There has been much discussion about whether salvation is available to all mankind, or if it is only reserved for a special group of elect people whom God has already chosen to be born again. (This is commonly referred to as “predestination.”) But the simple answer is found in Acts 2:21: “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”

It is God’s will for all men to be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth. God earnestly desires to have fellowship with every person. At the same time, He wants each person to love Him and desire fellowship with Him. For this reason God gave us freedom of choice—so we might choose Him of our own free will because we want to have a relationship with Him.

The Bible does speak of the foreknowledge of God in reference to salvation. It is referring to His seeing ahead of time the need of a Savior to redeem mankind from sin. Through foreknowledge, God made provision for us to be put back into right relationship with Him through the blood of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Romans 5:9-10; Colossians 1:20). 

God’s grace, promises and provisions, as well as the warnings of punishment, are general to all mankind. No single individual is chosen, elected, foreknown, or predestined to be saved or lost without the responsibility of his or her personal choice being considered. God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35). 

God left the choice of man’s destiny up to him (Joshua 24:15). God orchestrates each of our lives to help us make the right decision, but ultimately the choice is ours.