Four Ways a Sovereign God Can Relate to a Fallen World

1)  God could decide to give no one who is fallen an opportunity for salvation.
-God is loving, but God is just and righteous.  His love is an expression of his righteousness.  His love is just and holy.
-A just and holy God is not required to love a rebellious creation to the extent of extending mercy to it.  He can love fallen man and still punish man.
-If he chooses to save no one, God is perfectly just to do so.  God is not obligated to give mercy.  By definition mercy can not be obligatory.  If you say God owes everyone mercy, you not thinking about mercy anymore.  Justice, however, can be obligatory.

2) God could provide an opportunity for everyone to be saved (or an opportunity for some people).
-God is an equal opportunity redeemer
-Everyone has a chance, but there is no guarantee that anyone would be saved
-Not all people hear the Gospel though.  Maybe only some have a true opportunity.
-God could conceivably do more to make sure all people hear the Gospel (eg. God doesn’t spell the Gospel out in the clouds)

3) God exercising his power and sovereignty could intrude into the human situation, not only providing an opportunity for salvation, but by working in the hearts of fallen man, and ensure the salvation of everybody.
-God has the power to do this
-Universalism – all will be saved.

4) God exercising his power and sovereignty could intrude into the human situation, not only providing an opportunity for salvation, but by working in the hearts of fallen man, and ensure the salvation for some.
-God has the power to do this
-God doesn’t owe people mercy
-God will have mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy

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- # 1 is NOT BIBLICAL because the Bible says there is salvation
- # 3 is NOT BIBLICAL because the Bible says many will go to Hell

2 Groups of People in the World:

SAVED	UNSAVED
Gets Mercy	Gets Justice

-Nobody gets injustice from God-

- #4 is most BIBLICAL