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). These passages clearly convey that salvation is not something that can be earned by human effort but is a gracious gift from God, offered freely to all who believe in Jesus Christ.
Negative volition toward God is what secures a person’s place in the lake of fire. These individuals “love the darkness rather than the Light” (John 3:19), “suppress the truth” about Him (Rom 1:18), and willfully “exchange the truth of God for a lie” (Rom 1:25). This willful choice has been the path of the majority of people throughout history. In contrast, positive volition is the key to accepting God’s free gift. Isaiah said, “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near” (Isa 55:6). Paul spoke of unbelievers, saying that “they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27).
God has made a way for everyone to be saved, and if someone ends up in the lake of fire, it is by their own choice, not by chance or God’s choosing. As stated above, God “desires all people to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4) and “is not wishing that any should perish” (2 Pet 3:9). The critical role of human volition is evident in a few verses where Jesus was speaking to unbelieving Jews. Jesus said to them, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life” (John 5:39-40).
The Greek word behind “You search” in John 5:39 is ereunáte (ἐρευνᾶτε). The form of the verb is present tense, active voice, and indicative mood. The present tense indicates a continuous or repeated action. The active voice means that the subject (in this case, “you”) is performing the action. The indicative mood is used to make a straightforward statement of fact. Regarding the aspects of intellect and volition, the verb ereunáte (ἐρευνᾶτε) itself means to search, examine, or investigate. This verb inherently implies an intellectual effort and deliberate action, suggesting that the individuals are actively and intentionally engaging with the Scriptures in a thoughtful and purposeful manner. Jesus said their goal in searching the Scriptures was to obtain “eternal life,” which translates the Greek zōēn aiōnion (ζωὴν αἰώνιον).
The word “unwilling” translates the Greek words ou thelete (οὐ θέλετε). The verb thelō—to will—is in the present tense, active voice, and indicative mood. The present tense speaks of a present and ongoing truth, and the active voice means the subject produces the action. The indicative mood is declarative for a statement of fact. This means the unsaved Jews, to whom Jesus was speaking, did not have eternal life and were exercising their own volition to reject Jesus, the One who offered them eternal life. This implies a certain degree of human free will or agency in their response to Jesus’ offer of eternal life.
The words “so that you may have life” translate the Greek echēte zōēn (ἔχητε ζωήν), which implies that the offer of eternal life is conditional, and that the offer is genuinely available but dependent on the individual’s response to Jesus. The form of the verb is present tense, active voice, and subjunctive mood. The present tense speaks of a present and ongoing truth, meaning eternal life is available to Jesus’ hearers, the unsaved Jews. The active voice means the subject produces the action, indicating Jesus is the One making the offer. The subjunctive mood means the offer is potential, contingent on their willingness to accept it. This means eternal life was available to Jesus’ unsaved hearers, but to receive it, they need to believe in Him. But because of their negative volition, they were unwilling to believe in Him, so eternal life was never received.
In summary, since God has made a way for everyone to be saved, if someone ends up in the lake of fire, it is due to their own negative volition (John 5:39-40), and not by chance or God’s choosing. However, if a person has positive volition and wants to know God (Isaiah 55:6; Acts 17:27), He will make a way for gospel information to reach that person. When they hear the good news that Christ died for them, was buried, and was raised on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4), they can then believe in Him as Savior (Acts 16:31) and receive eternal life (John 3:16; 10:28).
Dr. Steven R. Cook
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