Those who oppose the doctrine of election often question, that if God predestines some for salvation, does that indirectly mean He also plans to send people to hell? Does that mean people like Judas were made by God for destruction?

This is a very provocative question. But the answer simply lies in the sovereignty of God which is explicitly stated in Paul’s message to the Romans;

Romans 9:21-23 (NKJV)

21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 

23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,

In the above passage, Paul is expressing the fact that God is sovereign over all things. In the earlier verse 18, he makes a simple argument on behalf of God saying “He has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom He will He hardens.”

Of course many would have contested Paul by arguing that it doesn’t seem fair and so Paul addresses them in verses 21-23.

In verse 21, Paul argues that the potter can make a vessel anyway He wants since He is the creator and the vessel is simply clay. In verses 22 & 23, he elaborates on his point with a question.

As this verse is written in the original Greek language and in the present tense, it should be read as God saying, “I prepare vessels for glory, but the vessels are prepared for destruction.”

Which is simply saying that we are all vessels ready for destruction. However, God in His mercy has extended grace to redeemed sinners (vessels prepared for glory), so that He may be glorified.

It’s not as if some of us are special and deserving of His love, in fact we are all sinners and have  fallen short of the Glory of God and left on our own accord are destined for hell (as vessels prepared for destruction).

Although God has every right to destroy all the vessels, He chooses some vessels for mercy and exhibits a long fuse with the others.

God’s ultimate purpose in this is twofold. Firstly, it reveals His wrath and power; Secondly, it reveals the riches of His glory (Ephesians 3:16). The first part is carried out on all who are the vessels of wrath, the latter is carried out on the vessels of mercy.

If we take Judas  for example, He was not created to occupy hell. In fact, hell was never made for human beings; it was made for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Judas (like many unbelievers today) was sent to hell because he rejected the truth about God and redemption available only in Christ.

It is important to note that salvation comes from the Lord. The same way, Paul (as well as all believers) came to Him because God chose to have mercy on Him. We cannot dispute His right to do this. We cannot judge Him as unjust. We are to bow to this truth about God’s sovereignty in salvation.

People sometimes argue that God predestined me to be saved because He knew that someday I would be saved. If that is true, then salvation is in the hands of man, not God, and God orders events according to what I do or do not do. This faulty reasoning stems from trying to rationalize God’s sovereignty and man’s free will (which will be talked about in another chapter).

Thanks be to God that He, in His mercy, prepares vessels for glory and not destruction. It’s comforting to know that salvation isn’t something we have to earn or maintain ourselves. Instead, it’s fully in the hands of a sovereign and gracious God. We may not fully understand His ways, but we can rest in the assurance that His will is perfect and just. God doesn’t prepare anyone for hell—He offers mercy and grace to those He has chosen, and we are called to trust in that beautiful truth.